Roof Collapse
On April 23, 1987, shortly after the official opening of the new mega Sav-On Foods Store at Station Square in Burnaby, British Columbia, an area of the building roof-top parking lot of approximately 6400 square feet collapsed into the food store, injuring 20 people. A Commissioner’s Inquiry by the Canadian Government determined that one of the major factors that led to the ultimate collapse of the structure was the selection of the Structural Engineer on the basis of competitive bidding…
“… selection of an Architect or Engineer solely on price-competition basis provides the potential for reductions in quality due to initial underestimation of the costs and resources required to adequately perform the work.”
U.S. House of Representatives Report 98-621