Engineering and architectural experts said it may take a long time to piece together what caused the partial collapse of the condo building near Miami, but there are a few areas that investigators will want to look for: corroded components, an undermined foundation, or defects in the construction or design.
“When a building falls downward on itself it’s more likely that there was a loss of support somewhere,” said Abieyuwa Aghayere, a professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Drexel University.
The Champlain Towers South complex in Surfside, Fla., was
about to undergo extensive repairs for corrosion and concrete spalling as part of a required structural recertification for buildings when they reach 40 years of age. Ocean salts can penetrate structures to begin rusting steel components, in particular rebar that may be improperly protected.
But there are other factors that could make a building vulnerable to collapse. Charlie Danger, who retired as Miami-Dade County’s building chief seven years ago, said unpermitted remodeling could result in someone eliminating a structural support column.
Meanwhile, some experts such as Mr. Aghayere said a sinkhole or other foundation problems could lead to major instability under buildings.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County both promised on Friday that there would be a full investigation of the collapse.
“We need a definitive explanation for how this could have happened,” Mr. DeSantis said.
Federal investigators had also been dispatched to the scene. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, which
investigated the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11, sent a team of experts to Florida on Friday afternoon to meet with local building officials and engineers.
That team will ask about the design of the building, how it may have been modified and what happened before the collapse, according to Sissy Nikolaou, an expert on geotechnical engineering who is part of the group flying to Miami. She said she expects the team’s first visit to last about a week, and could eventually lead to findings aimed at improving building standards.
“We have not seen the site yet,” Dr. Nikolaou said in an interview. “We have to understand the landscape of a disaster.”
Researchers using space-based radar to examine the flooding potential in the Miami Beach area had noticed long before the collapse that the Champlain Towers South was subsiding in ways that neighboring properties were not.
“I was surprised,” said Shimon Wdowinski, an environmental professor at Florida International University. “I didn’t expect to see movement over there. That’s a stable part of the city.”
But Mr. Wdowinski said even larger amounts of subsidence are often seen in areas that don’t see buildings collapse.
There have been other complaints from residents of the condominium complex. One resident filed a lawsuit over water intrusion that she blamed on poor maintenance. Others complained that nearby construction had sent rumbles through the condo building.
Mike Baker is the Seattle bureau chief, reporting primarily from the Northwest and Alaska.
@ByMikeBaker
Christopher Flavelle focuses on how people, governments and industries try to cope with the effects of global warming. He received a 2018 National Press Foundation award for coverage of the federal government's struggles to deal with flooding. @cflav
Mitch Smith covers the Midwest and the Great Plains. Since joining The Times in 2014, he has written extensively about gun violence, oil pipelines, state-level politics and the national debate over police tactics. He is based in Chicago. @mitchksmith
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en pensant à ceux qui étaient dans les bâtiments.
