Council On Tall Buildings Explains Heat, Not Structure, Caused WTC Fall
BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania, September 21, 2001 - In a statement issued September 14, the Council of Tall Buildings explained the collapse of the World Trade Center towers:
"Tuesday, September 11, 2001 is a day that will forever be remembered. It is a day when thousands of people lost their lives and it is a day when the grand twin towers of New York fell to the ground.
"The Council on Tall Buildings and our chairman Ron Klemencic, president of Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire, have been flooded with inquiries. Of course the most frequently asked question is why did they fall. Although we may never know the exact answer, Jon D. Magnusson, partner to Ron, in a report to Engineering-News Record stated, "It appears that the floor diaphragm, necessary to brace the exterior columns, had lost connection to the exterior wall." Once stability was lost, the exterior columns buckled, dropping the floors to the floor below, overloading each one as it went. The airplanes compromised the structural tube and the fires that followed in all probability burned to temperatures beyond the integrity of the fireproofed steel, which is designed to withstand 1500 to 1600 degrees F. heat.
"Les Robertson, a structural engineer who participated in the original design of the World Trade Center and former chairman of the Council, has his offices in New York's financial district. He was, however, in Hong Kong at the time of the attack. On Thursday we received an email from Les. In part, it states, 'Yes, fire brought down the towers, but the structural integrity created by the engineers allowed perhaps thousands of persons to evacuate the building prior to the fire-induced collapse.'
"In the next week we will attempt to put together a list of the most frequently asked questions and answers for posting on our website. In the meantime all inquiries should be directed to Ron Klemencic at 206/292-1200 or by email rk@skilling.com.
"The Council would also like to thank all of its members throughout the world who have been offering words of support and encouragement."
LINK
BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania, September 21, 2001 - In a statement issued September 14, the Council of Tall Buildings explained the collapse of the World Trade Center towers:
"Tuesday, September 11, 2001 is a day that will forever be remembered. It is a day when thousands of people lost their lives and it is a day when the grand twin towers of New York fell to the ground.
"The Council on Tall Buildings and our chairman Ron Klemencic, president of Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire, have been flooded with inquiries. Of course the most frequently asked question is why did they fall. Although we may never know the exact answer, Jon D. Magnusson, partner to Ron, in a report to Engineering-News Record stated, "It appears that the floor diaphragm, necessary to brace the exterior columns, had lost connection to the exterior wall." Once stability was lost, the exterior columns buckled, dropping the floors to the floor below, overloading each one as it went. The airplanes compromised the structural tube and the fires that followed in all probability burned to temperatures beyond the integrity of the fireproofed steel, which is designed to withstand 1500 to 1600 degrees F. heat.
"Les Robertson, a structural engineer who participated in the original design of the World Trade Center and former chairman of the Council, has his offices in New York's financial district. He was, however, in Hong Kong at the time of the attack. On Thursday we received an email from Les. In part, it states, 'Yes, fire brought down the towers, but the structural integrity created by the engineers allowed perhaps thousands of persons to evacuate the building prior to the fire-induced collapse.'
"In the next week we will attempt to put together a list of the most frequently asked questions and answers for posting on our website. In the meantime all inquiries should be directed to Ron Klemencic at 206/292-1200 or by email rk@skilling.com.
"The Council would also like to thank all of its members throughout the world who have been offering words of support and encouragement."
LINK
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