Week 4: Algo Mall Commission excerpts Flashcards
Describe briefly what collapsed
A portion of rooftop parking deck collapsed onto two floors below
How many people died and how many were injured?
two people died
19 people injured
what structural failure occurred to cause the collapse?
Sudden failure of a connection between one beam and one column of the steel substructure below the parking deck
What was the cause of this failure?
The continual and uninterrupted ingress of water and chlorides from the parking deck of the mall which resulted in severe corrosion of the connection
When presented with repeated complaints and warnings about the leaks, what did municipal authorities do?
They ignored them and instead focused on non-interference with the mall since it was regarded as a social hub of the community and major revenue
T/F: Engineers were not hired to ever inspect the mall, so that is why the issue went unnoticed.
False. Engineers did inspect the mall, but they drafted reports more to please the eye and no mention of solutions or danger
What did the owners do about the issue?
They chose cheap and ineffective repairs as well as concealed their knowledge of the deck condition from the city and subsequent purchasers
What attitude in general towards the mall contributed greatly towards the collapse?
A too accepting and sanguine attitude, along with people trying to take the easy route and push the problem along to the future
