Audi Garage collapses

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Discussion

Sf_Manta

Original Poster:

2,188 posts

190 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
This place was only 6 months old as well, they'd moved up from Bletchley Wayside...

Someone must have fubared their calcs on how many cars were to be stored up there eek thankfully no-one was hurt as there was a hell of a bang before it collapsed 20 mins after.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-he...

Apparently some brand new cars ready for collection were up there...

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

227 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Must be the weight of all of the customer egos.

smile

Triumph Man

8,670 posts

167 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Sf_Manta said:
Someone must have fubared their calcs on how many cars were to be stored up there
This was my thought too... Somebody is going to have a bit of a squeaky bum time...

Axionknight

8,505 posts

134 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Guam said:
I was in a dealership at the weekend with a similar arrangement and it did cross my mind whether the loads were considered before doing this, I guess a few councils will be heading into similar dealerships to check the load calculations in case of similar incidents.

Bloody scary for the staff!
Nah, they just build 'em and hope for the best, fingers crossed, as it were. rolleyes

greygoose

8,224 posts

194 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
The local Audi garage has a similar odd design as it is cramped into a small plot, perhaps they should just put the A1s on the top storey?

darren f

982 posts

212 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Weird- the view of the cars through the window is quite surreal, almost like an 'artists impression' produced by Photoshop confused Real enough for the staff involved though- I suspect there's a Structural Engineer scrabbling round checking his PI insurance in fine detail as we speak.

Sheepshanks

32,522 posts

118 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Axionknight said:
Nah, they just build 'em and hope for the best, fingers crossed, as it were. rolleyes
I wouldn't have thought, bearing in mind their footprint, that cars would be considered to be very heavy in the great scheme of things.

There was a kerfuffle when I worked in a first floor office about all the filing cabinets being clustered together - apparently a full one weighs getting on for 500lbs so a few of them puts a lot of weight in a small area.

Impasse

15,099 posts

240 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
BBC said:
"Within 20 minutes a third of the floor above the workshop collapsed."
Mr Wilson said there was a ramp up to the first floor, which was "serving as a car park".

WestyCarl

3,217 posts

124 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
One of my guy's car's is due for a service their next Tuesday. I'm guessing he'll be getting a call today biggrin

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

227 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Impasse said:
BBC said:
"Within 20 minutes a third of the floor above the workshop collapsed."
Mr Wilson said there was a ramp up to the first floor, which was "serving as a car park".
Hmmm. I wonder if they were only allowed a certain amount of vehicles on that floor?

55palfers

5,892 posts

163 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Good news that no-one was hurt.

Could have been dreadful.

Otispunkmeyer

12,555 posts

154 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
darren f said:
Weird- the view of the cars through the window is quite surreal, almost like an 'artists impression' produced by Photoshop confused Real enough for the staff involved though- I suspect there's a Structural Engineer scrabbling round checking his PI insurance in fine detail as we speak.
My bet is the flooring was designed properly and had a safe weight limit. The garage will have stored too many cars up there without doing the sums. Or maybe they did do the sums but were then caught out by having non-uniform load distribution. Maybe it was just a freak accident. Here endeth the speculation.

fflyingdog

621 posts

238 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
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Maybe when they worked out the structural load limits they used the 'dry' weight of say the largest heaviest model?

AlexHat

1,327 posts

118 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Don't know how old the showroom was, but until recently cars were getting bigger and heavier...I can't imagine having a floor full of Q7's would last long

Axionknight

8,505 posts

134 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Guam said:
Axionknight said:
Nah, they just build 'em and hope for the best, fingers crossed, as it were. rolleyes
Well one might suggest that's what happened here smile
We had best start the nationwide evacuations then!!

Which hopefully means I can leave and go to the pub, those aircon units on the roof look deadly and I am fuggin' gasping for a bevvy! getmecoat

ralphrj

3,507 posts

190 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
AlexHat said:
Don't know how old the showroom was, but until recently cars were getting bigger and heavier...I can't imagine having a floor full of Q7's would last long
It was a brand new building.

The Don of Croy

5,975 posts

158 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
It'll be the unseen weight of all the discarded toys in the XC90 that's done it - bang to rights.

I'd hazard a guess that any calcs would include a safe margin along the lines of "lets imagine we sell Hummers and fill our parking area with them" rather than just allowing for Caterfield lightweights on the roof?

darren f

982 posts

212 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Otispunkmeyer said:
My bet is the flooring was designed properly and had a safe weight limit. The garage will have stored too many cars up there without doing the sums. Or maybe they did do the sums but were then caught out by having non-uniform load distribution. Maybe it was just a freak accident. Here endeth the speculation.
Indeed, speculation is fun isn't it smile. Being in the industry, I'd be very surprised if the SE has been caught out here. Most schemes I'm involved in seem to have a real 'belt and braces' approach to the structurals, such are modern building codes and guidelines on allowed deflection. It always makes me wonder how our massive stone cathedrals have managed to stay upright for the last 300-400 years (on their 4' deep foundations eek )

Axionknight

8,505 posts

134 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Guam said:
Axionknight said:
We had best start the nationwide evacuations then!!

Which hopefully means I can leave and go to the pub, those aircon units on the roof look deadly and I am fuggin' gasping for a bevvy! getmecoat
That's me stuffed the old Aircon units have been removed from our Roof smile
I'll drink yours biggrin

sugerbear

3,959 posts

157 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
darren f said:
Otispunkmeyer said:
My bet is the flooring was designed properly and had a safe weight limit. The garage will have stored too many cars up there without doing the sums. Or maybe they did do the sums but were then caught out by having non-uniform load distribution. Maybe it was just a freak accident. Here endeth the speculation.
Indeed, speculation is fun isn't it smile. Being in the industry, I'd be very surprised if the SE has been caught out here. Most schemes I'm involved in seem to have a real 'belt and braces' approach to the structurals, such are modern building codes and guidelines on allowed deflection. It always makes me wonder how our massive stone cathedrals have managed to stay upright for the last 300-400 years (on their 4' deep foundations eek )
as this is PH, it will be down to the use of cheap eastern European builders.