Pavilion I is one of ten buildings that outline The Lawn at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Pavilions were designed by Thomas Jefferson, and have remained relatively unchanged since their construction in the early 1800s.
At 9:46 AM May 18, 1997, the morning of graduation commencement for students at the University of Virginia, the second level balcony of Pavilion I, collapsed and fell 15 feet to the ground, injuring 24 and killing 1.The cause of the collapse was a single corroded wrought iron tension rod. The balcony lacked any design redundancies, making the failure sudden and catastrophic.
Keywords
Balcony Collapse, University of Virginia, Pavilion I, UVA, Charlottesville, Virginia, Corrosion, Tension Rod, Wrought Iron
Background
Figure 2: Distant View of The Lawn with the Rotunda at the Center and Pavilion I and II to the left. (Image courtesy of M. Sullivan "Images of The Lawn, University of Virginia, by Thomas Jefferson.")
Pavilion I was designed by Thomas Jefferson in the early 1800s. It is one of 10 pavilions that, with the Rotunda, creates a grass courtyard, otherwise known as the Lawn. The pavilions were originally designed as housing for the professors on the upper levels, as well as their classroom space on the ground level.
Each pavilion was meant to represent a different order of ancient architecture. Pavilion I was designed in the Doric order and is adjacent to the Rotunda and Pavilion II, which are designed in the Corinthian and Ionic orders, respectively. The close proximity to one another allow students to study all three orders in one location.
The balcony of Pavilion I was supported by four 12' long, 3/4" wrought iron tension rods, all of which were original members from Jefferson's initial design. The balcony itself is constructed of pine floor joists, supported by pine beams, which are suspended from the tension rods, which themselves are supported by the rafters. Figure 3 below shows how the front of the balcony is suspended entirely from the tension rods, detached from the columns. The only changes that have been made to the 175 year old building were a couple of deck boards and the addition of expansion bolts to connect the wall beams to the brick facade.
Figure 3: View of Pavilion I (foreground) and Pavilion II (background)(Image courtesy of M. Sullivan "Images of The Lawn, University of Virginia, by Thomas Jefferson.")
Collapse
On May 17th 1997 students and faculty were preparing for the spring graduation commencement that was being held on the Lawn of the University of Virginia’s campus. The commencement procession lead down the center of the lawn, with the Pavilions lined on each side. Family and friends of the graduates were setting up on the balconies of the pavilions waiting for the commencement to start. At 9:46 am the balcony of Pavilion I collapsed and fell 16 feet to the ground below injuring a total of 16 people. Eleven people had been on the balcony when it collapsed, and only two were able to make it to the next balcony before it fell. Seven people who had been standing under the balcony were crushed by the falling debris and deck occupants.
Investigation and Cause of Failure
After the collapse, Whitlock Dalyrumple & Associates were hired to determine the cause of the failure. In their preliminary report, they stated that there was “clear evidence of corrosion” in one of the four tension rods supporting the balcony.
The tension rod was one of two supporting a heart pine beam that spanned 16 feet. There were no signs of deterioration on the wooden beam, or corrosion stains on the wood indicating that the rod was in need of repair. Because of the graduation ceremony, there was a large number of people on the balcony, although it was determined that the balcony was not overloaded (Allen 1997).
There were no visible signs of corrosion on the rod before the collapse. Figure 5 below shows that the corrosion in the rod was concealed within the wooden beam, making it impossible to detect through visual inspection. The most recent inspection of the structure, by Anadac Inc. in 1994, was a routine visual inspection that declared the the building was in good condition, mentioning nothing about the balcony (ENR 1997)
Figure 4: Section of connection between tension rod and wood beam before failure.(Image provided by the author)
Figure 5: Computer Enhanced Graphic Showing Upper and Lower Section of Tension Rod(Image courtesy of Facilities Manager: The Official Publication of the Association of Physical Plant Administrators of Universities and Colleges)
Response to Failure
Lawsuits were filed against the Commonwealth of Virginia, the facilities engineering firm hired to do the inspections for the Lawn facilities, the architect and curator for the Academical Village, and three employees at the Universities facilities assessment division. The suits claimed negligence in their duties to protect the public. The suits against the Commonwealth and the university employees were eventually settled outside of court (Dillman, Robert P, PE 2002).
Following the collapse, all suspended balconies on the Lawn had their tension rods removed for inspection, and temporarily supported by scaffolding. Of the nineteen tension rods that support that are used to support six similar balconies on the Pavilions, only one showed any signs of corrosion. The report published by Whitlock Dalyrmple Poston & Associates Inc stated that "Although the overall structural system without the presence of corrosion damage would not meet current building code requirements, the design of the structure was clearly rational and had supported the loads imposed by its typical use over the last 175 years." The replacement rods are stainless steel utilizing steel plates at the connections. These replacement rods are designed to look identical to the original design, maintaining the aesthetic that Jefferson wanted (Allen 1997).
Prevention
The main cause of the collapse was the failure of one corroded tension rod. The collapse could have been prevented had structural redundancies been implemented in the design. When the tension rod failed, their was nothing to sustain the load safely, resulting in the sudden failure of the balcony. The facility managers had been conducting routine visual inspections of the building, but perhaps visual inspections are not enough on historic structures.
Similar Cases
A similar case study is the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse. The walkways utilized a similar tension rod setup, and also did not have any design redundancies in the structure. Three levels of suspended walkways fell four stories killing 114, and injuring 200 more. The flaw was the connection of the tension rod to the walkway.
Conclusion
The University of Virginia Balcony Collapse was the result of a tension rod failure. The collapse caused injury to 24, and resulted in the death of one. The investigation into the collapse confirmed that the collapse was the result of a corroded wrought iron tension rod. Although visual inspections had been conducted regularly, they failed to notice the corrosion occurring at the connection between the rod and the wooden beam.
Dillman, Robert P, PE. "Lessons Learned from the University of Virginia's Balcony Collapse." Facilities manager: the official publication of the Association of Physical Plant Administrators of Universities and Colleges 18, no. 2 (2002): 23-25.
a Journal article which details the location and cause of the failure, a single wrought iron tension rod. The tension rod had corroded inside the wooden beam, which showed no signs of deterioration.
This article states that Whitlock Dalrymple Poston and Associates were the forensics firm to do the preliminary report of the failure. It also lists Anadac as the ones who did the last state commissioned report, not mention any problems with the balconies.
J.Stewart O’Keefe, John N Kheir, Marcus L Martin, Lawrence F Leslie, Jeffrey G Neal, Richard F Edlich, Balcony collapse at the University of Virginia graduation: what hath Jefferson wrought?, The Journal of Emergency Medicine, Volume 17, Issue 2, March–April 1999, Pages 293-297, ISSN 0736-4679, <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0736467998001656>
Report that details the emergency medical response to the victims of the collapse. Also talks about the lack of design redundancy in the propped cantilever balcony.
Newspaper article identifying Mary Jo Brashear as the one casualty from the collapse. The majority of the injuries were to those standing under the balcony.
Web article providing descriptions of each pavilion as well as images
US General Services Administration. " Wrought Iron: Characteristics, Uses and Problems." Historic Preservation-Technical Procedures. <http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/111770>
Article that describes the characteristics of wrought iron and its uses. It also explains typical problems with the material and its deterioration characteristics.
Additional References and Resources
Frangopol, Dan M., Okasha Nader M. Reliability Engineerign and Safety Systems. "Redundancy of structural systems with and without maintenance: An approach based on lifetime functions"
Fan, H.T. Fang, Z.X. The Twelf East Asia-Pacific Confrence on Structural Engineering and Construction "Redundancy of Structural Systems in the Context of Structural Safety"
Charlottesville, Virginia - May 1997
Zachary Brown, BAE/MAE, AE 537 2014
Table of Contents
Introduction
Pavilion I is one of ten buildings that outline The Lawn at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Pavilions were designed by Thomas Jefferson, and have remained relatively unchanged since their construction in the early 1800s.At 9:46 AM May 18, 1997, the morning of graduation commencement for students at the University of Virginia, the second level balcony of Pavilion I, collapsed and fell 15 feet to the ground, injuring 24 and killing 1.The cause of the collapse was a single corroded wrought iron tension rod. The balcony lacked any design redundancies, making the failure sudden and catastrophic.
Keywords
Balcony Collapse, University of Virginia, Pavilion I, UVA, Charlottesville, Virginia, Corrosion, Tension Rod, Wrought IronBackground
Pavilion I was designed by Thomas Jefferson in the early 1800s. It is one of 10 pavilions that, with the Rotunda, creates a grass courtyard, otherwise known as the Lawn. The pavilions were originally designed as housing for the professors on the upper levels, as well as their classroom space on the ground level.
Each pavilion was meant to represent a different order of ancient architecture. Pavilion I was designed in the Doric order and is adjacent to the Rotunda and Pavilion II, which are designed in the Corinthian and Ionic orders, respectively. The close proximity to one another allow students to study all three orders in one location.
The balcony of Pavilion I was supported by four 12' long, 3/4" wrought iron tension rods, all of which were original members from Jefferson's initial design. The balcony itself is constructed of pine floor joists, supported by pine beams, which are suspended from the tension rods, which themselves are supported by the rafters. Figure 3 below shows how the front of the balcony is suspended entirely from the tension rods, detached from the columns. The only changes that have been made to the 175 year old building were a couple of deck boards and the addition of expansion bolts to connect the wall beams to the brick facade.
Collapse
On May 17th 1997 students and faculty were preparing for the spring graduation commencement that was being held on the Lawn of the University of Virginia’s campus. The commencement procession lead down the center of the lawn, with the Pavilions lined on each side. Family and friends of the graduates were setting up on the balconies of the pavilions waiting for the commencement to start. At 9:46 am the balcony of Pavilion I collapsed and fell 16 feet to the ground below injuring a total of 16 people. Eleven people had been on the balcony when it collapsed, and only two were able to make it to the next balcony before it fell. Seven people who had been standing under the balcony were crushed by the falling debris and deck occupants.Investigation and Cause of Failure
After the collapse, Whitlock Dalyrumple & Associates were hired to determine the cause of the failure. In their preliminary report, they stated that there was “clear evidence of corrosion” in one of the four tension rods supporting the balcony.The tension rod was one of two supporting a heart pine beam that spanned 16 feet. There were no signs of deterioration on the wooden beam, or corrosion stains on the wood indicating that the rod was in need of repair. Because of the graduation ceremony, there was a large number of people on the balcony, although it was determined that the balcony was not overloaded (Allen 1997).
There were no visible signs of corrosion on the rod before the collapse. Figure 5 below shows that the corrosion in the rod was concealed within the wooden beam, making it impossible to detect through visual inspection. The most recent inspection of the structure, by Anadac Inc. in 1994, was a routine visual inspection that declared the the building was in good condition, mentioning nothing about the balcony (ENR 1997)
Response to Failure
Lawsuits were filed against the Commonwealth of Virginia, the facilities engineering firm hired to do the inspections for the Lawn facilities, the architect and curator for the Academical Village, and three employees at the Universities facilities assessment division. The suits claimed negligence in their duties to protect the public. The suits against the Commonwealth and the university employees were eventually settled outside of court (Dillman, Robert P, PE 2002).Following the collapse, all suspended balconies on the Lawn had their tension rods removed for inspection, and temporarily supported by scaffolding. Of the nineteen tension rods that support that are used to support six similar balconies on the Pavilions, only one showed any signs of corrosion. The report published by Whitlock Dalyrmple Poston & Associates Inc stated that "Although the overall structural system without the presence of corrosion damage would not meet current building code requirements, the design of the structure was clearly rational and had supported the loads imposed by its typical use over the last 175 years." The replacement rods are stainless steel utilizing steel plates at the connections. These replacement rods are designed to look identical to the original design, maintaining the aesthetic that Jefferson wanted (Allen 1997).
Prevention
The main cause of the collapse was the failure of one corroded tension rod. The collapse could have been prevented had structural redundancies been implemented in the design. When the tension rod failed, their was nothing to sustain the load safely, resulting in the sudden failure of the balcony. The facility managers had been conducting routine visual inspections of the building, but perhaps visual inspections are not enough on historic structures.Similar Cases
A similar case study is the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse. The walkways utilized a similar tension rod setup, and also did not have any design redundancies in the structure. Three levels of suspended walkways fell four stories killing 114, and injuring 200 more. The flaw was the connection of the tension rod to the walkway.Conclusion
The University of Virginia Balcony Collapse was the result of a tension rod failure. The collapse caused injury to 24, and resulted in the death of one. The investigation into the collapse confirmed that the collapse was the result of a corroded wrought iron tension rod. Although visual inspections had been conducted regularly, they failed to notice the corrosion occurring at the connection between the rod and the wooden beam.Bibliography
Allen, M. Youssef, N. "Hidden Rust Blamed in Balcony Collapse at U-Va.; University Officials Say Corrosion Couldn't Have Been Caught in Standard Inspections." The Washington Post. (August 28, 1997 , Thursday, Final Edition ): 536 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/12/05
<http://www.lexisnexis.com/lnacui2api/api/version1/getDocCui?lni=3S7T-7VJ0-009B-N27Y&csi=270944,270077,11059,8411&hl=t&hv=t&hnsd=f&hns=t&hgn=t&oc=00240&perma=true>
"And the Balcony Tumbled, Too." Engineering News-Record. Date Accessed: 2014/10/02.
<http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/editorials/9712056000/balcony-tumbled-too>
"Balcony collapses at Va. graduation; 1 killed, 18 injured." USA TODAY. Date Accessed: 2014/10/02.
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Dillman, Robert P, PE. "Lessons Learned from the University of Virginia's Balcony Collapse." Facilities manager: the official publication of the Association of Physical Plant Administrators of Universities and Colleges 18, no. 2 (2002): 23-25.
" FATAL BALCONY COLLAPSE BLAMED ON SINGLE, CORRODED IRON ROD." Engineering News-Record. Date Accessed: 2014/10/02.
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J.Stewart O’Keefe, John N Kheir, Marcus L Martin, Lawrence F Leslie, Jeffrey G Neal, Richard F Edlich, Balcony collapse at the University of Virginia graduation: what hath Jefferson wrought?, The Journal of Emergency Medicine, Volume 17, Issue 2, March–April 1999, Pages 293-297, ISSN 0736-4679,
<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0736467998001656>
Lodi News Sentinel, "Officials probe fatal balcony collapse," May 20, 1997, Tuesday edition, sec. Nation. http://news.google.com/newspapers?
<http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=McAzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LiEGAAAAIBAJ&pg=6933%2C2436377>
"One Killed and 18 Hurt in Balcony Collapse." New York Times (1923-Current File), May 19, 1997.
<http://search.proquest.com/docview/109756217?accountid=13158>
Sullivan, M. (2002). "Images of The Lawn, University of Virginia, by Thomas Jefferson." Images of the Lawn, University of Virginia, by Thomas Jefferson. 2002. Web. 5 Oct. 2014
<http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/virginia/charlottesville/uvalawn/lawn.html>
US General Services Administration. " Wrought Iron: Characteristics, Uses and Problems." Historic Preservation-Technical Procedures. <http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/111770>
Additional References and Resources
Frangopol, Dan M., Okasha Nader M. Reliability Engineerign and Safety Systems. "Redundancy of structural systems with and without maintenance: An approach based on lifetime functions"Fan, H.T. Fang, Z.X. The Twelf East Asia-Pacific Confrence on Structural Engineering and Construction "Redundancy of Structural Systems in the Context of Structural Safety"