Ottawa Parking Garage Collapse

[SinStrucEng]

Thought this would be interesting to our little community, and serve as an excellent reminder of why snow loads must always be carefully considered in design:

Ottawa Parking Garage Collapse [CBC]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/slater-laurier-parking-garage-ottawa-collapse-closure-1.7468706

Thankfully no injuries, but plenty of trapped/damaged vehicles. This could have been way worse. The amount of snow on that parking deck is wild.

 

[dik]

why snow loads must always be carefully considered in design:

... or snow removal.

 

[SinStrucEng]

Here's a picture of the interior, taken by the individual who reported it, before the collapse.

 

[SWComposites]

Yeowza! not sure I would have stopped to take a photo before getting out of there.

 

[hokie66]

Precast house of cards.

 

[SinStrucEng]

Yeowza! not sure I would have stopped to take a photo before getting out of there.

I'm ashamed to admit that I would have, lol. This is a failure that most (99%) of engineers only get to see online or in textbooks... Morbidly interesting to see in person, frankly.

This is not me saying that such a decision (to stop and look) is responsible or wise, btw

 

[Tomfh]

Did the snow removal machine push it all into one spot?

 

[MintJulep]

Did the snow removal machine push it all into one spot?

The first picture looks like that might be the case.

 

[XR250]

Similar thing happened in my low snow area (central NC) in a parking lot. Apparently there were under ground stormwater tunnels that the snow removal operators did not know about. Piled all the snow in one area of area of the lot and the pavement collapsed.