Is a Bonfire Architecture?

After the death of twelve students in the 1999 bonfire accident at Texas A & M, authorities questioned what regulations should apply to temporary structures. Should a bonfire be governed by the same laws as an office building or a bridge? Article by Jackie Craven

Build a house, and you have to get a permit. Build a bridge, a tower, or any large public building, and the plans must pass muster with a team of engineers. Builders must arrange for inspections and supervision before beginning projects that involve public safety, health, or welfare. That's the law in the United States and most areas around the globe.

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But, what if you're constructing something else? It's as big as a house, but it's not a building. People climb it, but it's not a tower. Years of planning go into its design, but it is only a temporary structure. In fact, it will be destroyed within days after its completion. Is it still architecture? Should it be governed by the same laws as an office building or a highway overpass?These are the types of questions first year architecture students toss around in classroom debates. But this fall, the questions aren't merely hypothetical -- They lie at the heart of investigations into the fatal collapse of the bonfire structure at Texas A&M.

The four-story high log pile was not designed to be used as shelter. Although as many as 70 people were walking on top of it, the structure was not intended to serve as a bridge or an observation tower. The Texas A&M Bonfire was not functional but ceremonial: It was built to be burned.

The Texas State Engineering Practice Act does not specifically mention wooden log piles such as the A&M structure. College officials say that the log pile is exempt because it is not a public building and it is constructed by volunteers. However, members of the state engineering board are taking a new look at the construction law to see whether a bonfire structure should follow the same regulations as buildings and bridges.

What's your view? Is a large structure designed for ceremonial burning architecture? Should the construction abide by the same laws as public buildings?

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Text copyright © Jackie Craven