TABLE OF CONTENTS The New York Times Abstract:
The death toll rose to 111 in the Hyatt Regency Hotel accident today, as officials began trying to determine what caused the collapse of two walkways suspended above the hotel lobby. (Stuart, 1981)
The Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel was designed as a hotel with three main sections: a 40-story tower section, a function block, and a connecting atrium area. The atrium was a large open area approximately 36 m by 44 m and 15 m high. Three suspended walkways spanned the atrium at the second, third, and fourth floors (Figure 4.1). These walkways connected the tower section to the function block. As shown in Figure 4.1, the third-floor walkway was independently suspended from the atrium roof trusses. In contrast, the second-floor walkway was suspended through six connections from the fourth-floor walkway, which was suspended from the roof framing (Pfrang, 1982).
Hotel development began in 1976. Design and construction were conducted by specialized teams, under the direction of PBNDML Architects. The design team consisted of the architect, mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, and structural engineer. After the owner, Crown Center Redevelopment, chose the architect, the architect then chose the rest of the design team. The design team received a fixed fee for services rendered. The construction team consisted of the...
