Stage Collapse In Birmingham

[Bryson]

I think the crucial thing to remember about that Academy pic is: There was nowhere further for the floor to go. The centre of that "sag" would be resting on the concrete floor. Even if the whole thing had collapsed at once, the audience would have fallen the grand total of 4 inches.

 

As for why, if you ever watch a sprung floor being constructed (I spent last summer very carefully following 6 of them being made) you'll realise that there is the potential for something like that to happen. Especially if you don't keep an extremely careful eye on the contractors, like we did.

 

Minor, non-life-threatening accidents happen all the time. No biggie.

[andy_s]

slightly off topic, but related to the floor link - but I went to see Dr Feelgood years ago at Hull City Hall (old fashioned town hall, venue on first floor) where the floor definitely bounced up and down quite vigorously, and the balcony was visibly swaying. Ever wonder why the security spend so much time trying to make you sit down......most floors aren't really designed to withstand 500+ people doing synchronised jumping on them. In fact I have recollections of a news story a while ago where a nightclub in Israel (I think) collapsed after vigorous dancing during a wedding party.

[Simon Lewis]

In fact I have recollections of a news story a while ago where a nightclub in Israel (I think) collapsed after vigorous dancing during a wedding party.

 

AFAIR it was the function room of a hotel.... but on about the second floor.

 

The builders were blamed for poor workmanship etc., but as often happens with such news stories, you never get to hear what the final outcome was.

[TommyToad]

I remember that thing in israel, but as far as I remember it was either a bomb or a earthquake?

[Simon Lewis]

I remember that thing in israel, but as far as I remember it was either a bomb or a earthquake?

 

No, it was the construction method. Google throws up this Wikipedia entry:

 

The May 24, 2001, collapse of the Versailles wedding hall in Jerusalem, Israel, killed 23 and injured more than 200. The collapse was blamed on poor construction practices. The disaster, which is considered Israel's worst civil disaster, was caught on videotape. The wedding hall was built using the cheaper Pal-Kal method, which uses thinner sections of concrete than usual during construction. The building method was banned in 1996 because of safety concerns. Ten people were arrested by the Israeli authorities, including the wedding hall's owners, the engineer who invented the Pal-Kal method, and contractors and builders involved with recent renovations. In October 2004, two of the owners of the hall were convicted of causing death through negligence; two other employees were acquitted.

 

A BBC account of the tradgedy is here

[Chris Higgs]

According to clients I visited there, following the incident an architect was also jailed for allowing columns on the floor below to be removed to create a larger space.

Anyone feel up for an argument about draconian building regs?....

[Seano]

That sounds somewhat similar to the collapse of the North wing of the "Sampoong Superstore" in Seoul in June 1995.

 

The building was converted from an office block to a department store, corners were cut along the way, and the final straw was when heavy air conditioning equipment was installed on the roof. The whole building collapsed with very little warning, killing almost 500 people in the process. The scenes following the collapse, and the stories of people being rescued from the wreckage for days afterwards were very similar to an earthquake.

 

After the event there were quite a few prosecutions on manslaughter and corruption charges, resulting in lengthy jail sentences for the CEO of the company and a number of planning officials.

 

There was a very interesting (grimly compelling) series on Channel 4 a few years ago called "Collapse: Why Buildings Fall Down", and accompanied by a book with the same name. A very interesting read.

[Big Dave]

Small Update Here