FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2013
Tales of owner neglect, failed waterproofing, poor design, missing specifications and numerous other problems highlighted the 117-day, $20 million public inquiry into the deadly collapse of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario.
The Elliot Lake Commission of Inquiry public hearing, led by Commissioner Paul Bélanger, was aimed at finding answers to questions surrounding the cave-in of the mall’s open-air rooftop parking deck in June 2012.
The collapse killed two women.
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| NORR report |
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Algo Centre Mall, built in 1980, partially collapsed June 23, 2012, killing Lucie Aylwin, 37, and Doloris Perizzolo, 74, and injuring more than 20 others. An eight-month judicial inquiry probed the players involved with the structure and the frantic rescue after the collapse. |
The hearings began March 4 and concluded Oct. 9. Bélanger is not expected to report his findings and recommendations publicly until March 2014.
In total, the judicial inquiry heard from 125 witnesses, including architects, structural engineers, city employees, product manufacturers, the mall owners, building inspectors and emergency personnel.
The Ministry of the Attorney General said the inquiry cost taxpayers $20 million, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Oct. 21.
The Collapse
Algo Centre Mall, built in 1980, partially collapsed June 23, 2012, killing Lucie Aylwin, 37, and Doloris Perizzolo, 74, and injuring more than 20 others.
Immediately following the collapse, reports surfaced about years of chronic leaks in the structure that were never addressed properly.
Those reports were bolstered by multiple witnesses at the inquiry, who testified that the 32-year-old structure leaked from the day it opened until the day it collapsed.
A series of witnesses also testified about critical structural issues that were never addressed, including pieces of concrete slab that had fallen through the ceiling of a business at the mall.
Severe Corrosion Issues
Engineers and third-party investigators who examined the mall after the incident blamed the collapse on a single corroded structural weld, but noted that multiple areas of the structure were also on the brink of failure when the incident occurred.
The 700-page forensic engineering report by global engineer firm NORR is available here.
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| NORR report |
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Corrosion levels at the mall were similar to those observed in a marine-like environment, according to an engineering firm that examined the structure. |
The combination of road salt and water had a lethal effect on the structural steel, according to the engineers. They described corrosion levels at the mall as similar to those observed in a marine-like environment.
NORR experts also testified about lapses and irregularities in the original design drawings, construction codes and waterproofing used on the mall.
For example, NORR architect Chris Hughes reported inconsistencies in the design documents and noted that the waterproofing sealer material “was not described in any way within the drawings or specification.”
“In fact, no specification was given to us for review,” he said. “Whether it didn’t exist or has been lost in time is unknown at this point.”
Owner: 'The Mall was Doomed'
The inquiry also heard from the mall’s most recent owner, Robert Nazarian, 68. He purchased the mall in 2005 for $6.2 million and rejected repeated recommendations to fix the structure's problems, according to testimony.
"Algo Mall was a black hole," Nazarian testified July 25. "No matter how much money put in…the mall was doomed."
Numerous witnesses testified that the rooftop garage deck lacked sufficient waterproofing. Several, including architects hired to find solutions, said they had recommended more extensive waterproofing to Nazarian over the years, but that he had repeatedly rejected the option as too expensive.
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| Elliot Lake Inquiry |
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The mall's most recent owner, Robert Nazarian, testified that the mall was "a black hole" and rejected recommendations to waterproof the structure. |
“Simply, I would not put my life in it, no," he testified. "I worked 42 years to gather some fund for my family. I’m not going to put everything in this building and…everything goes down the drain.”
Nazarian immigrated to Canada from Iran in the early 1980s and testified that he hadn’t been advised of the mall’s longstanding leakage problems at the time he purchased it from Elliot Lake Retirement Living, the previous owner.
City Knew, but Didn’t Act
Testimony also indicated that city building officials were aware of the mall’s chronic waterproofing issues, but failed to act.
For example, city councilor Al Collet testified May 23 that he had told the city building department about the building's condition a couple months before the collapse, according to a report by one Canadian press agency.
He said a restaurant owner in the mall had showed him a “piece of concrete that had fallen through his ceiling and into his kitchen.”
Collet said he had presented the concern to chief building official Bruce Ewald.
Ewald testified May 27 that he had not seen the fallen concrete as indicative of a structural problem and that he had not investigated the matter further.
He said that closing the mall, a focal point of the community, “would have been economically detrimental to the city.”
What’s Next?
Officials say they are confident that the issues exposed and answers given throughout the inquiry will help to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Commissioner Belanger will review tens of thousands of pages of testimony and exhibits and consult with panels of experts over the next few months as he reaches his conclusions in the case.
Meanwhile, Ontario Provincial Police say they will continue to investigate the collapse to determine if any criminal charges should be brought against those involved.
The mall has been demolished.
Tagged categories: Architecture; Bridge/parking deck waterproofing; Building envelope; Building Envelope; Corrosion; Engineers; Fatalities; Health and safety; Parking Garages; Waterproofing
