UT Austin has released video of a ceiling that collapsed on campus ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday week.
On Sunday, Nov. 24, at around 12:49 p.m., the ceiling of an outdoor patio at the Norman Hackerman Building suddenly collapsed. , which , houses classrooms and labs for biology and chemistry. KUT News obtained the video from UT through a public records request.
The video shows people walking by the building in the seconds before the ceiling collapses over an outdoor seating area. Several tables and a large sculpture are visible in the patio area. No one appeared to be seated there.
A university spokesperson said at the time of the collapse that no one was injured and no research equipment was damaged. The building was quickly reopened afterward, with the effected area restricted.
"The ceiling that collapsed was a decorative element and was not tied into the building’s core structure, so there are no concerns about the soundness of the building," Mike Rosen said in a statement. "The University will be working with outside assistance to assess the cause of the failure and develop a mitigation plan."
Rosen said Tuesday he did not currently have any updates.
KUT News has sent several additional questions regarding the university's inquiry into the collapse and the structural soundness of this and other buildings on campus.
and both list the building project in their online portfolios.
