Why did the Surfside Condo Collapse? (Miami Building Collapse)
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- This video discusses the Surfside Condo Collapse or the Miami Building Collapse from 2021. The video summarizes a forensic analysis done by WJE, a firm that was hired to investigate the failure by the condo association. Thank you to Matt Fadden and Gary Klein for sharing their work.
WJE video over their investigation:
• Champlain Towers South...
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tylerley.com
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One of my greatest frustrations was trying to convince the licensed design professionals that they needed to understand the existing building they were working on.
This is going to be a major problem in other places. While the building was full of flaws with its original construction in this case, it did hold up for 4 decades. The primary problem was getting the residents to agree how to pay for badly needed repairs with very high costs. The sticker shock of the repairs, especially after they just had to fix something else a few years before, caused delays and the building just didn't have that time. The is going to happen somewhere else as things continue to age. Governments are going to have to step in with regulation as well as funding to prevent this. We cannot simple rely on HOAs to manage these processes.
Punching shear design was addressed in ACI 318 when it was built 1981! So mistakes were in construction rather than in design. Also, additional weight and lack of redundancy in design (resiliency) were reasons of collapse. Thank you for sharing 🙏
I remember people online trying to figure out what happened soon afterward using the video footage, photos, and diagrams, and what you're saying in this video is exactly what they thought. The way the pool deck was designed, the planter, and then the damage to that column and the shear wall. The only thing they didn't get right was the faulty construction but there was no way to know that at the time. What's interesting to me is that the survivors from the part of the building that collapsed were the ones who lived in the second and third floor apartments right above the damaged column because they could hear it breaking a few minutes ahead of time and they could see cracks developing on their walls. That gave them time to evacuate. I'm also still sad about that kitty that was in the remaining structure that died when it was demolished.
Great straight forward analysis. I've read other in depth reviews of the design and learned that the way the pool deck tied into the main building was unnecessary. If i understood right, basically if the deck was separated load wise from main building columns, like freestanding intensity of one system, this probably wouldn't have happened.
Tyler, Thanks so much for this important video! Great summary of this horrible event. If you remember, we talked about non-ductile concrete issues a few years back. We have a WJE office locally. They are a world class organization. Much respect to them for the forensic work on this.
Skip - I remember! WJE did an awesome job on this.
There is a nearly identical building just a short distance up the beach. I'm hoping that this building is being inspected very carefully. Another problem with the condo that collapsed was the intrusion of salt contaminated rain water that pooled on the deck and seeped into the tile/topping slab. This was the wrong way to address any ponding of water on the pool deck. Some of the photos I have seen of some of the rebar show stress corrosion cracking almost all of the way through the section. Also one of the columns at the entrance to the below grade parking deck was undersized possibly a design oversight because it was subjected to additional load. If I understand things correctly this column is thought to be where the initial punching failure began when the pool deck began to collapse downward from all the deficiencies that you point out. Miami in the time this condo was built was known for quick, shoddy, construction with suspect inspection.
Great video! You presented more information on the cause of the collapse in 8 min than NIST did in an hour and a half at their last video. One thing they did say was that one specimen revealed that there was only HALF the number of rebars at the slab/column connection. This begs the question: HOW did the inspectors miss this? Was there corruption involved or were the inspectors incompetent or both? I find it hard to believe that an inspector can't count to 4 (the number of rebars required).
probably they suffered temporary amnesia.
$$ in the pocket gets thing approved and signed off. Have personally seen it happen.
Thanks!
I am glad that NIST is doing such a thorough job. I am not sure how they missed this. This is a big error.
the addition of marble floors and kitchen counters replacing formica and carpets did not help.
It also takes a lot of money to repair this problems. Money paid by the homeowners who are not going to be happy or able to pay these large expenses. There will be significant pressure to say everything is “all right”. Once the building is up, making massive repairs is very very difficult. Better to recognize these problems as a purchaser and stay away.
That bridge that cracked in Memphis I believe had been inspected multiple times by the same inspector who was cutting corners.
Massie weight added in redone bathrooms and kitchen areas using heavy marble slabs replacing lightweight installed units.
Tyler, thanks for a great analysis of this tragic event.
Thank you Terry!
👍🔨love the education!I'm from Davenport Iowa, an older building collapsed here last May
Thanks so much!
Good stuff, thanks for taking the time. I wonder what other buildings the construction company built. I wouldn't want to be living in one of them.
Good question!
Best review of this tragedy I've ever seen. Congrats. You are spot on sir. I am concerned that the bureaucrats want too much from the condominiums to do inspections while not providing a straightforward path towards permitting, repair and construction. I think we are entering a sad period of deconstruction near the coastline l. Especially for the fixed income owners. That truly did not understand the cost of living near the sea. But this is the hard reality of the built environment. It takes time and energy to maintain. Whewww!
I totally agree. We need to make improvements!
I’d always assumed it was mostly due to corrosion - especially after they aired the video of the parking area. Maybe that had a small effect but the additional weight causing the punch-through was fascinating. Tragic how many unintended and mis-informed factors contributed to this.
Tyler, hope all is well.
Planters at face of building were over column decks, therefore the load was in a load path that was awesome.
I have done over 300 videos on this building and in my private room I go over the failure of the main building...
This structure had parking deck failure within 10 years of build (they used foam to seal parking deck cracks in the 80s)
Gary Klein , admits to using UA-cam content to make most of their conclusions and most are from my content.
That was the closest they came to "investigating" and I am the only one who has revealed the roof detail collapse...
Even NIST has stated they don't know how building failed and still only working on pool deck collapse and they stated they have not ruled out one thing!
This answer got them an ass-chewing by the NIST board in a meeting.
Have you consider that the concrete for the decks weren't properly cured? If properly cured, the permeability will be cut in half, and double the resistance against water and rust. If properly cured, the deck would have resisted water better, and not collapsed for another 40 years -> Tyler Ley: watch?v=1siLxrpm_PE
Interesting video, i was following situation since 2021 on other channels, cool to see more details popped up that explained what really happened 👍
You telling the construction was giving signs that it is failing, but 2 of my searches wasnt able to find a video listing as unobvious concrete building 'red flags' and their real life looks and consequences. Such video would be very useful and would raise awareness of people to bump up a chance such problem would be noticed before its too late
This could be a good topic for the future. I need to be sure to not scare people.
Waiting for
That video
It wasn't just the deck taking a big bite out of the KLM 9.1 columns when the deck failed. Those columns had fairly substantial beams (BMA) extending out beneath the deck to KLM 11.1 for the patio step-down outside unit 111. That added a huge amount of depth and weight ripping the guts out of the tower columns (KLM 9.1) when the deck collapsed. It's difficult to be certain, but I believe that if those beams had not been there, and it was just the deck pulling away from the columns, the tower might have survived (or lasted long enough to evacuate).
Generally, part of the problem is the original developer probably created multiple changes to the design. Then add in low cost mindset to save a buck at every turn. So they cheaped out and this is the result. I agree that the extra loading contributed to the collapse but designs should be very conservative. Other time bombs are out there. Before major structural damage, there are warning signs as was illustrated. We need to educate the public on how to recognize these warning signs.
That is a good idea. Maybe I should make a video about this.
I am every day so mad and saddened by all this that has happened to so many lives their families. I still say a prayer every night for the families of the lives that has died. I am always so deeply sorry.
❤😭
I'm curious if charges have been filed regarding negligence or fraud by engineers for approved inspections and approvals by dead people? I haven't heard anything since initial assessments? Thanks for the update.
The flat-slab and column design is horrible. Seoul's Sampoong (not shampoo) Department Store collapsed the same way, like pancakes.
The fact that a few columns on one side of the building block brought down the whole block is another testament of it.
Flat slab and columns are used a lot. It's perfectly acceptable if the loads are properly calculated, they are properly built and the load controlled to the design load. Column capitals, shear caps, drop panels or slab and beam, etc. are stronger but still can fail if poorly designed, poorly built or the actual load exceeds the design load.
I agree. Flat slabs are great and economical if they are used correctly.
@@TylerLey How should you ensure it is built correctly? Pay the design engineer to check the formwork and rebar before the concrete is poured that it matches the design?
That building was just built poorly and it started to fail right after it was completed. Between the rebar and concrete failures over the years and having not been inspected this building was gonna collapse. It was just a matter of time and that time was 1:22 am June 2021. R.I.P. to all the people that passed away.
Good video well explained. Very interesting. I wonder who added the slabs and the planters?
Excellent video a professional thats knows what he is talking about 👍
So they tied the deck into the columns that supported the building instead of keeping the deck slab isolated by giving the deck its own columns??? That and the fact they didn’t use capitals on the deck columns.
This is a very interesting video my highest concrete wall is only like 32 ft
I live nearby and know people who once resided in that building. The tragedy was inevitable after the building's completion. Inspections conducted post-construction were cursory, focusing on compliance and operating under the assumption that the building’s design and construction were flawless. This approach reduced the process to merely ticking boxes on a checklist, rather than identifying and addressing critical structural issues. Although more comprehensive and frequent inspections are now required, the prevailing bureaucratic system continues to emphasize ticking off items on a list rather than ensuring real safety.
Lastly, these new inspection regulations have massively increased the cost of living for homeowners in Florida. The city, which turned a blind eye during the construction of these buildings, should bear the cost of these inspections.
BS, this building exhibited signs of pending collapse long before it actually fell. The residents belong to a group known for being cheap and they decided to not fully fund their reserves nor pay for the needed repairs specified in their engineering report. The building was making loud groaning and creaking days and hours before the collapse but it was ignored. Look at the planter photos on the pool deck as an example. This was preventable but greed prevailed.
@@bubbajones4522 At the time no one entertained the thought that the design or construction itself was at fault in consequence inspections concentrated in concrete deterioration and the pool deck support. It is possible that they would have discover some of it during the restoration work, but I doubt that they would have done X-Rays and the necessary analysis that would have saved the building.
@@1Esteband The engineering report spelled out deficiencies in detail and suggested immediate retrofits such as external steel bracing to prevent punch through's on the columns. These retrofits we in the millions and they voted to delay repairs. This happens all the time so Florida had to make a law to prevent dumb greedy people from Darwining themselves.
I am so surprised that no one has mentioned the added weight of all the hurricane Impact windows as compared with the weight of the original windows!
I hadn't heard that the windows were replaced but any increase in window weight is likely to be fairly insignificant compared to the other loads on the columns. The weight of the topping/tiles on the pool deck were a far more significant contributing factor along with reduced rebar, corrosion etc.
I watch a lot of videos on the Chinese ghost cities. Can't help but notice how the most of the concrete structures are literally falling apart after just a few years.
Watching you on CBS Sunday Morning, and decided that I need to check out your channel, having a lifelong fascination with concrete!
Thanks for watching!
International Code Council has established the International Building Code which is used in many cities in Florida (maybe not in Miami-Dade). Unfortunately, Florida does not recognize Chapter 17 of the code which addresses "Special Inspection". If Chapter 17 were to be incorporated under Florida statues, inspection of the size, number, and proper placement of concrete reinforcement would be part of the building owner or developer's responsibility. Special Inspectors would be hired by the building owners and issue reports to the Owner and the local building official for permanent records. Many Western states including California, Nevada and others already use the Special Inspectors to augment local building officials in the field. Unfortunately, nobody in the real estate, municipal or construction industry wishes to shoulder the expense. Perhaps the failure of the Surfside Condo will spark more interest in proactive inspection of construction components rather than forensic examinations.
I understand modern designs have the fire stairwells built as shearwalls, which might have prevented the prompt progressive collapse of most of the structure and provided enough time to evacuate.
Nice video. BUT, in my humble opinion, you miss one crucial thing that could, sadly, allow this to happen again: accountability. When the Sampoong Dept store collapsed in South Korea in the 90's, with similar loss of life, dozens of people were indicted, tried, and did hard jail time. I think the owner/contractor did 10 years. I have followed the Surfside collapse closely, cf excellent work by Miami Herald journalists. NOBODY is responsible or accountable for anything; engineers, architects, consultants, inspectors, contractors, all have pointed so many fingers that the buck, rather than stopping anywhere, has floated off to oiblivion. The victims families were effectively paid off with a huge money settlement, and that's that. We need to get back to the concept of the architect of record, the engineer of record, chief building inspector, actual humans who take final responsibility. Some of the failures that you mentioned, like rebar placement around the columns, were so egregious that a job foreman or competent rodman should have noticed them, but didn't.
Stream video. I agree with you. Periodical inspections and maintenance will prevent some of the failures.
Great video Tyler! We'll have to catch up soon and do another podcast episode!
Original structural design had no pool deck, no all these extra weights added to all 'beamless slab'.🤔
How about not allowing local authorities to do the initial permit inspections? Should be professional companies charged with this function (sorry, you kind of said while I was typing it!)
I have inspected thousands of buildings since I was first hired in 1977 by corporate insurance in Los Angeles. This building collapse should never have happened with existing rules and regulations. I am sure that underwriters and loss control reps who allowed this to happened lost their jobs.
Thanks for the comment. We have to stop this from happening again.
A similar modern building would have been built with a membrane to protect the slab rebar. I have seen other exposed slabs destroyed by the lack of a membrane. This is especially true near the ocean shore. You also lose the alkaline environment of the concrete with carbonation that promotes corrosion in older structures.
Great video ! But a very sad story . . .
I agree. Totally could have been avoided.
This guy is so awesome just listing to him gives me goose bumps. Although I do have a question, we shotcrete and we use 3/8th stone crushed. Can we achieve the same results with 3/8th stone rounded??
How many people hear only crickets when they report a problem to those in authority?
Thanks
Thank you!
Many structures; aren't.
Assumptions collapse.
CTV building chch.
Cathedral spire chch. (Reinforcing structure not attached to the ground)
The foundation and subsequent attachments are key to building security.
Look at a tree.
Open pillared bottoms of buildings are always a risk due to structural twist.
And then it gives at that twist/ deflection.
That's why they have bracing walls.
Too much artistic license and not enought practical application of logic.
If you feel a building is "wrong" don't go in it or buy an apartment in it.
There were plenty of signs.... Wasn't there people whose job it is to take care of these buildings, maintenance etc ?
I just can't understand how such obvious signs would go unreported.
Even though it is Florida.
Right certified inspectors and certified plan readers who can ferret out stuff before its built perhaps augmenting with AI or something. Just the nuts and bolts like correct concrete strength, amount, proper rebar types, lapping lengths, diameters, proper degree bends of stirrups etc. Then the maximum weight per floor to the penthouse perhaps forgoing the "infinity pool" "planters" "extra slabs" - anything that was not part of the plan. Then in the installation add 20% more strength to everything so in the end you have something probably over engineered. Lighter with more strength not the other way around as in this case.
All that does not prevent possible corruption or cutting corners. Constructing can be a pretty shady busniness.
Seems like people knew that there was an issue but didn’t want to pay for remediation.
I don't think they realized how significant it was.
@@TylerLey it was a controlled demolition and this guy has no idea what he is talking about
A lot of condos built with drug money in Florida back then. Rebar and salt water doesn't mix along with engineering issues.
Same thing in Mexico (but maybe not the salt water in Guadalajara) as the drug money is being "cleaned" by going into real estate and building high rises.
i was in the bluegreen that was next to the condo at the end of march, and i was going there in 2021 but that was when it collapse
Punching shear, an insidious, persistant villian in big collapses. Evidence of structural cracking due to deflections is a huge red flag.
Totally agree.
"Bend, but don't break"?!! If you don't put enough rebar in your construction, ánd you put things on top of it wich were not in the original design, well, than you get THIS!!
When i hear this guy saying that inspection by trained engineers is needed, and that that has to improve, i am absolutely flabbergasted!!
I am living in Europe, and here, is it is a matter of course!! It completely normal that buildings are inspected!
If we have collapsing buildings? Yes, sometims, we have. But NOT because of lack of inspection!!
Many many other buildings in Florida built like this that are over 60 years old along beach in poor condition.
Cracks all over .
I worked there in 1980s on construction on beach in Florida as a kid . I have a degree in Architecture and worked on structural engineering office for NYS DOT .
Ocean salt spray corrosion on rebars through cracks porousiity in concrete for decades( just like bridge decks and beams ).
Owners refusing to follow PE inspection report to repair it for years .
Criminal liability for owners!
Florida State building dept was negligent for allowing the structure to continue to be occupied for decades after initial PE inspection showed severe structural issues .
Insane horrible....
Ps Check out Frank Loyd Wright Falling water house repairs.
Critical rebar left out in cantilever by error in drawings.
Amazing repairs done post tensioning .
Thanks for the note!
I know the engineers that designed the post tensioning for Falling Water. One of them past last year. =(
@@TylerLey Warn everyone about bad rebar sold by home centers and building supplies .
It cracks when bent .
High carbon garbage not for for any project .
Architects engineer s builders must demand to see paperwork where rebar was made and what KSI and carbon content it has.
Just had to tear out all footings on our own project.
Tried to bend hooks 90° bars snapped like a pencil .
does salt damage concreat ?...or only steel ?
@@rv6205 both actually.
Those were the mechanical reasons the building failed and killed all those people. The real reason was the HOA charged the condo owners extra to "fix" these structural problems but never did. The city building inspectors should have condemned the building and moved the people out years ago. The building owners and inspectors knew the building needed to be demolished or needed costly repairs displacing all the homeowners so they "slow played" the decision to condemn so the owners wouldn't be out of a home and the HOA wouldn't be out lots of HOA money and no expensive repair bills. Stupidity and greed is what really those folks.
The HOA is made up of the owners. Every dollar the HOA spends comes out of the owner's pockets. Plus the head of the city building commission got a copy the report that showed the building was falling apart and told the HOA the building was in great shape.
Hey Tyler. Didn't know you have a UA-cam channel. You have a new subscriber.
Thanks Jesse!
It all came down to money. Good video. Good Luck, Rick
Thanks!
Professor, was there any issue in the foundation (e.g. change in groumd water table) or related to corrsion?
I'm no engineer but I find it hard to believe how little rebar they used.
It always comes back to money. Money not spent by homeowners, the HOA, etc. theres a cost to safety!
I would love to see your views regarding Graphene and cement. I see lots of other videos with lots of exciting claims, but would like to hear from your regarding a more acedemic/informed opinion. Thanks again a great video!!!
Thanks for the kind words.
I have tested graphene and I can't get the performance that others have reported. I am not the only person to find this. I think sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and we are not sure why yet. There is more work to be done!
Thanks for the response. I have loved your show for years and look forward for more content!@@TylerLey
Great summary!
Thank you!
Champlain towers south has two sister buildings , did they determine those buildings to be incorrectly designed and built also ?
Penthouse was also added.
How about too much water in the mix, and no curing? That is what I see in most building projects. Concrete mix looks like soup, and no curing. How significant can that be? You tell us, Tyler Ley!
What is happening with the dozens of other buildings designed and constructed in the same manner?
Fantastic tyler great vlog
Thank you for this, I knew something was up....
Thanks for watching!
There’s a book, by Don Eastwood, I believe, called “Why things fall down”.
it would be incongruent to "like" a video of a tragedy. great teaching lecture, though.
Thank you.
Wow... Hundreds of Old school buildings across UK shut for inspection this year due to aged concrete issues.. seems be world wide problem, i 🤔.
Most of the concrete buildings in the world were built in 60's, 70's and 80's
Those buildings were shut down because of poor quality aerated autoclaved concrete. You are right that there was poor quality in this structure as well.
A failure of leadership in the board caused the failure. Sometimes you have to do the unpopular thing, assessing the residents for the required repairs, even if doing so means you will be voted out of office. People must be lead, kicking and screaming sometimes, but that's what true leaders do, not pass the buck until catastrophe.
Why? Because they put off necessary maintenance and renovation.
Am a new student to your channel.
Thanks for commenting!
1:32 why do you call it the parking deck, when i think you mean the pool deck.
I live next to the Pacific Ocean & I see the result of metal corrosion every day.
"If any one of these were a little bit different then this collapse would not have happened... " OR it might have happened even sooner. I only hope that the 98 who died here serve as a wakeup call to not ignore these issues and realize no construction is permanent. Of course, we have since had the Davenport building partial collapse so who knows if anyone has actually learned anything.
Thank you
Thanks for the comment!
Although the mentioned problems are of importance but why it collapsed after 40 years?
None of the issues were critical by themselves. But over time, use and further damage compounded the problem and it finally lead to collapse.
Good response!
You can't hold up 1/2 a building with 2 col's.
Its all about the money. Obviously, they cut corners for their own conveniences
If they added fiber into the concrete at the beginning. I think that would have made the difference. Seeing those columns straight into those slabs made me wince.
Like I said before,not a big fan of the limits of rebar.
Lol no way some fiber in concrete would have fixed that…. Fiber can prevent small cosmetic cracks but it ain’t holding your building together 😂
@arpialberto I've seen the Engineering tests.
The test beams with the fiber at 7 pounds per cubic yards took a larger load than the rebar beams. I was referring to the combination of the two.
They couldn’t add fiber, it wasn’t available yet?
fibers till date can't replace deficiency in terms of rebars. read at least LSM for RC Design. Furthermore overloading beyond a certain limit as per load resistance partial safety factors ,is not a design or construction issue. there was also design flaw apropos punching shear, and such matter was well known even before 1980.
the condo owners killed themselves. they neglected maintenance for decades.
That would be the Condo Board (s) specifically.
No comments on McAfee and controlled demolition
It was a 2,000 JDAM. The bad guys made a tunnel under it so the IDF dropped it. Duh.
Read, "Condominium" by John D. Macdonald. He tells exactly why.
❤️
Thanks you!
Once again, engineering FTW.
If any one of these were a little bit different then this collapse wouldn't have happened.
Yet.
Ahh? Because of bad construction practices and a poorly designed pool deck support! Reference 1400 McKinney Houston Texas, 8th floor parking garage Pool! Proper designed and constructed!
Where the rebar was, 3 inches down, where the rebar should have been, 1 inch down. Okay, But Why should that be that way? Was is down 3 inches because of the topping slab? Doesn't appear to be from topping slab. Still, how significant is two inches lower in the slab?
The higher the rebar the better it does at arresting the punching shear crack. A rough calculation shows that it is about 20% less conservative to move the steel down 2". That would have been enough to stop the collapse.
@@TylerLey I didn't think anyone would reply let alone explain how much moving such a small distance would matter. Putting numbers to issues helps me because I looked at it and it seemed like it shouldn't make a difference. I initially thought that maybe they should have just moved up a rebar size in their calculations for the load. I also thought that being too close to the surface of the concrete wasn't safe because there wouldn't be enough concrete to encase the rebar thus decreasing its support strength. Thanks.
Would moving the rebar closer to the top increase the chance of corrosion and eventual spalling?
It collapsed when it fell over
American build quality..
🙏👍👷
Thank you!
🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁LION c LIKE No. 307
The local coarse aggregate played a factor in the collapse too.
Water is wet and concrete cracks. Everything fails over time regardless. All this is just an exercise of "who do we blame."
The fact that someone "inspected" this building and found nothing is criminal by itself. That's why you have inspections. So you can bail out before the building eventually collapses.
I agree
@@ElPikacupacabra they found nothing because there was nothing, this building was demolished, watch the video link and see the explosions at the base
This dingus has no idea lmao !!!!! Muhuhahahahhahhahahahah
Why is your mouth open?