ABSTRACT
The paper describes the failure of a estate of 20 houses built on the verge of a slope near Granada in the ravine of river Gorja. Fissures appeared before the end of construction, and distress little time after the end. Somes houses were demolished. A throurough investigation showed that old landslides had occurred near the site. The slopes of two terraces were actually active faults, as shown by the vertical and horizontal movements measured later along them. The stability of the slope was calculated by the Plaxis finite element program. The strength was below the drained value due to the strain softening produced by the tectonic shear stresses. Actually creep movements, probably combined with tectonic displacements affected the houses.
