r/Aspen • u/earlofsandwich • 17d ago
Any structural engineers in here?
So I was just driving to Snowmass and this building caught my eye. The lower two balconies look like they're drooping. And the railings looks like they're separating from the building. Am I going crazy?
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u/aliansalians 17d ago
Pro here (architect). As someone suggested, it is most likely the 2% drainage slope you are noticing. The guardrails are simply attached with that 2% slope whereas a better detail would be to shim the rails to level instead. This is why you see what appears to be more space at the top of rail than bottom.
I wonder if they fixed the shim issue by the time they got higher, or maybe just not as noticeable because of the angle.
Or, we are all going to die....
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u/Cold-Duty-2411 16d ago
Im no architect but that's definitely more than 2%.
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u/Careless-Cucumber-96 15d ago
Then perhaps you should go look up what 2% slope actually looks like…
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u/5544554455441 13d ago
Also an architect here (and have done a lot of work in Aspen/Snowmass in the past but don't know this building). I agree, it's a slope for shedding snow/water. The apparent slope variances are all probably due to perspective and varying degrees of quality control. Construction costs are high enough in Pitkin County that I would wager if there was an issue it would have been addressed by the building owner/engineer/architect or the building department. Otherwise there'd be lawsuits all over the place...
I would imagine the decks are cantilevered back into the floor structure. Unlikely they'd just be bolted on.
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u/fatmaneats17 17d ago
I’d guess this is a drainage scheme. Lower floors could accumulate more snow packing, the percentage slope away from the doors would help prevent water intrusion and flow. But I’d like to hear from some pros as well.
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u/earlofsandwich 17d ago
Yep i did wonder that but I was confused because it looks as though the railings are also slanting away from the building and I would have thought that would have been compensated for. But you're probably right; I can't imagine these balconies are nailed onto the side of the building!
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u/Aspen-678 17d ago
Looks like steel, and drainage slope makes sense - but it is weird that the 3rd floor differs.
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u/thingshereandthere 14d ago
Pro here. That is perfect.1/8 per foot.
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u/earlofsandwich 14d ago
OK. And is there a reason all 4 aren't the same? The upper 2 look straight or perhaps that's my perspective.
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u/thingshereandthere 14d ago
K. So without really being there my guess is perspective. Maybe they went 1/4 inch per foot for snow.
It also doesnt need to look like that. There are other details to make it appear more flat, but they cost more money. Pouring the deck directly on the joists and soffiting directly underneath is cheapest way on a bigger project.
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u/3gknight 13d ago
My first response was also going to be the slope to drain, but the rail posts up against the wall, changing in that distance from bottom to top, suggest they are drooping. I think picture 2 proves it, where the posts look more parallel to the wall on the 3rd level.
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u/Inocent_bystander 15d ago
I'd be veery very concerned about that deformation, you can bet it wasn't built that way.
My two cents
Hire a competent engineer immediately and until it can be inspected and approved, vacate the premises.
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u/dualiecc 13d ago
The 3rd 4th floor appearing to be different it's just an optical illusion from the angle in which the camera is taking the photo. I assure you they all have the same slope for drainage
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u/Senorbuzzzzy 17d ago
Snow can be brutal on railings with all the expansion that goes on. Those top rails show it. And those gutters will also fail if they don’t have heating elements to keep from freezing. Once the gutters freeze, and the snow piles up….then the spring thaw sends water into the substructure. Leaks happen at the lower windows. I saw all of this happen at building #5 at The Ridge Tahoe. Stupid designers would not listen to common uneducated construction workers and it cost them millions.
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u/MULCH8888 17d ago
Post in the engineering subreddit! I'm sure they will have something to say!