Snow load damage to buildings: physical and economic impacts

Abstract

This study examines the physical and economic impacts of snow-related building failures occurring in the USA between autumn 2008 and spring 2011. The study employed a web-based survey distributed to owners and operators of 332 buildings. These buildings were identified in newspaper archives or online news sources as having been damaged by snow loads. This paper describes the 40 responses received. Damage to these buildings ranged from minor to complete collapse; survey responses showed that the roof structure and non-structural roofing and ceiling materials were particularly impacted. Certain structural types (especially timber roofed) and older buildings tended to experience higher levels of damage. On average, the buildings incurred US$ 166 per gross m2 of costs associated with repairing or rebuilding, damaged US$ 25 per gross m2 of property and building contents, and interrupted business or other operations for 122 days. Collection of these data represents a first step towards the development of loss estimation models needed for a comprehensive performance-based engineering framework for the design and assessment of buildings under snow loads.

Comparing Design Ground Snow Load Prediction in Utah and Idaho

“…These snow-related failures can be catastrophic to local economies, like the recent $100 million in losses incurred by Idaho/Oregon's onion industry (Ellis 2017). One study of 40 snow-induced building failures reported an average cost of $166 per square meter and 122 days of business interruption for repairs (Strobel and Liel 2013). Snow-related damages can extend beyond building repairs, as a study of 1,100 domestic and international snow-induced building failures reported more than 300 fatalities (Geis et al 2011).…”

Editorial

“…The author presents a number of case studies, and, usefully, groups them by theme, such as the role of workmanship, unexpected events and concrete cracking. By selecting such groupings rather than simply presenting a range of failures, he provides further insight into the causes of these issues and stresses the importance of the straightforward, but often neglected, measures that avert failure, such as the role of site supervision.The approach of examining failure from a broad perspective is continued by Strobel and Liel (2013), who in our second paper examine snow load failures to buildings in the USA from both a physical and economic perspective. Characteristics examined range from the types of buildings affected by snow loading, the types of physical damage and the sequences of events following failures, including downtime and insurance cover.…”

“…The approach of examining failure from a broad perspective is continued by Strobel and Liel (2013), who in our second paper examine snow load failures to buildings in the USA from both a physical and economic perspective. Characteristics examined range from the types of buildings affected by snow loading, the types of physical damage and the sequences of events following failures, including downtime and insurance cover.…”