This is stunning to say "There has been considerable debate in the construction industry about whether to require facades be constructed of nonflammable material, but naysayers say those products are expensive, especially for large projects."

There is no debate facades of high rise buildings must be made of nonflammable materials in every code in the world!

Further to suggest that though the facade failed and the fire didn't migrate to the interior that "it worked" as designed is ridiculous as well. The article itself makes reference to another facade fire in Atlantic City where the fire started on the ground level and took down the whole side of the building.

So is the story the fire that was no big deal it all is fine worked like it should?

What a whitewash!

oltimedemo..please check the thread mentioned above in skyscraper.com. One poster shows picture of Atlantic City hotel with EIFS.. same material that burned the entire side of a building (hotel) under construction. The stuff seems definately flamable if we can believe our eyes.

one more comment. I am sure MGM will not merely patch with the same stuff but redesign the entire cornice and sign with something much better. Since they have to do the work anyway do it right. The real issue is what this means for the other hotels that use similar facades. No doubt they just want this to go away. Ordering new facades on all the major hotels in Las Vegas is economically catastrophic. They will probably declare this case closed after repairs completed.

It seems to me building inspection could adopt a reasonable compromise to open the hotel and still have the questionable material ordered removed. By declaring the same material safe and to code the day after everyone saw it burn is amazing and to be sure driven by the economically catastrophic decision to close it until its replaced..a process that could take months....The hotel would lose its staff and there would be terrible loses.
The alternative is to order it removed..provide extra monitoring in the meantime and keep the hotel open.

Are you going to believe the head Building Inspector in Clark County or your lying eyes.

It is curious too why despite much interest nationwide on this issue no press has picked up the story.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthre...