mr.x Posted January 7, 2007 Author Report Posted January 7, 2007 BC Place as the world's largest rain bucket. On better days.
memorabilia Posted January 7, 2007 Report Posted January 7, 2007 Does someone see pictures from the inside BC Place Stadium with this flat roof ! It could be surprising ...
Guardian Posted January 7, 2007 Report Posted January 7, 2007 Whatever, guys. At least, BC Place Stadium is only going to be used accordingly for the 2010 Winter Olympics. That is minor, in comparison to how the other 2010 venues are going to function. The last thing we need to see and hear from here is that there are major problems with, for example, the speed skating oval, the bob/luge/skeleton track and so forth.
Fox334 Posted January 7, 2007 Report Posted January 7, 2007 My biggest fear regarding 2010 is the Speed Skating venue. O well, at least there is still Calgary...
Faster Posted January 7, 2007 Report Posted January 7, 2007 It would be nice if they found a way to take the roof of and have a open stadium.
Guardian Posted January 7, 2007 Report Posted January 7, 2007 Now that you have mentioned it, Faster, wasn't there some topic here in the past that had something to do with "improving" the roof's structure or its materials? I thought I saw some ideas of making the roof more versatile. However, I also think I saw that it was not going to be the case because of some ideas to levelling the whole stadium down after 2010 because its usefulness "was going to be over."
baron-pierreIV Posted January 7, 2007 Report Posted January 7, 2007 It would be nice if they found a way to take the roof of and have a open stadium. THen I'm NOT going. It'll be dull, lacklustre Ceremonies without me.
mr.x Posted January 7, 2007 Author Report Posted January 7, 2007 Whatever, guys. At least, BC Place Stadium is only going to be used accordingly for the 2010 Winter Olympics. That is minor, in comparison to how the other 2010 venues are going to function. The last thing we need to see and hear from here is that there are major problems with, for example, the speed skating oval, the bob/luge/skeleton track and so forth. Well, 860,000 people are expected to attend the Olympic Opening/Closing/Nightly Medal Ceremonies and Paralympic Opening Ceremony.....so it's quite significant.
mr.x Posted January 7, 2007 Author Report Posted January 7, 2007 At its lowest point, the roof is now 25 feet above the stadium floor, however, it is not touching anything.....no seats, nothing. It was designed to hang in this way. From what I've seen in the news the past few days, the concourse is flooded and the stadium floor looks like a waterfall. They said at one point, the 10 acre roof was catching 740,000 litres of water an hour. Heavy rain is expected Monday and Tuesday, followed by a deep freeze for the remainder of the week. New tears found in B.C. Place roof Last Updated: Sunday, January 7, 2007 | 3:39 PM ET CBC News The accumulation of rainwater and continuing harsh weather have caused further damage to B.C. Place Stadium, says management. After a large section of the roof was torn during a sleet storm Friday, workers have found other less serious rips. "We believe they can be fixed right now," general manager Howard Crosley said. "But we need to have another assessment, and if there's another piece needed, we'll get another one in." A panel of fabric to repair the roof was expected to arrive sometime this week, but there has been no word yet on when the work will be done. Representatives for the roof's manufacturer were to fly in Sunday, and an overall damage assessment was expected by Monday. Vancouver firefighters have joined workers on top of the building to help clear water that's been pooling on the deflated roof. "There are holes in the roof that have plugs in them, and the plugs have to be removed to let the water out," Crosley told CBC News. Inside the stadium the cleanup has gone well, he said. "There's no water in the building. There are sandbags all around the critical areas within the building. We've got all of the electrical vaults sandbagged, so there's no risk of danger there." The inflated white roof ripped during a storm that brought wind and heavy, wet snow to Vancouver on Friday. The roof was deflated to avoid further damage. Poor maintenance cited by NDP The New Democrat MLA for Delta North says a lack of proper maintenance may be to blame for the roof collapse. Guy Gentner first raised the issue in the legislature last May, warning the roof was in bad shape. "B.C. Place Stadium is close to its end. The roof is ready to fall down, according to the service plan. Its anticipated lifespan is coming to an end. Could the minister tell us when the life-cycle replacement is due on the roof at B.C. Place Stadium?" Olga Ilich, who was then the tourism minister, offered this reassurance. "Apparently the roof is expected to last another 15 to 20 years if it's maintained properly in its current state," she told the house. She also confirmed that it costs more than $300,000 a year to maintain the roof. The stadium, which is home to the B.C. Lions football team, seats 60,000 and was completed in 1983, three years ahead of Expo 86. It has been the largest air-supported stadium in the world. VIDEOS OF STADIUM ROOF COLLAPSE
mr.x Posted January 7, 2007 Author Report Posted January 7, 2007 NEW VIDEO - BC PLACE WORKERS being told to evacuate the stadium immediately http://www.cbc.ca/bc/news/media/070105-bcplace.ram
mr.x Posted January 7, 2007 Author Report Posted January 7, 2007 B.C. Place heating system wasn't set properly Updated Sun. Jan. 7 2007 6:36 PM ET Canadian Press VANCOUVER -- The heating system at B.C. Place wasn't set to snow-melt mode Friday when the roof collapsed, the Crown-owned building's general manager said Sunday. Howard Crosley said the stadium's roof was draining normally and there weren't large accumulations of snow that day. "There was a little bit of snow that was on the roof but it was dealt with and it was no need for us to go into snow melt mode,'' he said. The air-suspended fabric covering torn Friday during a wild wind and sleet storm following a moderate overnight snowfall. The entire roof was brought down in a controlled deflation to prevent further damage. No one was injured. Engineers discovered three other smaller rips as strong winds and heavy rain continued into the weekend. "(One tear) may require another replacement of fabric but the other two are smaller tears and we feel are probably reparable just as they are,'' Crosley said. Representatives from the roof's manufacturer in New York were scheduled to assess the damage on Sunday and advice officials as to what steps should be taken. Crosley said replacing a panel instead of the whole roof would save money but no decisions would be made until insurers was consulted. B.C. Place operators have less than three weeks to fix the roof. The B.C. Contractors show and Landscaping Expo were still scheduled for Jan. 23, according to the event calendar on the B.C. Place web site. Crosley said much of the water that leaked into the stadium had been drained and all events for the stadium would go on as planned. Members of Vancouver's fire department were called in Saturday to help a rigging company remove plugs on the roof in order to drain pooling water.
deasine Posted January 8, 2007 Report Posted January 8, 2007 I don't really think the tear is the big problem. It's the melting snow = water, causing stress on the roof. Global News Report: http://video.canada.com/Video.aspx?13277 ======================================================================= The weather here isn't very good. Vancouverites open a new year with wicked weather. http://video.canada.com/Video.aspx?13278 Article Hard-hit West Shore tallies storm costsMunicipalities look for help from province Bill Cleverley Times Colonist Sunday, January 07, 2007 CREDIT: Ray Smith, Times Colonist Mike Lehna, left, and his grandfather Ben Jensen unload a trailer load of storm damaged brush at the Colwood dump yesterday. Hard-hit West Shore municipalities are starting to add up the costs of cleanup after last month's devastating storms. The numbers aren't pretty, so officials are hopeful that most of the expenses will be picked up by the province. In Colwood, costs directly associated with clearing branches and downed trees from roads, power lines, drains and ditches is about $200,000, said chief administrator Chris Pease. It's unclear at this point how much of those costs will be absorbed by the Provincial Emergency Program funding, he said. "Most of that is a lot of brush that was on roads and across wires where we assisted B.C. Hydro. Other areas were where trees and branches were blocking drainage systems -- there's lots of those and they're all over the place," he said. Some sewer pump stations went onto auxiliary power, requiring constant monitoring and refuelling the pumps. Fences and signs were damaged. "A lot of our signage got whacked by falling trees and quite a lot of our street lights were damaged." It's hoped PEP will pick up most of those costs, he said. The city opened a branch dropoff at its Wishart Road municipal yard Dec. 16. More than 2,000 vehicles have passed through since then. It was open yesterday and will be open Saturdays for the next couple of weeks. There haven't been any firm estimates of costs in Sooke, where winds left much of the community in the dark for days, Mayor Janet Evans but she wouldn't be surprised at bills of well over $100,000 for the community. "A lot of the local people have cut up [the trees]for firewood. But of course all the huge stumps are left lying in the ditches, and all the branches are left lying in the ditches." Evans said anything that's related to safety will come under PEP, such as trees hanging in parks or hanging on hydro lines. "Anything that's related to esthetics I think is going to be on our dollar, but I can't confirm that yet," Evans said. It's a big chunk of cash, she said. Meanwhile, the municipality is stockpiling residents' branches at the public works yard for later processing. Metchosin Mayor John Ranns said the big bill will come for snow removal. Preliminary estimates are for $20,000 for snow removal and $10,000 for wind damage. Just how much will be covered by PEP has not been determined. "We haven't got the numbers in all together, but it's pretty expensive. The snow cost us a lot of money [as did] cleaning the ditches up after the windstorms so we didn't get any flooding." Langford contracts out its road and park maintenance, but Deputy Mayor Denise Blackwell said the windstorms will mean costs in addition to those contracts. The municipality is negotiating just how much. © Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007 ======================================================================= I have to go to downtown tomorrow, so I'm going to BC Place to acess the damage myself. Hope to bring some pictures back as well!
mr.x Posted January 8, 2007 Author Report Posted January 8, 2007 Interestingly, the difference in air pressure between inside the dome and outside is about 3 millibars or about the same difference in air pressure between the first and 7th floors of a building. Amazingly even that difference in pressure is enough to keep the roof up with 270 tons of speakers and lights. I note with interest that when Howard Crosley, the general manager of BC Place, was asked by a reporter if the stadium data could be released proving that the dome was not over inflated Friday (pressure readings inside the dome are monitored continuously), he said no you can't have that data and then he walked away. That sort of attitude is not acceptable and I smell a cover-up. The stadium, very much like an airplane, has a black box that keeps record of stadium temperature, when fans turn on, stadium pressure, etc. Sensors outside the stadium turn on the heat fans inside, to melt snow on the roof, when the temperature outside turns to 1 degree or lower. You can see the damage if you walk over to Gate G and look through the window through the entrance of Section 53 (west end zone of stadium). If it's raining when you're there you'll see all the rainwater pouring down from the holes in the roof and flooding the floor and even the concourse. They keep some lights on so you can see it well. I couldn't believe my eyes Friday night when I was there. They won't allow anyone in the building so this is a great vantage point to see the damage. In a new unreleased video shown in the news, it shows that BC Place was over inflated before it collapsed. The stadium, fast forwarded in the video, shows that there was some deflation and then a huge inflation and then it collapsed.
jim jones Posted January 8, 2007 Report Posted January 8, 2007 Interestingly, the difference in air pressure between inside the dome and outside is about 3 millibars or about the same difference in air pressure between the first and 7th floors of a building.Amazingly even that difference in pressure is enough to keep the roof up with 270 tons of speakers and lights. I note with interest that when Howard Crosley, the general manager of BC Place, was asked by a reporter if the stadium data could be released proving that the dome was not over inflated Friday (pressure readings inside the dome are monitored continuously), he said no you can't have that data and then he walked away. That sort of attitude is not acceptable and I smell a cover-up. The stadium, very much like an airplane, has a black box that keeps record of stadium temperature, when fans turn on, stadium pressure, etc. Sensors outside the stadium turn on the heat fans inside, to melt snow on the roof, when the temperature outside turns to 1 degree or lower. You can see the damage if you walk over to Gate G and look through the window through the entrance of Section 53 (west end zone of stadium). If it's raining when you're there you'll see all the rainwater pouring down from the holes in the roof and flooding the floor and even the concourse. They keep some lights on so you can see it well. I couldn't believe my eyes Friday night when I was there. They won't allow anyone in the building so this is a great vantage point to see the damage. In a new unreleased video shown in the news, it shows that BC Place was over inflated before it collapsed. The stadium, fast forwarded in the video, shows that there was some deflation and then a huge inflation and then it collapsed. Interesting education on these roof systems. I have read conflicting things like the roof is 25 years old which I cant imagine. Then the carrier dome in syracuse used to deflate their dome between events because to the heavy lake effect snow they would get. In the 1990's they replaced their roof with one that melts snow and ice as it falls on the roof. I did not know BC place had the same system. Mr. X even if there was an event early on with BC Place which I recall happening it is not an condemming of the system. THe olympic stadium in montreal is a huge mistake. With that was spent on that building all the major cities of canada could have had a BC place civic stadium and 23 years later we would still be into a go system which The Toyko Dome/Carrier/Silver/RCA/ humprey metrodome all are. The roger centre though working very well for function had its share of cost overruns. The Silver dome model is the Cookie cutter design of domed stadiums and it has worked very well despite an incident like this. jim jones
jim jones Posted January 8, 2007 Report Posted January 8, 2007 Interestingly, the difference in air pressure between inside the dome and outside is about 3 millibars or about the same difference in air pressure between the first and 7th floors of a building.Amazingly even that difference in pressure is enough to keep the roof up with 270 tons of speakers and lights. I note with interest that when Howard Crosley, the general manager of BC Place, was asked by a reporter if the stadium data could be released proving that the dome was not over inflated Friday (pressure readings inside the dome are monitored continuously), he said no you can't have that data and then he walked away. That sort of attitude is not acceptable and I smell a cover-up. The stadium, very much like an airplane, has a black box that keeps record of stadium temperature, when fans turn on, stadium pressure, etc. Sensors outside the stadium turn on the heat fans inside, to melt snow on the roof, when the temperature outside turns to 1 degree or lower. You can see the damage if you walk over to Gate G and look through the window through the entrance of Section 53 (west end zone of stadium). If it's raining when you're there you'll see all the rainwater pouring down from the holes in the roof and flooding the floor and even the concourse. They keep some lights on so you can see it well. I couldn't believe my eyes Friday night when I was there. They won't allow anyone in the building so this is a great vantage point to see the damage. In a new unreleased video shown in the news, it shows that BC Place was over inflated before it collapsed. The stadium, fast forwarded in the video, shows that there was some deflation and then a huge inflation and then it collapsed. I have the feeling Mr. X someone screwed up with the controls . The video I saw had air streaming out of the opening and if that is a controlled intensioned deflation it seemed very dramatic to be honest. With the record of service for this facility which I believe includes the construction that did not have massive cost overruns BC Place is still a very good venue. And Yes an air suspended roof can have that type of load capacity . the outside elements and the roof materail itself are probably a great load bearing factor on the roof then the sound system and lighting. jim jones
baron-pierreIV Posted January 8, 2007 Report Posted January 8, 2007 They said the Titanic could stay afloat with of 3 of its (what's the term?) over-flow holds or something like that -- but not more than that. How many tears can the BC Place really sustain without bringing down the whole structure?
mr.x Posted January 8, 2007 Author Report Posted January 8, 2007 Well, there's a possibility of a man-made mistake coverup with the stadium collapse. Howard Crosley, the general manager of the stadium, has been reluctant on releasing stadium computer data and a video webcam of downtown shows on the day of the incident the stadium roof height lowered, then it rose dramatically (twice the height of which it was lowered), and then it burst and deflated.....evidence of a possible man-made mistake. Today, they are saying that there are now 4 tears and the replacement panel for the big hole should be arriving sometime today. All four tears, which includes the hole, are on the western side of the roof. Another replacement panel may be required for one of the tears, however, it should only take a day to arrive if ordered......15 days until the next event at BC Place. The argument that BC Place doesn't make money doesn't fly. Global BC news said that the total "loss" per year was about $7 million (including a few million per year for depreciation of the structure) - note how the accounting books don't account for increases in land value - if that's accounted for, it's probably making money!!! - especially since this is prime downtown real estate. A $7 million loss is a lot less out taxpayers pockets than a new stadium would cost. There's even talk in Toronto that the Rogers Centre/SkyDome is outdated and should be demolished. There's no reason to think a new stadium would be paid off or make a profit before it too becomes outdated. Public facilities shouldn't be expected to turn a profit - i.e. you wouldn't use that gauge to measure the value of park space or other public facilities (convention centre or library or transit system or even a road) would you? If the stadium were demolished and not replaced on site, you'd never be able to build another downtown stadium - so say goodbye to the economic spin-offs to downtown (not to mention close proximity to transit and SkyTrain). Great video showing both the exterior and interior of the stadium, post-collapse: Hard to imagine the stadium looking like this today: The Olympic Medal Ceremonies seating format would look something like the Rolling Stones video.
mr.x Posted January 9, 2007 Author Report Posted January 9, 2007 Wind warning for Greater Vancouver: SOUTHEAST WINDS 60 TO 90 KM/H OVER NORTH VANCOUVER ISLAND AND THE CENTRAL COAST THIS EVENING. WINDS BECOMING NORTHWEST 50 TO 70 KM/H TUESDAY MORNING. SOUTHEAST WINDS INCREASING TO 50 TO 70 KM/H OVER EAST AND WEST VANCOUVER ISLAND AND THE SUNSHINE COAST TONIGHT SHIFTING TO NORTHWEST 50 TO 80 KM/H TUESDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS BECOMING WESTERLY 50 TO 80 KM/H FOR GREATER VANCOUVER GREATER VICTORIA SOUTHERN GULF ISLAND AND THE FRASER VALLEY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS IS A WARNING THAT DAMAGING WINDS ARE IMMINENT OR OCCURRING IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS. Not to mention that Vancouver can expect 25-35 mm of rain in the next 24 hours. Hope it creates more damage.....great excuse for a major renovation.
mr.x Posted January 9, 2007 Author Report Posted January 9, 2007 BC Place roof could be reinflated as soon as Wednesday January 08, 2007 - 3:24 pm By: Reshmi Nair and John Ackermann VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Vancouver's world-famous skyline should be back to normal by Wednesday, as a deadline has been set for the re-inflation of the dome at BC Place Stadium according to General Manager Howard Crosley. However, it's still not known what exactly caused that first tear. "We are compiling that information, I still do not have a report from the engineers relative to what their assessment is as to what caused the initial damage. We hope to have that tomorrow," says Crosley. Friday's controlled collapse has allowed tens of thousands of litres of water to funnel straight into the stadium over the weekend. Three new tears have been caused by the weather. Crosley says they may not have to bring in replacement panels for those tears. The delivery of the one panel expected today has been delayed. Crosley also insists two major shows, expected to move into BC Place in just two weeks, will go ahead as scheduled. The next event planned for the stadium is the BC Contractors Show and Landscaping Expo, set to take place January 23rd and 24th. Show Manager Bruce Guerin is happy to hear the roof could be back up sooner than later. "We're moving forward with our event and we're moving forward with our opening on the 23rd of January." Guerin does admit they're under a rigid timeline, as even a delay of a few days could mean the cancellation of the entire trade show. That's because they're expected to pack up and move on to Calgary a week later and then to Puyallup, Washington after that.
baron-pierreIV Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 (edited) There were 2 braziers belching up BIG flames in the Rolling Stone concert. So it looks like a full indoor lighting is possible! Edited January 9, 2007 by baron-pierreIV
deasine Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 Well I went to BC Place and took a video, but it was too dark for me to post it online. But what I can tell you is that I almost couldn't find the dome. It's completely flat =P. Once nicknamed 'pinapple bun (chinese bun)' is now a deflated souflee. Lol. According to Global BC Morning News, tomorrow's forcast calls for slush and wednesday calls for more snow with temperatures dropping below 0.
mr.x Posted January 9, 2007 Author Report Posted January 9, 2007 BC Place roof update Jan, 08 2007 - 4:30 PM VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) - Three days after the roof of BC Place Stadium tore and was deflated there are still many unanswered questions. Stadium general manager Howard Crosley now says the roof only has a 'predicted' lifespan of 25 years, not a 'guaranteed' one as he stated Friday. He also says engineers are still working to determine the cause of the major tear and three smaller ones and he's refusing right now to blame either the wind or snow. Crosley says the replacement panel should be in place by Wednesday after saying Friday it was being flown in right away. He says there has been some delay in getting here. As for what the air pressure in the building was Friday when the tear happened, Crosley says that information is still being 'compiled.' Global BC is saying that their sources imply the operators attempted to knock the slushy snow off the roof by overinflating the dome instead of turning the expensive heaters on and the damn thing popped.
fireandice Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 Maybe they should think about adding a retractable roof like Toronto has.
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