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Posted

The roof at B.C. Place stadium has collapsed

Vancouver Sun

Published: Friday, January 05, 2007

The roof at B.C. Place stadium has collapsed.

The fabric roof fell into the empty stadium shortly after noon today.

The cause was not immediately determined, Vancouver has suffered all morning from a combination of bitter cold, strong winds and heavy sleet.

The roof is held up by air pressure, so even a tiny tear in the fabric could cause the roof to collapse. The stadium is home to the B.C. Lions football club, and was built in time to open for Expo 86.

The Vancouver Sun is following this story. If you have any information, please e-mail sunnewstips@png.canwest.com

© Vancouver Sun 2007

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Posted
wow the weather must have been crap!!!

actually no, the stadium has survived weather 5x worse many times. But it's possible the stadium could've been weakened by a hurricane-force wind stadium late last year, leading to a collapse today.

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Posted

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This changes everything about BC Place. Clearly, a new roof for the stadium is required now and I'd imagine that the sound system and lights [on the roof] were damaged/destroyed.....about $40 million is required for a new roof. Dunno about the sound and lighting.

But hey, it's great that nobody was hurt.....and now we've got what we always wanted: a stadium renovation for the Olympics!

Posted

This isn't good.....convention season at the stadium is suppose to get started this month. There's one major event later this month, and then the stadium was scheduled for occupation by conventions throughout February to May. Lots of events could be cancelled.

Posted

UPDATES: the stadium roof is obviously covering some seats and the roof is hanging a few metres over the field.

Posted

UPDATE: Apparently, the stadium concrete walls are on a slight incline and the roof also supports the walls. If the roof is not re-inflated soon, the walls will eventually collapse by themselves.

Posted

What is it with you Canadians and roofs for your stadia? :blink: First - Montreal; now, Vancouver.

And FIFA thinks it should consider Canada for a World Cup? Maybe you should get the Greeks to build you stadia. No roofs; no collapses!!

Posted

Naa,.. Be nice Baron! You dont want to put out the greeks!! ;)

About the Roof.. This is some bad news.. If the whole stadium is in danger... This wil be a very critical situation.. 3 years to go, a new roof is easy, but a new stadium?? Althought..

Posted

Well, Vancouver was pounded with 17 wind/rainstorms from November to December 2006. We had one storm with 30 cm of snow, one storm with hurricane force winds, a deep freeze, more storms with about 400 mm of rain in total, and today we had a storm. Obviously, it has to do with abnormal weather.

Posted

Apparently, there was a mechanical failure with the stadium fans [which inflate the roof] before the roof collapsed. Stadium air pressure was slightly below normal, adding on to an unexplained rip in the roof.

Posted

The domed roof of B.C. Place Stadium collapsed with a loud bang in Vancouver on Friday afternoon, leaving the torn fabric hanging over the landmark facility.

Two City of Vancouver workers told CBC News that there appeared to have been a hole in the inflated roof of the building that is to host the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

They said they heard some flapping of the Teflon-coated fabric, followed by what sounded like an explosion.

They said they believe the whole internal roof support structure may be gone.

A CBC listener who lives in the Citygate condos near the stadium told CBC Radio he could see a 10-metre tear in the roof, which now looks like a "reverse dome."

Trevor, a part-time worker in the stadium, said he was inside the facility when he noticed that the roof was sagging and was warning other workers about the possible danger when "huge gusts of wind caught the slack in the roof, and it was an intense sound."

He described it as the sound of "elephants running through your living room. It was thunderous."

He said there was a seven-metre tear in the roof that "grew across the bottom and travelled up one side, and there was like the whole corner flapping, the sound was insane."

There have been no reports of injuries.

Former CBC journalist Kathryn Gretsinger said the deflated dome was the "strangest sight ever" as she travelled into downtown Vancouver over the Cambie Bridge.

She said there was only a circular rim of concrete visible when looking up from outside.

The stadium, which is home to the B.C. Lions football team, seats 60,000 and was built more than 20 years ago for Expo 86. It has been the largest air-supported stadium in the world.

Posted

I think it was the grandson of architect Taillebert who cut that rip in the roof so that his grandfather's Montreal Big Owe wouldn't be the only failed domed (or doomed) Canadian stadium.

Why does that sound like an oxymoron? :wacko:

Posted

UPDATE: The teared panel is replaceable - a new roof is not required. A new panel is being flown in as we speak. This was a controlled deflation: workers, upon discovering the rip, decided to shut down the fans and let the roof collapse for the safety of the public.

Posted

All the roof lights exploded; the electricity was cut to the stadium in order to minimize further damage.

The damage seems to have occurred close to Gate G on the south side. Over the preceding several hours, a significant amount of snow settled on the dome. The snow on the peak of the dome shifted and cascaded down all sides. The weight of the snow proved too much and a part of the dome caved in. The caving of the roof caused a rip, which subsequently collapsed the remainder of the roof.

Posted

Apparently, there's a small drainage system in the stadium floor for these kinds of events and it should take only a few days to repair the roof. The roof panel is being shipped from Buffalo, NY.


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