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The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) announced Thursday that it has cited and fined three contractors a total of $107,200 in relation to April's deadly tower crane collapse at a Google office project. in Seattle. The crash to the street below killed two workers and two people in cars. — Construction Dive
According to Construction Dive, the tragic event that occurred in April was due to the project "contractors and their workers [ignoring] the manufacturers instructions for dismantling the crane by removing almost all of the tower's pins and sleeves at the same time." It is reported that... View full entry
Seattle’s construction frenzy turned deadly Saturday afternoon when a tower crane working on a new Google campus fell like a thunderbolt from the roof of a South Lake Union building, smashing into six cars and killing four people. — The Seattle Times
"The four-building, 607,000-square-foot project will house a new Google Seattle campus, and also include about 150 new apartments," reports The Seattle Times about the tragic incident at a South Lake Union site at Fairview Avenue and Mercer Street. "Construction began in 2017 and is set to be... View full entry
A man has died after reportedly being hit by a windowpane that fell around 250ft from the top of a block of flats in central London. [...]
An image taken from The Corniche on the south bank of the River Thames by a resident showed a large window unit, complete with metal frame containing glass, on top of a male figure. [...]
An image showed a window missing from near the top of the 27-storey tower.
— The Independent
The Corniche, a luxury residential high-rise complex at 21 Albert Embankment, was designed by Foster + Partners and completed last year. The property's developer, St James, is working with the police to investigate the incident. View full entry
In 2016, a Manhattan crane collapse in Tribeca killed one person, seriously injured two others and left another with minor injuries. Workers were trying to secure the crane against winds by lowering the boom when the crane collapsed to the ground. The accident was caused by a series of operator... View full entry
As cities densify and the global population increases, much has been made of reclaiming physical spaces: but how does one reclaim a place that is bound up in tragedy, whether that tragedy was natural or man-made? On March 3rd and 4th, Parsons the New School for Design will host a symposium... View full entry
Last Friday night, a fire broke out during a concert at the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland, California, killing (at present count) 36 people. While the precise cause of the fire is still unknown, the building was rife with code violations that accelerated the fire's damage, many related to its... View full entry
Police were called to the Hawkeswood Metal recycling plant at 8.45am today after a large concrete wall containing metal collapsed.
Paramedics tried to free the men, including one who had suffered a heart attack, however West Midlands Police pronounced all five victims dead at the scene.
A sixth man was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries.
The victims have yet to be identified.
— globalconstructionreview.com
Police investigation is underway, but next to nothing is known at the moment as to why the wall at a Birmingham recycling centre collapsed. Responding to the tragedy, Brian Rye of the construction union UCATT commented: “Information on how and why this accident occurred is currently very... View full entry
The Californian district attorney investigating a balcony collapse that killed six students – five Irish and one Irish American – and seriously injured seven others in June last year has said she will not be bringing manslaughter charges because a successful prosecution seems unlikely. — globalconstructionreview.com
"But another state agency, California’s Contractors State License Board (CSLB), has determined that five contractors involved in building the balcony probably violated California law, and has submitted its findings to the state’s Attorney General’s office. The move could lead to the... View full entry
The Associated Press reported that the person killed was a Wall Street worker sitting in a parked car. [...]
The accident happened as workers were trying to secure the crane against winds around 20 mph by lowering the boom, which had been extended to as long as 565 feet the day before, officials said. Because the crane was being lowered, workers were directing pedestrians away from it on a street that otherwise would likely have been teeming with people.
— npr.org
A couple of nearby construction workers took video of the collapse on a cellphone – you can watch that here. View full entry
At least 52 people were killed when a crane crashed in Mecca’s Grand Mosque on Friday, Saudi Arabia’s civil defence authority said on its Twitter account.It said 30 people were injured.
The Muslim annual Haj pilgrimage is due later this month and Saudi authorities go to great lengths to be prepared for the millions of Muslims who converge on Mecca.
— theguardian.com
In a report released a week after the incident, officials with Berkeley’s Building and Safety Division confirmed suspicions that dry rot had deteriorated the wood beams supporting the balcony. They also said they found no construction code violations. — latimes.com
It's been a week since the tragic balcony collapse occurred, and while the victims' families try to cope with the grief, experts have been searching frantically for the cause of the accident. Was the fault in the structural design? Is the contractor to blame for poor execution? Speculations... View full entry
Berkeley city officials have shut down access to public records regarding the construction of the apartment complex, which was completed in January 2007. Normally, they would be viewable upon request, but zoning office staff cited a pending police investigation and a request by the Berkeley city manager that the records not be made immediately available. — LA Times
The fifth-floor balcony collapsed early morning Tuesday, in the midst of a birthday celebration for one of the victims. At the time of collapse, there were reportedly thirteen people on the balcony; the seven who survived the fall now face life-threatening injuries. Of the six dead, five were... View full entry
Good architects strive to balance design and function while listening closely to a client’s emotional needs for the space. Public projects often have the added layers of bureaucratic paperwork, media scrutiny, and community outreach. But rebuilding a school after a shooting presents a unique kaleidoscope of intense feelings. Architects must create an environment that not only promotes learning, but also helps the students—and their towns—heal from tragedy. — theatlantic.com
Archinect is shocked and saddened to report the death of Philadelphia architect Amber Long, a recent Philadelphia University graduate working for U.S. Construction Inc. Long was shot and killed this past Sunday night, the victim of an attempted robbery while walking home with her mother. She was... View full entry
Mark Benjamin, President and CEO of Santa Monica-based Morley Builders, died on September 29, 2013 in a tragic airplane accident that also took the life of his son Lucas Robert Benjamin and two other lives [...]
A memorial service will be held for Mark and Luke on Sunday, October 20, 2013 at 3:30 p.m., with a reception following, at the California Science Center, 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles.
— Morley Builders
Morley Builders has given shape to many prominent Southern California structures, including the California Science Center, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the Getty Villa, UCLA's Royce Hall, and the Geffen Playhouse. Mark Benjamin became CEO and President in 1981, and his son Lucas... View full entry
