In 2005, a large open span horse arena experienced a total structural failure due to a Colorado blizzard with high winds that resulted in drifting snow. Drifting resulted in unbalanced roof loading on long span moment frames. Basic design defects resulted in a total catastrophic failure. GES Tech Group was retained to identify the root cause of the progressive failure mechanism and to represent the owner in legal proceeding to resolve the issue. GES Tech Group was also responsible for the design of a new upgraded arena foundation and superstructure in accordance with local design codes, specifically addressing snow drift unbalanced loading criteria.
