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Berkeley balcony collapse: Owners of building told of dry rot problems 20 months before tragedy
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/berkeley-balcony-collapse-owners-building-5925618
City inspections found evidence of problems in an apartment below where the celebration took place in September 2013, official city records from Berkeley in California, USA, have revealed
The owners of the building where six students plunged to their deaths after a balcony collapsed during a 21st birthday party were warned of dry rot problems 20 months earlier, it has emerged.
City inspections found evidence of problems in an apartment below where the the celebration took place, official city records from Berkeley in California, USA, have revealed.
A councillor from the US city where 13 people fell from the balcony at the Library Gardens apartment block this month has also claimed he has received several complaints about the condition of the building, the Irish Mirror reports .
Six people, including five Irish students, died in the tragedy, with others seriously injured.
Checks were carried out in September 2013 when officials spotted a number of signs of suspected dry rot.
A follow-up inspection two months later found the problems had been addressed and that a certificate of compliance had been issued to the building owners
Reports, obtained by RTE’s This Week programme, showed how letters were sent to the owners where housing officials noted the following red-flags: “floor surface or carpet is damaged creating a trip hazard or floor deck is dry rotted”.
But the documents don’t state whether or not the possible existence of dry rot had led to a thorough structural examination of the building.
City Council member Jesse Arreguin told the RTE programme that a number of tenants in the Library Gardens had approached him with concerns since 2010.
He said: “I received more issues, more complaints about this property than any other newer building in the downtown, even older buildings, property that was built over 50 years ago.
“The number of issues I’ve heard about this building, the condition of it, things breaking, the slow response of management to address these issues I would say was unique compared to other newer buildings.”
It has also emerged €5.5million has been paid out over defective balconies by the construction firm behind the Berkeley apartment block.
Segue Construction agreed to the vast sum after settling two separate law suits in the San Francisco bay area in the past two years.
It is the same firm that built the Library Gardens complex where six Irish students died.
Last year they paid out just under €3million to homeowners in the plush Pines at North Park Apartments in San Jose.
This was due to “water penetration” problems on dozens of balconies on the complex.
The lawsuit accused Segue of “failing to design the breezeways, private balconies and stairwells at the project in substantial compliance with all applicable local and state codes”.
In 2013, they paid out more than €2.5million to the owners of apartments in Millbrae, just west of the San Francisco bay area.
This case was brought because the balconies were deemed unsafe due to water damaging the structural integrity of the supporting beams.
Solicitor Thomas Miller, who represented the owners of the Millbrae premises, said the damage in those apartments was the same as what is being alleged in Library Gardens.
He added: “It was the exact same mechanism of failure as appears in Library Gardens.
"The waterproofing system failed. Water got into the structural wood framing for the balconies and dry-rotted out the wood members.”
Investigations into the cause of the balcony collapse from the fifth storey of the Library Gardens complex in Berkeley are continuing. Another balcony at the apartment complex has since been deemed “structurally unsafe” and a “collapse hazard”.
The owners have been ordered to demolish it. Two other balconies were sealed off or “red-tagged” as tests continue. Segue, which built the complex, said it will co-operate fully with any inquiry.
A spokesman said: “Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of the young people who died or were injured in this tragic accident. We have offered our assistance and full co-operation to investigating authorities.”
