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Snow Load?!


Simon Lewis

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From what I learned whilst at uni the Americans are rather behind us on their design codes choosing to ignore all the research and development we've done over the years. One of the major examples we had lectures on was designing for disproportionate collapse and how they didn't really think about it too much until after the twin towers. It's been quite heavily researched over here and is included in design codes and has been for years following from the Ronan Point disaster. According to our lecturer the Twin Towers wouldn't have collapsed if it had been designed to our codes.
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As does Minneapolis where this actually is. /pedant.

Interesting... I did Google to find the location, wondering if snow was a rarity, like say, Houston*. I'm sure the site I found referred to Boston. Possibly a different but similar event.

 

*Had a white Christmas when I was there as a kid. 1st time in recorded history!

 

PS. Boston Globe report. Doh!

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As Wilflet says, this is the fifth collapse and they seem to accept it as "normal service".

 

It does say a lot about US business practice that they apparently disregarded elements of the structural survey and, as long as nobody gets killed, just patch it up and fill it full of punters.

 

They have been lucky so far and income outweighs risk it seems.

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Those inflatable roofs are prone to collapse: our stadium in Vancouver had one until last year and the guys who maintained it (who work for the local rigging company*) said it was a nightmare to keep going.

 

 

 

 

*=Riggit. No, not that Riggit.

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