A “DEEP RENOVATION” GONE WRONG A building collapse this afternoon killed at least one worker and seriously injured 2 others at Brays Crossing, a 6-building, low-cost apartment project being fashioned from the former HouTex Inn on I-45 just north of Griggs Road, near Forest Park Cemetery. “The two-story building collapsed as construction workers were replacing joists and the structure began to shift, said Richard Cole, chief of the fire department’s rescue team. The original building was a wooden frame building and had no steel beams for the support needed, he said. . . . New Hope Housing, the city’s partner on the 149-room apartment complex, bought the inn and hired Camden Builders to rehab it beginning in January. When it’s finished, small, single room occupancy apartments will be rented to the newly homeless, said Richard Celli, the city’s director of housing and community development.” [Houston Chronicle; schematic diagram (PDF)]
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This is so very sad on so many levels.
very sad indeed, I have driven by that mess for years, I thought they were finally tearing it down then new lumber arrived. Good money after bad, obviously attempting to side step current building standards by repairing what should have been demo’ed long ago.
I drive passed that site a few times a week, and any one could see that those building were tear downs. Someone needs to do some serious investigations on the contractor and structural engineer. I personally would be interested to see the engineer’s assessment report. Despite leaps in construction safety management cutting corners in construction can be fatal.
Cross: Don’t jump to conclusions on this one. Camden Construction is a reputable company. Re-using some of the existing structure would not permit them to “side-step current building standards”.