Balcony collapse in Berkeley, Calif., prompts an examination of codes

Dry rot and too much weight appear to be the causes of a fatal accident at an eight-year-old building in Berkeley, Calif. The tragedy has prompted at look at codes governing the structures.

Builders could take extra steps that go beyond what’s outlined in building codes. For example, advise owners that decks do not last forever and even the best-made structures have a lifespan of 15 years.

The North American Deck and Railing Association estimates that at least 40 million residential decks and 10 million commercial decks in the U.S. are at least 20 years old.

Educating the building’s owners about the importance of weight limits and maintenance can help keep the structures safe. Leaving a sign behind that posts the maximum capacity for the balcony or deck will inform the building owner.

Other steps include: Advising the owner that a pileup of snow on a deck can be heavier than a group of people, and can lead an otherwise empty deck to collapse.

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.