For anyone following the cover building industry, you are likely aware that a Fabric Covered Building owned by the Dallas Cowboys blew down in May of 2009. This was not an Accu-Steel building that collapsed, but many people have asked us about how our products differ from the manufacturer of that building. Our intention in posting this information is to inform current and potential customers about how the workmanship and engineering in our products differ from that and other competitors.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has finalized their review of this incident. You can review the final report by clicking here. The collapse was caught on camera and you can see it here
The report highlights several details that led to the failure:
- The manufacturer mis-calculated the average height of the roof by 7' and the slope of the roof by 10 degrees.
- Wind calculations were only made for the middle of the building and did not consider higher loads near critical end walls.
- The manufacturer did not include internal wind pressures as required by the American Society of Civil Engineering standards.
- The manufacturer considered the building "fully enclosed" when it was only "partially enclosed."
- The manufacturer assumed that the external fabric would provide lateral bracing for the building.
- The manufacturer used connections in the building that were not considered in the design.
Accu-Steel manufactures building sizes with this height and size. We do not make a building with the straight leg, gable top. We find this design is not as structurally sound as the arch designs that we provide. The manufacturer of the Dallas Cowboy's building has issued a warning about using this style of building in various weather conditions. You can see the warning they sent to their customers by clicking here.
The NIST report will lead to new regulations and building requirements for the fabric covered building industry.
As an Accu-Steel customer, you can rest assured, that our existing buildings were calculated properly and that we will be ready to meet or exceed those standards as we have been manufacturing buildings that exceed the recommendations from this report for 10 years.
Bottom Line here: There is a price to pay for a “Cheaper” building. We will not compromise on safety or quality, where others have done so. Solid engineering practices, integrity and a focus on long-term customer value will continue to drive us.
If you have any questions or would like more detailed information about our products and services, pleasecontact us.
