Dinosaur...

...mind has taken temporary control of my own homespun variety. I try to keep up with new developments in the world, new developments in the industry, listen to the experts, the inventors, the chemists and the scientists and what not et al ad infinitem etcetera & etcetera, but sometimes I just long to lay my hands on an old mop handle again and build my own old-school, old-technology membranes in the old way.

Anyone else read the following? http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/football/montreal-alouettes/Thousands+holes+Olympic+Stadium/8703863/story.html

I'm becoming so risk-averse I just want to wait about thirty more years (which I definitely don't have) until all this goo-ga sorts itself out on its own. Think I'll buy a periscope so I can get even farther from the action while I wait.

Believe me, you are amazing because you use only a few words to inspire others and that is an incredible talent. Bitlife

A total of around $2,800 in rips over the course of 210 days. That works out to about $5,000 annually, or about $200 in repairs each tear. The months of November through March are too cold for me to consider going up five nights at freddy's, sealing 10 tears, and pocketing the 2g's.

I've always been intrigued by these. We have quite a number of tension structures in the area, due to the fact that Seaman Corp http://www.architecturalfabrics.com/products/fabrics.php is located just 40 miles away. I've never done one. Thought I'd have the chance earlier this year, but it fell through.

I read where Birdair installed the 1999 version. But I can't find any manufacturer info.

We in Montreal call it the big O (as in Owe). Since that one-of-a-kind white elephant has been built for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, the retractable roof has been an issue, and I think this is the third version of it - none lasted very long. This stadium (and roof) was a product of hubris, and excessive confidence in analytical software. Somehow, the aging/stretching characteristics of the materials never made it into the models used to calculate the stresses on the roof, or if they did, they were not accurate.

The current version is not retractable, and despite that, is still causing all sorts of maintenance issues. There has been much written about this fiasco in the Montreal press, and the bottom line is that this roof is a one-of-a-kind, and the designers are learning about its performance as they go. And we continue to pay.

What's great about this forum, even though the number of active posters is much reduced from, say, a few years ago when everybody here seemed to think of it as a kind of Twitter (I'm not a member of that btw) is it is a solid link to people who actually work in this industry. Do things in it daily, if you know what I mean. CARE about it as a way of life. I have to say, the stadium roof is not even remotely connected to any practical reality of my business. Would never even contemplate gearing up to get involved with such a project. I'm phenomenally good at what I do and for what I engage in I am outrageously cheap, too, though I make a good enough living at it to hold my head up, but when it comes to projects like these, I always wonder what Mike would think. Actually, when it comes down to it, different as they are in every way, either Mike. NZ or Hicks, couple of heroes of mine. Love this place. A million dollars a year in maintenance. My word. And after how much time from installation???? Can't believe that for the money involved there aren't attorneys crawling all over the place.

About 2800 tears in about 210 days....that would be a little more than 5,000 per year or about $200 per repair. Yeah, I might go up there on a Summer day, seal 10 tears, pocket the 2g's, but I don't think I would do it between November and March.

Here are the two things that stuck out to me!

"maintenance of the roof costs about $1 million every year"

"Maintenance and more frequent testing of the roof material have not slowed its deterioration."

:dry:

A million a year in maintenance!!

They have the science to say "But since this roof was installed(1999), it has suffered a 59-per-cent decline in its load-bearing capacity."

Looks like the locals want it to hit the ground...

I hadn't, but I'm surprised a new-fangled material failed. B)