Year: 2020

Xhulja Ponari

Arch 4861 Professional Practice

Prof. Mishara

Case study #2 Clemson floor collapse

If I was investing the cause of collapse, the information that I would need is:

•   The legal capacity of the room
• Structure research (Did it change after the construction?)
• The initial function/purpose of the room
• Construction documents (DOB)

The main responsibility would be the owner’s because he is in charge of room instructions, such as occupancy limit/ the occupant load. Also, he allowed the change of room function (from meeting to party), which concluded in floor collapse.

In case of a structural failure, the building team (architect; structural engineer) would take the responsibility.

If I was investigating the cause of this collapse, I would first need to gather information from the South Carolina DOB. Documents such as job filings, violations, list of inspections, and other pre-construction and current modification documents on file. From looking at the certificate of occupancy, I have gathered that due to the exceeding amount of people in the space, the floor trusses failed. The owner takes responsibility for making sure that the number of guests does not exceed the maximum occupancy.

Clemson Floor Collapse

In order to make a precise investigation on the floor  collapse, there needs to be  more information on the event. We need to examine the original plans (Specs), the occupancy limit, and what was the room used for. These factors will help us understand if the floor was able to resist the load applied during the party. There is also need to be an analysis of the structure and check for previous damages.

According to the case, the party was held in a meeting room. Is more likely that the load applied to the floor in the room was not meant to hold 30 people jumping around. I believe that the most of the responsibility falls on the owner for not enforcing the rules and regulations of the room.

-Luis A.

If I were to investigate the floor collapse, I would go to the Department of buildings in South Carolina, and request any relevant information. Such info would include maximum  occupancy of the space, any modification to the structure of the building in recent years, original plans and specification, the amount of live load and dead load the space can handle, and the rules of the building as for weather event that include dancing are allowed. After going over all the information about the building I would assess whether there was a mistake in the building plans themselves, if the builders used the wrong material or did a poor job in the actual construction. I would also check if  there’s been any structural damage that  would have led to the collapse. Also if the residents were not using the space as it was intended to be used. As for who’s to blame, I would deem the owner guilty for not having enforce the rules of the building such as occupancy limit, and the residents of the fraternity who had possible knowledge that the space could not handle such an event.

Shabana Rahim

ARCH 4861

03/04/2020

Case Study 02

 

The first step I would take when I approach this case is to find out as much information I possibly can from the South Carolina Department of Buildings. All prior history, modifications, violations, and job filings are important to know. Then I would look for the certificate of occupancy and the permissible use for the building or just the specific area of the building.  I’ve concluded that the collapse was due to structural failure caused by the fraternity event. This specific area of the building was only constructed with the intention of it being a meeting room which requires light movement and stationary furniture. However, at the fraternity event 30 people dancing at the same time places a greater load on the floor which it was not designed to carry. It is the owner’s responsibility to enforce the occupant load and restrict the area to the use it was designed to accommodate.

During the initial stage of my process, I would gather all the documentation useful throughout my investigation, such as property information from the South Carolina Department of Buildings. I would then acquire specific information such as year built, Complaints, Violations, and Job/Fillings before the incident to compile a brief history and modification information. My next step is to find the certificate of occupancy to acquire Permissible Use and Maximum Occupancy such as live loads and zoning Information. Moving on to the factors that contributed to the collapse of the floor. I’ve concluded that the collapse was due to structural failure caused by the fraternity event and time or failure due to previous work that was done to modify the building but was not done properly. I think it was the owner’s responsibility to enforce, the occupant load allowed as well as the individuals responsible for planning this event, therefore both parties should be held accountable for risking the safety of the public.

Information that we need: Building structure plan, concrete exam of the slab, maximum live load of the space.

Judge:

1.  If all indicators of building structure pass.  Floor collapse by overload, the person who change the purpose of the space should take the responsibility. The building owner should create a warning sign to indicate the maximum load of the space.
2.  If  building structure is not reach the requirement, the architect team have to take the responsibility.