Montana State University has begun demolition of the Student Fitness Center’s east side after two gym roofs collapsed earlier this month.
As students return to MSU’s campus after spring break, hydraulic excavators are quickly removing debris inside the fenced-off Student Fitness Center. The roof of the South Gym collapsed March 7 at 2:20 am. No one was hurt. The university closed the fitness center for evaluations, and as officials expected, the adjacent south gym collapsed two days later.
Both were built as part of the original Marga Hosaeus Center in 1973.
Last Friday, MSU announced that it would rebuild the entire 1973 gym complex, leaving the newer portion which was renovated in 2008. MSU spokesman Michael Becker says the construction could cost millions of dollars, but MSU expects insurance to cover these costs. The university will host discussions with students to decide what they would like included in the new section.
"After the loss of the gyms, we immediately had engineering companies from all over Montana here on campus, to help us look at other flat roof buildings," says Becker.
There are 45 flat-roof buildings on campus. Becker says the gyms were built to code and the roof collapses were due to unexpected weather, rather than engineering failures.
Earlier this month, the Structural Engineers Association of Montana stated in a letter, “Engineers and builders of our older structures didn’t have the benefit of the years of snow data collection we have at our disposal today. In fact the first statewide snow load map, which was used by engineers to predict snow loads, wasn’t published until 1975.”
"We've had a February to remember – an immense amount of snow followed by wind and cold that led to unusual conditions," says Becker. "So out of an abundance of caution, we had these companies come in and look at these other roofs, and what we found were no structural concerns outside of the fitness center area."
Crews started removing snow from other flat-top roofs soon after the gym roofs collapsed. About 1,400 students were registered for classes inside the fitness center. Becker says they have been rescheduled to alternative spaces on campus.
