L'Ambiance Plaza: what have we learned

The American Society of Civil Engineers discussed the impact of the L'Ambiance Plaza's collapse on the construction industry during their Oct 1991 Orlando, FL, convention. Engineers propose the upgrading of the conduct of investigations of major structural disasters and increasing the engineer's authority during construction. They criticize the disregard for safety and sound engineering principles and emphasized the importance of a clear delineation of responsibilities for all parties concerned. They also stressed stability as a crucial design factor in construction.