What the Fuck, UT Austin biology building patio’s ceiling collapses

[Willfully Horn 8217]

“On Sunday, Nov. 24, at around 12:49 p.m., the ceiling of an outdoor patio at the Norman Hackerman Building suddenly collapsed. The building, which opened about 15 years ago, houses classrooms and labs for biology and chemistry.”

Pretty lucky it happened on a Sunday. Infuriatingly sloppy construction, or, perhaps, engineering. 
 

“The Beck Group and CO Architects both list the building project in their online portfolios.”

Video of collapse at link.

 

https://www.kut.org/austin/2024-12-10/ut-austin-university-texas-collapse-norman-hackerman-building

Edited December 11 by Willfully Horn

[Degenerate Gardner 4135]

Holy fuck. That could have been a real problem on a different day.

[4th_and_18 709]

The second time this has happened at UT. Luckily nobody was injured either time. The previous incident was the loading dock at RRH just after the building opened. Same thing. And both times the answer will be “we didn’t account for high winds.” UT is now quietly inspecting other similar installations around campus. Including another one at the NHB. We should include wind in future design concerns. Apparently it blows on campus.

[Gatorubet 30643]

On the bright side, it wasn’t the architecture building. 

[RDCanecutter 26859]

When I was 15, I tagged along with my electrician father in Ft. Walton or Mary Esther or whatever slapped-together beach town. He had a whole side-gig repairing non-code shit inflicted on the homeowners by [insert narcotic]-head previous electricians.

One job was so egregious, with wiring trailing off into damp sand, that he called me over, pointed it out, and said "RD, maybe you'll be an electrician, maybe you'll do something else, but whatever it is, promise me you'll never do shit work."

I've tried to keep that in mind. But it would have saved a lot more money if he'd told it to whoever UT hired to build that patio.

[Willfully Horn 8217]

4 hours ago, 4th_and_18 said:

The second time this has happened at UT. Luckily nobody was injured either time. The previous incident was the loading dock at RRH just after the building opened. Same thing. And both times the answer will be “we didn’t account for high winds.” UT is now quietly inspecting other similar installations around campus. Including another one at the NHB. We should include wind in future design concerns. Apparently it blows on campus.

Fuck. More evidence that the powers that be, in the leadership at UT and the state government, are not serious people.

[tigol 2470]

Well, when you have to go with the lowest bidder every time.....

[Deej 77680]

Must have hired aggy. 

[Parliament 14575]

Designed by Aggy?

[miguelito 11453]

Important note:

"The ceiling that collapsed was a decorative element and was not tied into the building’s core structure, so there are no concerns about the soundness of the building," Mike Rosen said in a statement. "The University will be working with outside assistance to assess the cause of the failure and develop a mitigation plan."

 

Still, not good, but could have been a lot worse.

[Native Horn 3571]

Think of the fetal pigs!

[Texas Jeff 1998]

Meanwhile, just down the street, this thing is laughing at the biology building:

[Paper_jam 847]

That sculpture thing looks like some kind of alien megavirus under an electron microscope. It's gonna turn us all into Borgs.

 

[4th_and_18 709]

fify

That $1.6 million pile of trashed canoes looks like some kind of alien megavirus under an electron microscope. It's gonna turn us all into Borgs.
 

[Vito Andolini 9432]

I’m just seeing this so a bit late, but in the video linked in the KUT report, at about :38 you can see what appears to be a small animal (I’m guessing squirrel, could also be a cat) race to the far edge of the collapsed ceiling and gawk at the destruction. The reflected light from its eyes help to see it. Hope the little fella didn’t have any family underneath the crash zone.

 

[RDCanecutter 26859]

On 12/11/2024 at 4:50 PM, Texas Jeff said:

Meanwhile, just down the street, this thing is laughing at the biology building:

Death finds a way.

[AnTiM 1685]

This sometimes happens when a gust of wind lifts and then drops a roof just a little.  The extra energy of the fall exceeds what would be the normal safe weight of the roof and down it goes.

[bolverk 30258]

4 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

Hope the little fella didn’t have any family underneath the crash zone.

Edited Tuesday at 02:41 PM by bolverk

[Captainant 28421]

On 12/11/2024 at 4:50 PM, Texas Jeff said:

Meanwhile, just down the street, this thing is laughing at the biology building:

 

On 12/11/2024 at 5:20 PM, Paper_jam said:

That sculpture thing looks like some kind of alien megavirus under an electron microscope. It's gonna turn us all into Borgs.

 

I always thought it looked like a weird artifact from a busted scene render or videogame level

[Vito Andolini 9432]

When the artist was sketching his vision, was that canoe-oodling?

I’ll show myself out…

[South Austin 53158]

On 12/10/2024 at 11:41 PM, Gatorubet said:

On the bright side, it wasn’t the architecture building. 

It's only a matter of time.  The stupidest guy in my fraternity became an architect, after he flunked out of dental school.

[Gatorubet 30643]

On 12/11/2024 at 4:50 PM, Texas Jeff said:

Meanwhile, just down the street, this thing is laughing at the biology building:

Megatron - you suck at hiding.

[Vito Andolini 9432]

9 minutes ago, South Austin said:

It's only a matter of time.  The stupidest guy in my fraternity became an architect, after he flunked out of dental school.

My Dan Fogelberg knowledge has me now singing, “…He kept her warm and safe and dryyyyy.”

I think one of the big requirements for architecture is good penmanship. Or at least the ability to print really, really well.

[Dewey 3328]

15 years and a lot of weight to support.  Aside from the ceiling on the ground, you also see what I think are lights, usually supported to deck and some mechanical equipment fell too, usually has its own supports.  

Those are called suspended ceilings,  usually installed with wire and shot into a concrete deck or metal deck, they use beam clamps and other methods as well. 

They probably installed it (15 years ago) as if it were a ceiling in an office building,  not an outdoor system that has more beef to it. 

All I got is a short video and bad picture,  but guessing qc was a small part of the GCs work. 

[BottleRocket 659]

5 minutes ago, Dewey said:

15 years and a lot of weight to support.  Aside from the ceiling on the ground, you also see what I think are lights, usually supported to deck and some mechanical equipment fell too, usually has its own supports.  

Those are called suspended ceilings,  usually installed with wire and shot into a concrete deck or metal deck, they use beam clamps and other methods as well. 

They probably installed it (15 years ago) as if it were a ceiling in an office building as it was designed.

 

FIFY

I'm sure that they will find out which party to blame soon enough.

[Deej 77680]

1 hour ago, South Austin said:

It's only a matter of time.  The stupidest guy in my fraternity became an architect, after he flunked out of dental school.

Art Vandelay?

[BurdineBandit 823]

I've walked past that porch so many times with students studying on those tables often. Incredibly lucky to have nobody there. 

[C-Man 27708]

9 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

I’m just seeing this so a bit late, but in the video linked in the KUT report, at about :38 you can see what appears to be a small animal (I’m guessing squirrel, could also be a cat) race to the far edge of the collapsed ceiling and gawk at the destruction. The reflected light from its eyes help to see it. Hope the little fella didn’t have any family underneath the crash zone.

 

Unless, I'm looking at something completely different that was a piece of debris that was blown in that direction.

[Prepuce of Doom 21263]

5 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

 

I think one of the big requirements for architecture is good penmanship. Or at least the ability to print really, really well.

I'm fairly certain that the first year of architecture school includes a mandatory course on adapting one's handwriting into the exact same script as every other architect. 

[Vito Andolini 9432]

31 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Unless, I'm looking at something completely different that was a piece of debris that was blown in that direction.

Yeah, evaluating the starting point of my “animal,” it does seem to just be a flat piece of paper or lighter weight material that blows to the edge of the fallen ceiling, then somehow getting propped up . I was confused by what I thought were glowing eyes, which I see often when viewing my patio camera showing little visitors in the night.

[yoladu 4187]

On 12/11/2024 at 8:20 AM, miguelito said:

Important note:

"The ceiling that collapsed was a decorative element and was not tied into the building’s core structure, so there are no concerns about the soundness of the building," Mike Rosen said in a statement. "The University will be working with outside assistance to assess the cause of the failure and develop a mitigation plan."

 

Still, not good, but could have been a lot worse.

yeah, the structure is fine, but items hung from the structure are kinda shitty.

Gravity wins again.

Edited Tuesday at 09:06 PM by yoladu

[Brisketexan 106698]

31 minutes ago, yoladu said:

Gravity wins again.

It always does.....

[Kennythetiger 9590]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

It always does.....

Not always. 

[HornOnTheBayou 9057]

9 hours ago, South Austin said:

It's only a matter of time.  The stupidest guy in my fraternity became an architect, after he flunked out of dental school.

"It's called a t-square!"

[C-Man 27708]

6 hours ago, Kennythetiger said:

Not always.