These figures show why the building collapsed.  The images are from a Chinese newspaper and from the bbs.sina.com.cn website.  The translations were forwarded to me in an email (Unfortunately, I can’t read Mandarin).

(1) An underground garage was being dug on the south side, to a depth of 4.6 meters
(2) The excavated dirt was being piled up on the north side, to a height of 10 meters
(3) The building experienced uneven lateral pressure from south and north
(4) This resulted in a lateral pressure of 3,000 tones, which was greater than why the pilings could tolerate.  Thus the building toppled over in the southerly direction.

First, the apartment building was constructed

Then the plan called for an underground garage to be dug out.
The excavated soil was piled up on the other side of the building.

Heavy rains resulted in water seeping into the ground.

The building began to shift and the concrete pilings were snapped
due to the uneven lateral pressures.

The building began to tilt.

And thus came the eighth wonder of the world.

The year 2008 will long be remembered as the start of an economic crisis that has gripped the entire globe – a year that may also have brought to an abrupt end the worldwide construction boom of the past decade that has seen ever-denser cities containing ever-taller buildings proposed from Madrid to the Middle East, from Shanghai to San Francisco. As financial shock waves have reverberated around the world, high-profile tall building projects in virtually all skyscraper cities have been cancelled, delayed, or put on hold in response to the precarious global economic conditions. The question that everyone is now asking – is this the end of the tall ambitions of places such as Moscow, Chicago or Dubai for the short-mid term future?

The correlation between tall buildings and economic recession is not a new one. In 1999 the economist Andrew Lawrence created the ‘Skyscraper Index’  showing how almost all of the world’s tallest buildings throughout history have reached completion virtually simultaneously with the onset of a major economic recession. Using the research and criteria of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), and specifically their annual ’Ten Tallest Buildings Completed Annually’ and projected ‘Tallest 20 in 2020’ research, this paper seeks to examine further the link between skyscrapers and economic cycles, and suggest how the current economic crisis will affect tall building developments in the next decade or so.

(link to PDF of article)

Dear ASCE Member,

Today, the American Society of Civil Engineers issued its latest Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the fourth since 1998. Never has the need for infrastructure investment received such national attention as it is now in the context of stimulating our economy. Recognizing the importance of informing and contributing to this discussion in a timely manner, we made the decision to release the key components of our 2009 Report Card two months ahead of schedule. Today ASCE released the grades for 15 categories of infrastructure, solutions for improvement, and a five year investment need figure.

The overall grade for the nation’s infrastructure is again a D and the cost to bring it up to good condition has risen to $2.2 trillion. In more than a decade, the United States has made no measurable progress in improving either the condition or performance of our roads, bridges, water systems or other vital infrastructure when viewed in aggregate.

Category	Grade
Aviation	D
Bridges	C
Dams	D
Drinking Water	D-
Energy (Electric Power Grid)	D+
Hazardous Waste	D
Inland Waterways	D-
Levees	D-
Public Parks and Recreation	C-
Rail	C-
Roads	D-
Schools	D
Solid Waste	C+
Transit	D
Wastewater	D-

Despite these low grades and years of delayed improvement, the problems are not beyond our ability to solve. As stewards of the nation’s infrastructure, civil engineers can provide the public and policymakers with expert advice on the condition and ways to improve the nation’s infrastructure. To begin that task, ASCE offers these five Key Solutions to raise the grades:

1. Increase federal leadership in infrastructure to address the crisis.
2. Promote sustainability and resilience in infrastructure to protect the natural environment and withstand natural and manmade hazards.
3. Develop national, regional, and state infrastructure plans that complement a national vision and focus on system-wide results.
4. Address life-cycle costs and ongoing maintenance to meet the needs of current and future users.
5. Increase and improve infrastructure investment from all stakeholders.

Detailed information on the grades and solutions can be found on the 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure Web site. Be sure to use the Tell-a-Friend feature on the Web site to help us spread the news!

Now is the time to act!
Our nation faces an incredible opportunity not only to improve the condition of the nation’s infrastructure, but to contribute to much needed economic relief. ASCE members are strongly urged to contact their federal legislators in support of the infrastructure funding included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Please share the findings of the Report Card with your lawmakers and explain the specific infrastructure needs in your community. Visit ASCE’s Click & Connect with Congress Web site for additional information and a sample message.

Plus, sign up here for a FREE Webinar with ASCE leaders on February 2 at 12:00 p.m. EST for an in-depth discussion of the Report Card.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to improving the nation’s infrastructure together!

Sincerely,

D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE
President

Today’s engineers are working across disciplines and driving innovation. MAKE IT WORK. Engineering Possibilities looks at how engineers are envisioning and realizing the future of our built environment by transforming structures, improving environments, enhancing materials, re-inventing building technologies, and advancing forms. This exhibition highlights how inventive strategies for building are born from multidisciplinary research and integrated practice. Small engineering firms, large engineering firms, engineering schools, university labs, materials labs, artists, inventors, and architects are all part of the exchange of ideas – plotting trajectories of innovation.

Building on observations, analysis, and mathematical principles, engineers have developed the profession from empirical analysis into a field of expertise based on predictability and synthesis. With digital simulation and processing capabilities, engineers are utilizing comprehensive models to explore different options for optimizing structures and systems.

Twenty-first century engineers are tackling some of the most challenging concerns of our day. Exceeding LEED standards for sustainable building, engineers are conceiving of new ways for buildings to harvest and manage energy – floors that create electricity and facade systems that respond to the sun. Anticipating dwindling global resources, engineers are designing structures to new standards of efficiency and economy – stadiums that use 50% less steel and towers formed for optimal wind-loading.

These solutions are the product of creative and collaborative pursuit. This exhibition highlights how inventive strategies for building are born from multidisciplinary research and integrated practice. Small engineering firms, large engineering firms, engineering schools, university labs, materials labs, artists, inventors, and architects are all part of the exchange of ideas – plotting trajectories of innovation.

Today’s engineers are working across disciplines and driving innovation. MAKE IT WORK. Engineering Possibilities looks at how engineers are envisioning and realizing the future of our built environment by transforming structures, improving environments, enhancing materials, re-inventing building technologies, and advancing forms. This exhibition highlights how inventive strategies for building are born from multidisciplinary research and integrated practice. Small engineering firms, large engineering firms, engineering schools, university labs, materials labs, artists, inventors, and architects are all part of the exchange of ideas – plotting trajectories of innovation.

On view from January 22 through April 25, 2009.

Organized by: AIA New York Chapter and Center for Architecture Foundation in partnership with the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY).

Sponsored by: Underwriter: The Center for Architecture Foundation; Patron: Con Edison; Lead Sponsors: Arup, Buro Happold, Material ConneXion, and Thornton Tomasetti;

Supporters: The American Council of Engineering Companies and Weidlinger Associates; and Friend: Grimshaw.

Location: Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY (view on map)
Price: Free
More Info: www.aiany.org/centerforarchitecture

Dear ASCE Member,

Infrastructure is receiving unprecedented attention from President-elect Obama, the U.S. Congress, and the media. ASCE finds itself at a crucial moment to spread our message and participate in the dialog regarding infrastructure improvements.

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee released a summary of the House Democratic Leadership’s proposed economic stimulus package, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Included in the infrastructure and science portions are many of ASCE’s priority issues. For details on the package, visit ASCE’s Government Relations blog.

On January 28, 2009, ASCE will issue important components of our 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, including letter grades with short conditions summaries for each of 15 categories, solutions for infrastructure improvement, and an overall cost to improve the nation’s infrastructure. The nation’s leaders rely on ASCE to provide expert advice on the condition of the nation’s infrastructure. Early release of the 2009 Report Card is essential to fulfilling that role.

The Report Card will be launched during a press conference in Washington, D.C. You are invited to watch the press conference via a live Webcast.

The full 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, including detailed fact sheets on all categories and state-by-state information, will be released on March 25, 2009, as previously scheduled.

Take Action Now! Help us spread this message far and wide!

• Contact your legislators at ASCE’s Click and Connect with Congress Web site.
• Submit a letter to the editor or op-ed to your local newspaper. Samples can be found on the PR University Web site.
• Comment on a story on your newspaper’s Web site or a local blog.
• Share your opinion on ASCE’s Our Failing Infrastructure blog.

We ask all members to watch ASCE publications for regular updates on the Report Card effort.

Information on previous Report Cards is available online at www.asce.org/reportcard. If you have a question or are looking for more information, send an email to reportcard@asce.org.

If you have not already, renew your 2009 ASCE membership to support the fight to renew our nation’s infrastructure.

Sincerely,

D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE

President

Aspire Magazine had a follow up article [pdf], where they discussed the repair work that resulted from this accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today announced that a serious design flaw was found in some of the gusset plates on the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, which collapsed on August 1, 2007. As a result, the NTSB issued a recommendation that the Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) require bridge owners to verify that the stress levels in all structural elements, including gusset plates, remain within applicable requirements whenever planned modifications or operational changes may significantly increase stresses. This would apply to all non-load-path-redundant steel truss bridges within the National Bridge Inventory.girl boarding school
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The collapse of this bridge led to 13 deaths, 145 injuries and serious disruption to the lives of thousands of motorists and residents in the region. ASCE again extends it condolences to the victims of this tragedy. As a profession, it is our obligation to learn all that we can from such events. ASCE will continue to monitor the NTSB’s investigation and will incorporate the recommendations and lessons learned into our future technical and professional policies and standards.

ASCE urges its members to review the NTSB’s report and recommendations.

NTSB Safety Recommendation Letter

FHwA Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center Interim Report

Adequacy of the U10 & L11 Gusset Plate Designs for the Minnesota Bridge No. 9340 (I-35W over the Mississippi River)

Sincerely,

�

David G. Mongan, P.E., F.ASCE

President

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has filed a negligence suit against world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, charging that flaws in his design of the $300 million Stata Center in Cambridge, one of the most celebrated works of architecture unveiled in years, caused leaks to spring, masonry to crack, mold to grow, and drainage to back up.

The article profiles Cadforce, a company out of California that has resources in India to help them with projects in the US. The company outsources the more time-consuming and technical tasks, such as creating blueprints from schematics, which allows their architects here to focus on design.

Fears about the structural integrity of a burned-out six-story office building in which three people perished are keeping firefighters from entering today to see if any more victims remain in the ruins, officials said today.

While there were no reports of anyone missing, the firefighters were waiting for an engineer to give the green light to enter the building again. Its not clear in the article what’s keeping the engineers from making their evaluatlion. I assume they’re waiting for the fire to be put out, after which they could assess if the building is dangerous. Only after this assessment could the firefighters enter the building, room by room, to complete their search for victims.

This got me thinking about a FEMA-sponsored seminar on ATC-20, for rapid post-earthquake safety evaluations of buildings, that I attended a couple years ago. The idea was to equip engineers with a framework to do effective structural evaluations quickly following a disaster. While this fire wasn’t a widespread disaster, it highlights the role of structural engineers in the recovery, following an accident or disaster. For engineers who aren’t building inspectors everyday, but spend most of their time in a design setting, I think the ATC-20 course could be useful.