A portion of the fourth floor of the under-construction St. Anne Lofts collapsed around 1 p.m. Monday afternoon, taking out each of the previously constructed floors below it.
Code Enforcement & Neighborhood Conservation Director Howard Asch said the collapse was a result of construction workers placing too much drywall in a small area, causing a load too heavy for the floor to bear. The hole created was about the size of a living room, he said.
“Fortunately the building was constructed properly so it’s not an issue with the building itself but the way they were using it,” he said. “They put too much of a load on too small of an area and that’s what caused the problem.”
The full extent of the damage will be unknown until an engineering analysis is performed examining possible hidden damages, but Asch said at first glance it did not appear to be extensive. The collapse was unrelated to the unauthorized construction of an additional fifth floor on the project, which East Lansing City Council will discuss at its July 10 meeting.
No one was injured during the collapse.
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