Engineers recommend 9-month closure of Indoor Stadium Huamark for roof repair

Bangkok’s Indoor Stadium Huamark should be closed for up to nine months so that its roof can be examined and reinforced, the Thailand Structural Engineering Association (TSEA) said on Thursday.

TSEA’s top three officials made the recommendation after inspecting the section of fabric roof that collapsed at 5pm on Tuesday following heavy rain. The roof caved in just 15 minutes before the opening ceremony of the Women’s U25 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship, injuring members of a broadcasting crew.

The tournament had to be moved to Bangkok Youth Centre in Din Daeng.

TSEA inspectors used a drone to survey the damaged fabric roof.

They said it could take up to three months to assess the structure and six more months to reinforce the roof to prevent further collapses.

Leading the inspection at the stadium on Ramkhamhaeng Road were TSEA president Amorn Pimanmas, vice president Chulert Jitjurjun and secretary-general Wantanapong Hiranmarn.

The officials examined metal supports for roof drains that had collapsed inside the stadium. The inspection found that the tips of slings that supported the structure had slipped from their metal fixtures, causing the structure to collapse. Engineers recommend 9-month closure of Indoor Stadium Huamark for roof repair

It identified three main causes for the collapse:

- Heavy rain that overwhelmed drainage and pooled on the canvas, causing the holding slings to slip from their metal fixtures.

- The fixtures had been weakened by rusting.

- Rusting over the 50 years since it was built had weakened the structure to the point where it was unable to withstand the extra weight of rainwater.

Engineers recommend 9-month closure of Indoor Stadium Huamark for roof repair The TSEA said it also found tears in the canvas roof that could lead to the collapse of more metal support columns, especially during the rainy season.