Venues for a large variety of indoor social and sports events, indoor arenas play an importantrole in the rural and urban communities across Canada. Halifax Metro Centre is one such venue in NovaScotia. Constructed in 1978, it is large enough to accommodate over 12,000 spectators. A number ofmajor events staged, require suspending a multitude of audio-visual and lighting equipment from the roofstructure. The total suspended load, known as entertainment load, can vary from 20,000kg for a modestsize show to as much as 35,000kg for a major event. A detailed structural analysis of the roof structure,carried out by MacDonnell engineers in early 2006, indicated that it did not have sufficient capacity tocarry the design snow load determined in accordance with the 2005 revision of the National BuildingCode of Canada. The strategy recommended was to monitor the weather conditions, and required theorganizer of the event to lower all significant entertainment loads to the floor in the event of a majorsnowfall. For the full utilization of the Metro Centre facilities, without compromising public safety, it wasdeemed necessary to develop a long-term solution. After considering various options presented, themanagement of the facility decided to install a Structural Health Monitoring System, gather and analyzedata on snow load effects, and determine the structural upgrades that were warranted. A StructuralHealth Monitoring System, comprising 36 fibre optic sensors mounted at strategic locations and a laserbased deflection measuring device, was designed and installed in the summer of 2007. In the followingwinter season, data were collected during several snow storms as well as major events, and analyzed.Data on the snow depth and density were also gathered separately to determine the actual snow load onthe roof. This paper will discuss the practical application of Structural Health Monitoring for managingrisks for public buildings, and its potential benefits.
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