Since the failure of the Ronan Point apartment building in London, England in 1968 most industrialized nations have been obliged to reconsider their regulatory conceptions of structural safety. The phenomenon of progressive collapse and how to accommodate those forms of loading not normally considered in design have been of primary concern. In particular,the structural implications of an unexpected explosion or accidental impact have had to be evaluated. In some countries where the problem was of immediate and vital concern, separate interim provisions or guidelines to supplement existing building codes and specifications were issued. The repercussions of these criteria had, in at least one case, a significant effect on the building industry while the question of how to avoid progressive collapse has continued to be a controversial issue within the design profession.

This report is part of the collection of scanned historical documents available to the public.