Also steel is completely unnecessary unless you're doing something wild like that guy in NYC with a 17,000 gallon home aquarium. If you're just throwing a 200 gallon or so on a second floor, an enginer might not care at all if its across the joists or has a wall below it, but even if its completely open below, the "support" might just be a joist of a different design, or an inch thicker or one extra joist. Steel is really not nessecary
The Pfizer building in NYC almost collapsed after they tried to build a swimming pool on the roof. This happens semi-regularly when building owners ignore, or don't consult, engineers about rooftop swimming pools. Every owner wants one and doesn't want to be told no.
I dont think they got to the pools. I worked for a company that did a bid for the electrical work. Edit: there was a pool. Didnt have on plans at time
Second edit: looking at wrong plan. There was a pool but it was basically a blank plan with annunderdesigned roof.
If anyone wants to read more about this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfizer_Building#Structural_det...
> This happens semi-regularly when building owners ignore, or don't consult, engineers about rooftop swimming pools.
Another wild overstatement. Yeah, I'm sure the city approved this office to residential converstion with a rooftop swimming pool that has no engineering analysis. "This happens semi-regularly": Can you provide other examples? I couldn't find any with a cusory Google search.