A Member has submitted a claim for the spontaneous collapse of a ceiling in a banquet hall. The building in question was constructed in the 1930s, but the collapse occurred in an extension built in the 1960s or 1970s.

The ceiling in the extension was constructed in an unusual, and possibly non-compliant, manner. Essentially, it was fabricated around a suspended steel frame, possibly involving chicken wire or similar, onto which was sprayed a concrete slurry to a thickness of about 30 – 40mm. This was then trowelled off to provide a smooth finish. The frame was suspended on steel ties from bolts set into the concrete slab above. The finished ceiling had no access hatch fitted, so there was no means of inspecting the cavity between the ceiling and the roof.