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SINGAPORE – The collapse of the ventilation duct in a cinema in the Nex shopping center was caused by the accumulation of “a significant amount of water” in the insulating material surrounding the duct.
The findings of the investigation were released by the Buildings and Construction Authority in a statement on Monday (December 7), following the incident at a Shaw Theaters movie theater on August 30 that left two spectators injured.
The accumulation of water was the result of “unforeseen excessive condensation over a sustained period”, and its weight had overloaded the air conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV) drip line.
This overloaded the brackets that support the ACMV conduit, causing it to give way.
The acoustic material that surrounds the duct normally serves to regulate the temperature of the surface around the duct to prevent water from forming due to condensation and to isolate noise caused by air traveling through the duct.
Checks of ACMV systems and ducts from other theaters found no such excessive condensation, BCA said.
A Nex spokesperson said in a statement Monday that it will “continue to support and work closely with (its) tenant, Shaw Theaters, during the course of the rectifications for the planned reopening of its facilities next year.”
He did not say whether checks will be performed on other ACMV conduits in the building.
Shaw Theaters had conducted inspections of its six cineplexes after the incident, and all were determined to be safe.
Similarly, Golden Village cinemas said they had conducted an additional round of inspections and maintenance checks with BCA officials, following the authority’s recommendations.
It also has an ongoing monthly maintenance program so that all of its cinemas are inspected by professional ACMV contractors.
BCA said it will issue an advisory to building owners and industry on the importance of regular maintenance and to share good practices for the design and installation of ACMV systems.
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