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Author
Culver, C. G. | Scribner, C. F. | Marshall, R. D. | Yokel, F. Y. | Gross, J. L. | Yancey, C. W. C. | Hendrickson, E. M.
Title
Investigation of L'Ambiance Plaza Building Collapse in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Coporate
National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
Sponsor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Washington, DC
Report
NBSIR 87-3640, September 1987, 314 p.
Distribution
AVAILABLE FROM National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. Telephone: 1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000; Fax: 703-605-6900; Rush Service (Telephone Orders Only) 800-553-6847; Website: http://www.ntis.gov
Keywords
building collapse | concretes | construction | failure | lift-slab construction | post-tensioned concrete | progressive collapse
Identifiers
L'Ambiance Plaza (16 story residential project under construction) Bridgeport, CT, April 23, 1987
Abstract
Results from an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse of the L'Ambiance Plaza building on April 23, 1987 are presented. The building was being constructed using the lift-slab method; collapse occurred during construction. The investigation included on-site inspections immediately following the collapse, review of eyewitness accounts of the collapse, review of project documentation, laboratory and field tests and analyses of the structure. Several potential failure mechanisms were investigated. The most probable cause of the collapse was determined to be loss of support at a lifting jack in the west tower during placement of an upper level package of three floor slabs.