Bad Welds Reportedly Caused Canopy Crash : Safety: A report by the San Diego Building Inspection Department fixes blame for the June 15 collapse at Robinson’s in University Towne Centre.

Bad welds appear to be the cause of the June 15 collapse of a canopy at Robinson’s department store in University Towne Centre, which injured one girl and nearly buried several other people.

“The canopy failed because it was not constructed according to plans. Welding of the metal studs to the steel beam was not done to the specifications on the plans,” according to a press release from the San Diego Building Inspection Department.

The release also stated that “wind and weather” contributed to the failure of the deficient welds.

Pete Lopez, chief of structural inspection for the department, said the welds were not strong enough to support stucco and other materials in the canopy.

Shortly after the collapse, the city ordered the upscale department store chain to have the canopy and the rest of the building inspected by an engineering firm. The store hired Englekirk & Hart Consulting Engineers, and their findings are the source for the building inspection department’s report, Lopez said.

Robinson’s Spokeswoman Kelly Barfield in Los Angeles said the Hahn Co. of La Jolla was the contractor responsible for the store’s construction.

The Hahn Co. was owned by Ernest Hahn at the time of the store’s construction, Barfield said. The company has since changed hands.

Barfield had no other comment on the collapse, and there was no answer at the telephone number of the Hahn Co. after the city’s report was released late Thursday afternoon.

Lopez said that, during construction of public buildings, the city requires constant supervision by a “special inspector” during all welding to ensure structural integrity. The city, however, does not keep the reports filed by the inspectors, he said.

The principle responsibility of the inspection department is to ensure the safety of public structures, and no action will be taken against Robinson’s or the builders of the canopy, Lopez said.

The engineering firm also determined that two other canopies, which were constructed differently from the one that collapsed, are not a hazard, he said.

Lopez said he does not know why all three canopies were not constructed the same way. That decision was “the architect’s prerogative,” he said.

The welds on the other two canopies were “found to be completed per the plans,” according to the Building Inspection Department’s release.