said by peterboro:... I wouldn't have engineered the structure that way either.
From reading the transcripts and exhibits, in the end, this is a typical complex failure, a number of errors and failures compounded to the end result.
The owner/builder chose an unproven, now prohibited method of waterproofing the parking deck / roof, that failed immediately. Multiple engineers made assumptions while designing the roof that later prevented anyone from properly fixing it (inadequate load capacity to replace the roofing system with something more conventional). The owners were reluctant to take drastic action (e.g., closing the parking). Later owners made repairs sporadically, and frequently aborted projects or switched contractors before they were finished. Consultants, engineers and experts throughout the structure's history failed to appreciate, or if they did, they failed to communicate to the owners, the magnitude of the danger to the steel structure posed by the leaking roof. Fireproofing on the steel, in large part, hid the true extent of the corrosion.
The transcripts and exhibits are all posted online and are a fascinating read, especially the forensic report: »
www2.elliotlakeinquiry.c ··· 0274.pdfThere will be a lot of blame to go around, in the end, I think.