By now you've probably read about the construction investigation underway in the collapse of a large parking deck in Atlanta, Georgia. Construction accidents such as this one are fortunately few and far between. Even more surprising, this was an almost new parking deck completed in 2004. Miraculously no one was injured.
Constructed of concrete and steel, a structurally sound parking garage must meet exact design specifications. The Atlanta Journal reported that a spokesperson for Gateway Development, which owns the Cyntergy parking garage, indicated an exterior beam, called a spandrel beam, "popped out." The beam runs from column to column and the question for investigators is what caused the beam to pop out. Besides looking for structural defects or inappropriate use of materials, investigators will also try to determine if any changes were made to the specifications in the design, such as a change in the angle of a beam.
With a total of 1514 parking spaces, when the single interior section collapsed approximately 35 spaces were affected. Of the 700 cars removed from the deck, 45 were crushed beyond repair and many more had cosmetic damage. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has begun an investigation and Hardin Construction Company which was the acting contractor for the parking garage is cooperating. Hardin was also the contractor of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens pedestrian bridge which collapsed last year killing one person.
Read more:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Collapse baffles experts
Hardin pledges cooperation in deck probe
Additional Resources:
OSHA: Track Investigations and Inspections
Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons License
