Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Another balcony accident - time to redesign buildings, don't you think?

Yet another balcony 'accident'. Whether the student, fell, was pushed, or deliberately jumped, the death was preventable.

Let's have a gofundme for rewarding a contest to redesign buildings. 

A few ideas come into my mind. A stepped pyramid like new fangled residences built for the Habitat expo in Canada in the Sixties by Safdie. 

I heard that San Francisco windows are sealed shut. Because of earthquakes. To prevent falling glass, rather than jumping. But it prevented suicides.

People want to see out. So enclose balconies with glass. But what about escaping fires? Enclosed fire escapes. Spiral tubes.

Balcony Barriers

How about installing barriers? In Singapore if you live in a high rise block with a balcony and you get a cat you are required to erect a cat-proof barrier. The same should apply worldwide to children, drunks, students, people holding parties.

They now have suspended hammocks under bridges which were previously suicide spots. It can be done. Failing that, bushes and trees instead of solid concrete.

This is just to get you thinking, outside the box, in new ways. Students and architects should be set safer buildings designs as projects. 

After that we can move onto railway crossings with surveillance showing the passengers oncoming trains with stopping times, and the trains obstructions and fencing swimming pools and surveillance on swimming pools. 



Useful Websites

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12637419/texas-university-student-died-floor-dorm-fall.html#comments

https://www.balconydecoration.com/balcony-safety-nets-protective-equipments-for-balconies/

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