Accidents
Portion of High School Under Construction Collapses in Alabama
The athletic facility of the under-construction Gulf Shores High School is set to include locker and weight rooms alongside a full-length, covered practice field.
Rendering courtesy Goodwyn Mills Cawood
An under-construction athletic practice facility in Gulf Shores, Ala., part of ongoing work to build the city's $137-million high school, collapsed in the early morning of Jan. 27.
Grant Brown, spokesperson for the coastal city, says officials are not sure exactly when the partially erected structural steel structure collapsed, but estimated it between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., saying no one was on site at the time and no one was injured in the incident. "We anticipate adjusters and engineers to be on site by Thursday this week," Brown said Jan. 28, explaining that the city hopes to know more about the impact and cause in the next couple weeks.
Rabren General Contractors, Auburn, Ala., is the contractor and Goodwyn Mills Cawood, Montgomery, Ala., is architect. Neither immediately responded to ENR requests for comment Jan. 28. Other firms working on the project include Volkert Inc. and DLR Group.
Photos and videos from local news outlets shows structural steel components collapsed on top of a truck-mounted crane at the site.
Work began on the 287,000-sq-ft project in April 2024, with plans for the facility to complete for the fall 2026 school year, according to school announcements.
The collapse of the practice facility has "no bearing at all" on ongoing construction for the main portion of the school and its performing arts center, Brown says, which is being constructed on a separate portion of the 120-acre site, across the street from other construction activity.
Gulf Shores experienced a historic snowstorm Jan. 21, with 5.5 in. of snow over two days setting a new snowfall record for the area, according to the National Weather Service.
It's unclear if the snowstorm played a role in the building collapse, but Brown says by Jan. 24 the snow was gone and conditions dry as temperatures reached 60°F over the weekend.
The school is being constructed in the city's far northeastern quadrant, he adds, at the corner of the Foley Beach Express and Coastal Gateway Boulevard.
According to Gulf Shores City Schools, plans for the school's athletic components include "competition-size gymnastics, locker rooms, athletic training rooms, a weight room and a full-length covered practice facility."
