Imminent-Danger Oblivion

The Elliot Lake Algo Centre Mall enquiry under Commissioner Paul Belanger has resulted in some fascinating testimony from architects, engineers, inspectors and individuals who were, over the years, intimately involved in the technical plans and decision-making in the construction of the mall and its second-level parking garage. New techniques of waterproofing and new materials were being used.

Construction was taking place at a time of year when materials were being exposed to inimical conditions. The result was an engineering nightmare waiting to happen.

"The primary source of our problems was the choice of the hollow-core structural deck and the way it was constructed. There were too many slabs of hollow-core precast concrete loosely tied together and they moved more than we would have expected and in ways we didn't expect."
Dave Monroe, former vice-President, Harry S. Peterson Co., Michigan

Severe leaking at the mall was the nightmare that just wouldn't end. Inspectors warned of the dangers inherent in not addressing the problem. They also described a disabled system incapable of doing the job it was designed and installed to produce. And the danger they saw in not tackling the problem head on, as soon as possible. And then, having produced their reports, moved on, trusting that the urgency of the situation would be met with a solution.

Except it wasn't. The leaking from the parking deck into the stores below proved to be a problem beyond the experience of the construction company that had originally installed the system.  Remedial measures all carried some measure of hope that the problems would finally be resolved. There were many 'Eureka!' moments, but they were brief and transitory.

Construction of the mall was completed in 1980. The problem with leaks began almost immediately. A decade later an engineering inspector stated: "The design used for this roof slab is inappropriate in achieving a watertight condition." That's pretty unequivocal. It could be interpreted as a warning that to continue using the parking level as it was designed to be used, would be to be oblivious to the potential for disaster.

The solution seemed simple enough. No more heavy vehicles permitted to access the parking garage. No more light vehicles, No more vehicles, period, of any type, that would carry salt to corrode metal and concrete and cause water seepage and threaten the engineering and architectural integrity of the entire complex. But that evidently was too simple a solution. Parking had to be available somewhere, after all.

And it seemed not to have occurred to the mall owners - a succession of several different owners as it changed hands and responsibility, that a new parking area, on the ground adjacent the mall, be constructed, and the second level parking be completely abandoned, thus securing the integrity of the building. Other than dismantling it completely and starting all over again.

Use of the upper level garage continued. Inspections failed to flag the imminent danger of collapse. And on June 23, 2012 two women were killed and several other people injured when the rooftop garage finally collapsed into the mall supporting it below. The resulting rescue effort was an utter failure. And there was more than ample blame to go around.

Demolition of the ill-fated Algo Centre Mall continues in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Sunday, March 10, 2013. The mall's roof-top garage collapsed June 23, 2012, killing two women.
(Colin Perkel/The Canadian Press)

A former Peterson employee, Henry Jasskelainen, testified.  He explained that the installation of the waterproofing began late because of project delays. Temperatures and moisture adversely affected vital curing of the sealant materials to bond to the concrete. "We were basically under the gun to put the system in. It seemed to always be wet here and we had an early winter. It created a very difficult environment."