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Minard Hall Collapse

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Foundation Failure that can be related to Soils Issue Building and construction engineers carry out an extensive survey on the type of soil available in the building site before engaging in the construction process. The type of soil acting as a foundation has a lot of significance in building. Foundation failure results into the collapse of the building. In December 27, 2009, Minard Hall Facade collapsed, a phenomenon linked to foundation failure. The following paper provides an overview of what caused the failure, how it occurred, and how it could have been protected.
Causes of Minard Hall Facade building failure Minard Hall Façade collapsed on 27th December 2009. The building was thought to be the most stable building in the campus of North Dakota State University. The building was constructed in three stages, but on …show more content…

The collapse of Minard Hall could have been prevented if the engineer responsible for the design and construction of the house took proper precaution measures. Firstly, the building settled on a silty sandy soil that is prone to failure due to vibrations. The building designers could have placed the footing on a more stable soil to prevent instances of soil failure. A good design consisting of a correctly designed bracing and shoring system plays a significant role in preventing lateral forces that caused the building to collapse. Secondly, the excavating team should have placed a strong and permanent support on the foundation to prevent it from collapsing during excavation. Finally, the project team should have asked advices from geotechnical investigators to determine the suitability of the soil to hold the structure before construction begins. Report from geotechnical investigation revealed that the soil condition surrounding the building site was not suitable for holding big structures like the Minard

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