School in Bruck/Mur

Too thick plaster was to blame for the ceiling collapse

Three schools are housed in the Styrian education center.

(Bild: BHAK Bruck)

Following the collapse of the ceiling in a school in Bruck an der Mur in May, the cause is now clear. According to the Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft (BIG) on Tuesday, a plaster thickness that was too thick may have led to an overloading of the ceiling substructure. School operations are due to resume in the fall.

The ceiling collapsed in the BHAK/BHAS/BAfEP Bruck an der Mur during the night of May 23rd. No one was injured, but both furniture and technical equipment were damaged. The school was closed until further notice.

Plaster too thick
Following a comprehensive inspection, BIG has now been able to identify the reason for the ceiling collapse: A plaster thickness that was too thick is likely to have led to an overload on the ceiling substructure. The nails used to fasten the ceiling substructure were unable to withstand the increased load.

Over the past three weeks, further ceilings have therefore been opened at random. In the rooms tested so far, however, the plaster thickness was within the normal range. "We suspect that the plaster layer was applied so extensively during the construction of the building," said BIG. Further ceiling openings should ensure that no further incidents are imminent.

The last condition survey in the federal school cluster took place in July 2021, "at that time no damage to the ceiling was visible", it was noted.

Regular school operations resume in the fall
Renovation work is currently underway. Regular school operations are expected to resume at the start of the 2024/2025 fall/winter semester. Until then, all schools in the Brucker Bundesschulencluster will have alternative accommodation on the premises of HTL Kapfenberg.