B.C. Place dome collapses

[officedweller]

Update... (and more snow on the way for Wednesday)

BC Place replacement roof panel to arrive today
January 08, 2007 - 7:31 am
By: News1130 Staff

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The clock is ticking for repair crews at BC Place, where three new tears have been found in the roof of the deflated dome. The Vancouver skyline just doesn't look the same without the massive mushroom but we may have to get used to it. Even though the first replacement roof panel is set to arrive today, the new rips found over the weekend mean the re-inflation will be delayed, which could be bad news with two big trade shows just weeks away.

BC Place General Manager Howard Crosley remains confident Friday's controlled collapse was still the right move. He says the fans coming on to compensate for the loss of pressure was causing the flaps to tear more.

The one downside is that it turned the roof into a giant funnel for rain and snow melt, which is pouring tens of thousands of litres of water straight into the stadium. For now, set-up for the landscaping and contractor shows is still set to start on the 22nd.

 

[officedweller]

BC Place roof could be reinflated as soon as Wednesday
January 08, 2007 - 3:24 pm
By: Reshmi Nair and John Ackermann

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Vancouver's world-famous skyline should be back to normal by Wednesday, as a deadline has been set for the re-inflation of the dome at BC Place Stadium according to General Manager Howard Crosley. However, it's still not known what exactly caused that first tear. "We are compiling that information, I still do not have a report from the engineers relative to what their assessment is as to what caused the initial damage. We hope to have that tomorrow," says Crosley.

Friday's controlled collapse has allowed tens of thousands of litres of water to funnel straight into the stadium over the weekend. Three new tears have been caused by the weather. Crosley says they may not have to bring in replacement panels for those tears. The delivery of the one panel expected today has been delayed.

Crosley also insists two major shows, expected to move into BC Place in just two weeks, will go ahead as scheduled. The next event planned for the stadium is the BC Contractors Show and Landscaping Expo, set to take place January 23rd and 24th. Show Manager Bruce Guerin is happy to hear the roof could be back up sooner than later. "We're moving forward with our event and we're moving forward with our opening on the 23rd of January."

Guerin does admit they're under a rigid timeline, as even a delay of a few days could mean the cancellation of the entire trade show. That's because they're expected to pack up and move on to Calgary a week later and then to Puyallup, Washington after that.

 

[allabootmatt]

I wasn't aware that Vancouver's skyline was world-famous. Learn something every day, I guess.

 

[officedweller]

Roof work continues in the cold sunshine
Jan, 12 2007 - 12:30 AM

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) - Officials at BC Place Stadium say they have no idea when the dome's roof will be re-inflated. The replacement panel for the torn section of teflon roof has arrived and has been hoised by a crane onto the dome.

Tim Atkinson with BC Pavilion Corporation says work will begin Friday morning and will take about 12 hours. He says as for the dome's re-inflation, he has no idea when that will happen, "There's lot of inspection that has to be done so I really can't estimate that at this time."
The dry weather provides ideal conditions for the panel's installation.


BC Place repairs could be completed today
January 12, 2007 - 5:30 am
By: Dean Recksiedler/Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The big job on top of BC Place could be fixed by the end of today. Crews will begin installing the temporary panel today, and it's expected to take 12 hours to drop the new piece in. Workers will also be repairing all the smaller rips in the Teflon-coated dome. BC Place management is still promising the facility will be open in time for the Contractors Show and the Landscape Show later this month.


BC Place reveals human error to blame for giant roof tear
January 12, 2007 - 1:38 pm
By: Jim Goddard

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - A preliminary report on the collapse of the fabric roof over BC Place Stadium points to three main factors for the giant tear, with human error cited as the main cause. Dome staff say the air supported roof blew out much like an over-inflated balloon. General manager Howard Crosley says his staff accidently pumped too much air into the stadium too fast for the roof to handle when they noticed it was sagging a bit last Friday.

He points out there were three problems that combined for the blow out. "There appears to have been a weakness in the fabric, there was the error that was made with the increased rapid pressurization and the wind factor outside." Crosley calls the combination, "the perfect storm" to cause a roof collapse. Normally an accidental over inflation would not blow out a section of the roof.

Crosley still doesn't know when all the repairs will be completed so the roof can be inflated again. The damage is covered by insurance with a $75,000 deductable that will come out of the stadium's general budget.

 

[wyliepoon]

Link to article

Monday, January 15, 2007 - 06:00PM

What should be done with aging B.C. Place Stadium over long-term?

By Ian Austin,
Vancouver Province

With B.C. Place Stadium crippled by a blown-out roof, officials are trying to decide whether to keep or kill the chronic money-loser.

Mayor Sam Sullivan thinks the roof failure serves as a warning leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics, when the facility will host the opening and closing ceremonies seen by billions around the world.

"I think this has given us a warning that we have to be very vigilant about the inspection of the roof, and the care and maintenance," Sullivan told The Province yesterday. "We need this kind of facility for many of our sport, cultural and business events that are held there."

The stadium's air-supported Teflon roof is nearing the end of its useable lifespan, and a decision must be made soon on what to do with the facility.

For realtor Bob Rennie, the decision is simple -- tear it down and build condos on the site, close to trendy Yaletown and adjacent to upscale Concord Pacific Place.

The stadium, home to the B.C. Lions football team and dozens of trade shows every year, loses money and has to be bankrolled by taxpayers.

"If it were to stay, it would have to show it would get a return," said Rennie, pegging the site's value on the real-estate market at between $250 million and $400 million.

"That money should be used jointly somewhere else and do a lot more public good than putting on a retractable roof and adding to the albatross," Rennie told News 1130 radio.

The stadium cost $172 million to build and at least one man, Lions owner David Braley, has offered to buy the facility and take over the responsibility of deciding what to do.

"If they want me to write a cheque, I'll do it," said Braley, who has turned a money-losing football franchise into a profitable business. "My opinion is that a private owner or manager can do things with that building that the government can't. We can make it work."

Here are the long-term alternatives, from least to most ambitious:

- Repair the roof, and hope everything works out until after the Olympics;

- Replace the roof, at tens of millions of dollars, ensuring a dry facility for 20 to 30 years;

- Remove the roof, and, for the sports purists, refit the stadium as an outdoor facility;

- Remove the roof and replace it with a fixed roof;

- Remove the roof and replace it with a retractable one similar to Toronto's SkyDome (now Rogers Centre).

- Implode the stadium and replace it with a modern facility, as was done with Seattle's Kingdome.

- Implode the stadium, sell the land for real-estate development and use the proceeds to build a stadium elsewhere.

Another piece of the puzzle may be the proposal by Greg Kerfoot, owner of the Whitecaps soccer teams, to build a stadium near Gastown. The proposal, which has been given a temporary green light in the face of some public resistance, would involve building a smaller stadium that might be expanded later.

Though the stadium brings millions to city coffers, Sullivan knows its status is out of his hands.

B.C. Place Stadium is a provincial facility. A provincial study is looking into the facility's future, and Sullivan wants to make sure Vancouver doesn't lose out in the interim.

"If the province decides to make some major changes to the facility, I would like them to be certain that we have viable options for the current users," said Sullivan. "I think B.C. Place is a very valuable asset to the city."

 

[officedweller]

The dome was reinflated this morning:

Webcam:

 

[officedweller]

Crews reinflate roof at BC Place, two weeks after original tear
January 19, 2007 - 3:55 pm
By: Jim Goddard

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The giant fans that bring in the air for the stadium were fired up this morning, and just over two and a half hours later, the dome was fully inflated. The inflation was supposed to take about an hour, but the process was slowed down so that rain trapped on the fabric would have time to drain. Crews say the white temporary patch is doing the job it was designed for. It's also expected the BC Contractors Show and Landscaping Expo slated to start early next week will be able to go ahead as scheduled.