Another Look at the Collapse of Skyline Plaza at Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27, Issue 3
Abstract
On March 2, 1973, the Skyline Plaza apartment building in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia collapsed while under construction. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requested an investigation from the National Bureau of Standards [(NBS); now the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)]. The NBS team concluded that the most likely cause of the collapse was a punching shear failure of the 23rd floor slab. The two factors that contributed to this were premature removal of shores below the 23rd floor slab, and the low strength of the 23rd floor concrete in the area supporting the weight of the 24th floor slab. The engineer’s structural drawings required 2 full stories of shoring and 1 story of reshoring while a concrete slab was cast. The project architect and structural engineer were sued and held responsible, although their specific shoring instructions had been ignored. This case study reviews the available published information on the case to determine what lessons can be learned. The case is suitable for inclusion in variety of courses in the civil engineering and construction curriculum.
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Acknowledgment and Disclaimer
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0919487. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This case study was originally drafted by the first author as an Honors thesis as part of the requirements of Cleveland State University’s Undergraduate Honors program. The helpful comments of the anonymous reviewers are also acknowledged. Thanks to Nick Carino, formerly of NIST, for providing Figs. 1–4.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27 • Issue 3 • June 2013
Pages: 354 - 361
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 2, 2011
Accepted: Jan 13, 2012
Published online: Jan 19, 2012
Published in print: Jun 1, 2013
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