Industry Experts Weigh in on Causes & Consequences of Florida Condo Collapse

SURFSIDE, Fla. (June 29, 2021) — More than 100 people are still unaccounted for after a collapse of a Florida condo building, The Champlain Towers South, on Thursday, June 24, 2021; 12 residents are confirmed dead. Despite the reported neglect of the building, a total collapse on this scale is still incredibly rare.

“Having a building that is only 40 years old collapse like that is unbelievable, and often a failure like that is a combination of factors, not necessarily a single one,” said Julio Ramirez, Purdue’s Karl H. Kettelhut professor of civil engineering. Ramirez is one of three Purdue University engineers to release statements regarding the collapse. Robert Frosch, a professor of civil engineering and senior associate dean of engineering for facilities and operations at Purdue added, “The condo building in Florida experienced what’s called a ‘progressive collapse,’ which is similar to what happened to the World Trade Center. When a floor collapses, the weight of that slab doubles the weight of the floor below it. This type of failure is extremely rare. We have provisions in the building code to minimize the risk of this type of failure.”

According to the Associated Press, the collapse could have been avoided if action had been taken to repair the progressive damage to the structure of the building. The most recent warning came from the president of the condominium association in a letter to residents less than 3 months ago. This letter was a follow up to a 2018 inspection of the building that had warned that concrete damage would “multiply exponentially” in the coming years. The report from that inspection created by Morabito Consultants found that the concrete foundation had been improperly laid to waterproof the structure. The Miami Herald reports that three lawsuits have now been filed in relation to the collapse. The latest of which alleges that the condo association engaged in “reckless and negligent conduct” by ignoring long-needed repairs to the building.

“There were reports of cracks in the superstructure of the condo building and possibly some foundation movement. Cracks can be a cause or a symptom of building pathology. If you have cracks opening up, water can get in, corrode steel reinforcement, and that may lead to failure. But if you start getting movement at the foundation, those movements distort the building, and that leads to cracking. Excessively wide cracks, particularly in certain locations, are an indicator of a structure in distress,” said Rodrigo Salgado, Purdue’s Charles Pankow professor of civil engineering.

Since the collapse last week, Florida fire and rescue teams have moved more than three million pounds of concrete. Some bedrooms are under 13 to 16 feet of rubble. But rescue teams remain hopeful for the time being. President Biden has announced he will visit with victims and families this week.