Portsmouth City Council said a building survey showed the steelwork holding the pier up was rusty and corroded and "in danger of losing structural integrity".

BBC: Southsea's South Parade Pier closed over safety concerns

Part of the pier was closed in October by Portsmouth City Council after a building survey showed the steelwork was "in danger of losing structural integrity".

BBC: Southsea's South Parade Pier open to buyers

There were a number of survey teams surrounding the World Trade Center building and their purpose was to determine exactly that -- how stable the surrounding buildings were.

CNN: Steelman and Angeli: Search and rescue at ground zero

The rise in building permits also helped boost the LEI, and the Philadelphia Fed Survey had the first positive reading since April.

FORBES: The Week Ahead: Will Apple Follow Google?

Cars were damaged by bricks dropping from the building, which will be closed for several days to allow a damage survey to be carried out.

BBC: Seattle quake damage 'tops $1bn'

U.S. economic data due for release Thursday includes housing starts and building permits data, the weekly jobless claims report and the Philadelphia Fed business outlook survey.

FORBES: Comex Gold, Silver Near Steady as Conflicting Forces Tug at Markets

Previous projects have included everything from workshops on designing and building less-polluting cookstoves to efforts to build and repair schools and roads to a two-year survey by scientists to study and map the Mekong.

WSJ: Southeast Asia Gets a Boost From Clinton

Meanwhile, in a survey conducted by the Federation of Master Builders, a third of small to medium-sized building firms said they feared they would have to cut staffing levels this year in the face of a continuing decline in the industry.

BBC: Cargo containers being unloaded