
The hotel officially opened on July 1, 1980. The newspaper observed that "Notable structures around the country were failing at an alarming rate", which included the 1979 Kemper Arena roof collapse and the 1978 Hartford Civic Center roof collapse. There were numerous delays and setbacks, including the collapse of 2,700 square feet (250 m 2) of the roof. Described by the newspaper as fast-tracked, construction began in May 1978 on the 40-story Hyatt Regency Kansas City. The Kansas City Star described a national climate of "high unemployment, inflation and double-digit interest rates pressure on builders to win contracts and complete projects swiftly". It was the deadliest structural failure since the Collapse of Pemberton Mill over 120 years earlier, and remained the second deadliest structural collapse : 4 in the United States until the collapse of the World Trade Center towers 20 years later. The disaster contributed many lessons and reforms to engineering ethics and safety, and to emergency management.
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Gillum eventually claimed full responsibility for the collapse and its obvious but unchecked design flaws, and he became an engineering disaster lecturer. Company owner and engineer of record Jack D.

Convicted of gross negligence, misconduct and unprofessional conduct, the engineering company lost its national affiliation and all engineering licenses in four states, but was acquitted of criminal charges. An investigation concluded that it would have failed even under one-third of the weight it held that night. Its roof had partially collapsed during construction, and the ill-conceived skywalk design progressively degraded due to a miscommunication loop of corporate neglect and irresponsibility. The Hyatt was built during a nationwide pattern of fast-tracked large construction with reduced oversight and major failures. Kansas City society was affected for years, with the collapse resulting in billions of dollars of insurance claims, legal investigations and city government reforms. Loaded with partygoers, the concrete and glass platforms cascaded down, crashing onto a tea dance in the lobby, killing 114 and injuring 216.


On July 17, 1981, the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, suffered the structural collapse of two overhead walkways. Structural overload resulting from design flaws : iii We worked with the design team to create bid documents that included a complete fire sprinkler design, hydraulic calculations, product specifications and layout drawings for AHJ review and approval.Original location of second- and fourth-story walkwaysģ9☀5′06″N 94☃4′48″W / 39.085°N 94.580°W / 39.085 -94.580 Coordinates: 39☀5′06″N 94☃4′48″W / 39.085°N 94.580°W / 39.085 -94.580 designed the fire sprinkler system for this new facility at Pittsburg State University. KANG and Student Recreation Center, Pittsburg, KS- Fire Sprinkler Solutions, Inc. Coordination of the fire sprinkler systems with the combustible construction and other engineering systems was a challenge.
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Jardine Apartments, Kansas State University– Design and code review, for the new apartment complex on Kansas State University Complex, including 14 multi-story apartment buildings. Coordination of sprinkler locations and mains were critical in this state-of-the-art museum design. Nerman Museum, Overland Park– Fire sprinkler design for a new modern art museum for the JCCC campus. Paul worked with the architects and engineers to coordinate the design and facilitate the installation for this high-end commercial building.

Regnier Business and Technology Center, Overland Park– Sprinkler design for a new classroom, office and IT building in Overland Park. Hashinger Hall, University of Kansas– Fire sprinkler designed for an 8 story dormitory remodel and renovation including code analysis, sprinkler system design, fire pump design and specification, and hydraulic calculations The project included three 5,000 gpm fire pumps for a system demand of 15,000 gpm from the combined curtain and monitors. HF Mitigation Fire Curtain and Monitors, Valero, Ardmore, Oklahoma- The project included the design of a fire curtain and fire monitor piping system to provide a deluge system in the Alkylation unit at the refinery. Cindy provided a code review in conformance with the 2000 IBC for the architect. Challenges included vaulted, heavy-timber construction in a church-like design, and over 100,000 square feet of school, assembly and office uses. James Academy, Lenexa, Kansas- Paul designed the full fire sprinkler system for a sprinkler contractor.
