Virra Mall: Disaster waiting to happen

[sixflat]

I was in Greenhills yesterday and notice the big additions in the complex. I had never visited the place for a long time. Yesterday, going to the cellphone area on the 2nd floor above the fountain rotunda, I felt the floor was shaking, perhaps due to the big weekend crowd checking out, trading or buying cellphones. Being a little claustrophobic about the building, I went down and find my way out of the labyrinth of clothers, bags, shoes, etc. Then I noticed, the big I-beams supporting the floors. I think there is something wrong about the additional beam structure of the second floor. I observe that at one section the weights of several long (40-ft or so) 12-inch I-beam trusses are supported an I-beam of the same size, which in turn is supported by what appears to be a free standing 8-inch I-beam on one end (no brackets or flanged base bolted to a foundation) and unknown support in an old concrete column on the other. The 8-inch I-beam (post) is not even buttressed in the wall. There appears to be inadequate welding of the 12-inch beam on the 8-inch post--that weld is the only stress contact of the beam to the post (no fly buttress at all!!) One can imagine how much shear stress that weld is resisting at any given moment—even without the net weight of the load of the 2nd floor, which on weekends fills with moving human load. That is a flimsy structure that may collapse anytime. Check this out Virra Mall managers and city engineers before disaster occurs.

[zimdude]

Last I read in some business chismis column, Ortigas Co. is going to reclaim ownership from the association, soon.

[sixflat]

Originally posted by zimdude
Last I read in some business chismis column, Ortigas Co. is going to reclaim ownership from the association, soon.
They better be in this, because a property where stupidity drew and spilled blood and caused sorrows and lamentations would not be good investment. CGL insurance cannot indemnify deaths indwelling.

[jump]

better start an email campaign on this. hehe.

[archerguy]

Matutuwa si Edu Manzano nyan.

[budsbunny]

send an email campaign.

[sixflat]

budsbunny and jump:

Maybe, but I’d rather not. I think we should remain focus only on getting Greenhills to act on it and, perhaps, for them to become more keen about the safety of the public who patronize its business. Mahirap kasi pag email, baka kahit after na-resolve na yung situation e tuloy pa rin ang pag-spread ng email. That may create unnecessary fear among the uninformed public and do harm to Greenhills business. I believe PExing about it would be good enough, because PExers are observers and thinkers and are keen about many sorts of things around them. A PExer’s thought radiates, spreads and is shared faster and more effectively than a forwarded mail.

[cybernaut]

dun sa may fountain sa second floor ng tiangge, nanginginig yung sahig! dati ko pa napapansin yun

[jump]

send an email kaya 'to greenhills management para macheck nila.

[sixflat]

Originally posted by jump
send an email kaya 'to greenhills management para macheck nila.

I already did. i actually also placed this thread in another forum and got a lead to GH's website. Only a few hours of placing the thread, receiving the lead and writing through its website, I received a reply promising to refer the matter to its structural consultant. I'm now monitoring for results.

[karl_edvard]

nahilo ko sa description nung i-beam thing... hehehe, im a civil engineer.......sige ill read it again and again........hehehhehe

[karl_edvard]

ah ok.....ayan gets ko na.........oo nga noh....

[sixflat]

Originally posted by karl_edvard
ah ok.....ayan gets ko na.........oo nga noh....
good, may civil engineer tayo dito. sir karl, if you happen to visit GH, you may want to check it out; you should be more qualified to assess this thing in terms of material strength and structural standards. thanks for pexing here.
:cool:

[sixflat]

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[sixflat]

Sorry, almost double-post.

[sixflat]

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[sixflat]

ngekk!!! who says robots and computers will soon outdo humans. speed of processors can never match or outrun the speed of thought. thus, errors are fast, too. ü

[sixflat]

... the speed of processor simply can't prevent or compensate for the errors.. ü