Archinect - News

Preliminary NIST report on Surfside condo investigation details key flaws that factored into building's collapse

2024-03-12T14:41:00-04:00

Preliminary details from the ongoing National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) investigation into the deadly 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Florida were shared recently, revealing evidence that supports theories about the precise source of its structural failure and other prevailing factors.

Among other findings, the report released last Thursday details the exact moment of the pool deck's collapse preceding the wider structural failure that killed 98 people. The report also outlines several critical lapses in standard design practices and failures to meet building codes that were present from the time of its construction. The findings could provide some clues for those questioning the soundness of its support columns, foundation, site, and steel reinforcements as well.

“It becomes clear that the design and construction did not meet all the safety standards of its day,” local Commissioner Marianne Meischeid told CNN of her concerns. “...

Zaha Hadid Architects may lead the design of new Surfside condos replacement

2023-06-16T12:55:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects has been revealed to lead the design of a new condominium project proposal at a site once occupied by the collapsed Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Florida.

The project is being commissioned by DAMAC International, which purchased the lot for $120 million in July of last year. Plans call for a 12-story design whose split massing contains 57 total residential units lined by curved balconies and connected at the roof level by a glass-bottomed swimming pool.

Two separate design variations were submitted to local planning authorities for consideration, each based on “alternative interpretations” of planning ordinances, which have come under increased scrutiny in the wake of the 2021 tragedy.

Scheme B. Image courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects.

In a statement, ZHA Director Chris Lepine said: “We are honored to have been chosen for this very special project. While no work of architecture can ever remove the pain of the past, nor should it, a truly ambitious w...

Collapsed Surfside condo tower had ‘severe strength deficiency’ in pool deck, preliminary findings say

2023-06-15T14:43:00-04:00

Federal investigators have released their preliminary findings into the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Florida. As reported by The New York Times, the building’s pool deck contained a “severe structural deficiency,” with construction in some areas failing to meet both building codes and its original design parameters.

The investigation is being led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and has so far included witness interviews, a review of historical records, tests on building materials, and the analysis of models for structural performance. The original design and construction of the building have been examined, as have any renovations and repairs in the years since. The potential for corrosion, ground settlement, and vibrations from nearby construction to contribute to the collapse has also been examined.

“In summaries of their preliminary findings ahead of a hearing Thursday, the investigators wrote that the pool deck’s design ...

Surviving Surfside: Documentary about Miami condo collapse announced

2022-07-07T14:04:00-04:00

The Miami Herald is partnering with 101 Studios and Grain Media on a documentary that will investigate the deadly 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. Surviving Surfside will interrogate the failure of the 12-story building in the early morning of June 24, 2021 that left 98 people dead and is still under official investigation, the companies announced on Tuesday.

The Herald's in-depth breaking news coverage of the disastrous Champlain Towers South collapse one year ago recently won the paper a Pulitzer Prize and will be a primary source of information for the upcoming Surviving Surfside documentary.

Surfside condo collapse site purchased for $120 million to make way for luxury residential high-rise

2022-05-25T16:38:00-04:00

DAMAC Properties, a Dubai-based luxury real estate developer, has agreed to pay $120 million for the site where 98 people died in June when the Champlain Towers South residential tower collapsed in Surfside, Florida.

DAMAC, owned by Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani, reportedly known as the “Donald Trump of Dubai,” set the minimum price of $120 million for the 2-acre property in 2021. No competing bids were submitted by last Friday’s deadline, resulting in the cancelation of an auction scheduled for May 24th. DAMAC reportedly plans to build a high-end residential project on the site, which will likely be a for-sale condo project.

Previously on Archinect: 12-floor residential building collapses in Miami, leaving at least four dead and 159 missing

Whether building on the site is safe or not is up for debate. Despite geotechnical engineering reports on the site having not been released, some experts believe the site itself remains buildable and safe, claiming that the Champlain Tower South’s collapse was primarily due to the design and maintenance of the building.

Previously on Archinect: Several groups call for higher building safety standards after Surfside collapse

Others, however, believe the...

Florida fails to pass bill increasing condo structural inspections following Champlain Towers collapse

2022-03-14T15:38:00-04:00

Florida’s state legislature has failed to pass a bill which would have strengthened requirements to inspect and repair the state’s aging condo stock. The new legislation was drafted in response to the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo building in June 2021, which killed 98 people.

The reform bills, one crafted by the state’s House of Representatives and one by the state Senate, both included strict inspection measures for condo associations, incorporating recommendations from a group of industry experts set up after the Champlain Towers collapse.

Archinect Feature: A House of Cards: The Miami Condo Collapse Exposes a Dehumanized Mindset in the Built Environment

Under the House bill, condo buildings three stories or higher would have to be recertified after 30 years of habitation, while buildings within 3 miles of the coast would have to be recertified after 25 years. Subsequent inspections would be required every 10 years thereafter. Such information would also be plac...

Miami is now the most expensive housing market in the United States

2022-02-21T18:22:00-05:00

Miami is now number one on a list of the most expensive areas to own a home in the United States according to statistics published in the industry blog The Real Deal.

The city surpassed New York and Los Angeles in the February edition of RealtyHop’s Housing Affordability Index on the wings of a two-year trend that is being driven by an influx of residents from out-of-state and made worse by the stagnation of wages, which remains a nationwide barrier to homeownership in spite of some considerable recent local gains.

New renters have also been a contributing factor, leading to the biggest increases anywhere in the country on average, as per a recent report from the rental index Zumper.

“What we’ve been seeing since the pandemic is Miami is the destination for a lot of out-of-state residents. These people often bring in more money than locals. Miami has become increasingly unaffordable, especially for local residents,” RealtyHop data scientist Shane Lee told TRD before making the com...

Lawsuit alleges Florida condo collapse was triggered by Renzo Piano-designed building under construction next door

2021-12-03T14:38:00-05:00

A new lawsuit filed on behalf of victims and family members of the Champlain Towers South collapse alleges that the incident was caused by construction work on an adjacent property. 98 people were killed when the condominium tower in Surfside, Florida collapsed suddenly in the early morning of June 24th, 2021.

The neighboring tower, named Eighty Seven Park, was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and was completed in early 2020. Before the building was completed, it made headlines in 2018 when the 18th-floor, six-bedroom, 11-bathroom penthouse hit the market at a Florida record-setting asking price of $68 million.

The latest lawsuit alleges that excavation, pile-driving, and other works carried out at Eighty Seven Park between 2016 and 2019 caused vibrations that weakened the Champlain Towers building. The lawsuit also alleges that groundwater was funneled from the new building to the Champlain...

Several groups call for higher building safety standards after Surfside collapse

2021-10-14T16:32:00-04:00

In the wake of the deadly Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside, Florida in June, several groups are calling for improvements to building safety standards. The groups include a statewide association of contractors calling for steps to improve building structural safety, and a task force from Broward Country, Florida who have published a set of policy suggestions for state lawmakers.

As reported by Construction Dive, the Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida has formed a panel of industry experts to examine the Surfside collapse through the lens of build safety, and to monitor upcoming legislative developments. “We know that the ongoing safety and integrity of older buildings will be a topic of discussion during the 2022 legislative session," said the organization’s chair, Gary Griffin. "We want to be a constructive part of any discussion moving forward and be ready and able to offer industry input and feedback in real-time.” The group of engineers, contractors, and consulta...

How the New York Times' 3D model of the Surfside condo collapse came together

2021-09-09T12:23:00-04:00

But, it was a challenge, Ms. Singhvi said, to understand the architectural drawings without interviewing the original designers. So she and Mr. Baker spoke with experts including structural engineers, architects, geotechnical specialists, professors, lawyers and contractors, who answered questions about what the journalists were discovering and helped confirm they were reading the plans accurately.

The Times' 3D reconstruction of the collapse was very popular online as journalists and investigators dig over records of the original 1981 building by the now infamous William Friedman, who died in 2018.

"Being able to read the design drawings helps enormously,” graphics editor Mika Grondal, who trained as an architect, said. June 24th's collapse killed 98 people in total. The site is already being listed for sale, although a local judge has insisted the proceeds should go exclusively to the victims' families.

Digitizing old architectural plans into BIM or CAD software can be fairly time-consuming. The Times has more on its innovative new tool here.

Poorly designed, even for the 1970s

2021-08-29T13:14:00-04:00

The Champlain Towers South design violated building codes at the time of original construction. On the northern side, under the portion of the tower that collapsed, the columns were too narrow to accommodate all of the vertical and horizontal rebar called for in the plans while maintaining clearance required by the code. The pool deck had narrow columns and inadequate load bearing capacity, engineers consulted by the Herald found. Only columns beneath the surviving structure were fully compliant

A team consisting of Sarah Blaskey, Aaron Leibowitz and Ben Conarck worked with four engineers and a general contractor to analyze the "Anatomy of Collapse" and explain the failure of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, FL. One key factor in the collapse appears to have been "punching shear" failure in the first-floor slab.

Architect of collapsed Miami condo was suspended prior for toppled structures

2021-07-26T17:53:00-04:00

More than a decade before William Friedman designed the collapsed Surfside condominium, Florida’s board of architecture suspended him for six months for designing structures that toppled during Hurricane Betsy. Sign pylons that were “an integral part of the structure” of a Miami commercial building failed during the 1965 storm, according to documents from the Florida State Board of Architecture, obtained by The Real Deal.

In its order suspending Friedman, the Florida Board of Architecture wrote that the pylons were “insufficient and grossly inadequate” and were not in accordance “to accepted standards of architectural practice.” In 1966, the board found Friedman guilty of “gross incompetency, in that he negligently, improperly, and carelessly” designed the pylons. The architect’s suspension started on June 1, 1967 and ended on December 1 of that year.

This discovery adds to the list of controversies relating to the collapsed apartment complex, which includes a 2018 engineer’s report, warning of “major structural damage.” There currently isn’t evidence that Friedman’s design played a role in the collapse.

Previously on Archinect: 2018 report of collapsed Miami complex warned of “major structural damage” and error in design

According to The Real Deal, this wasn’t the first time Friedman was questioned by the Florida Board of Architecture. Records show that he was examined for alleged plan stamping, an ...

2018 report of collapsed Miami complex warned of “major structural damage” and error in design

2021-06-28T12:34:00-04:00

Almost one week after a Miami apartment complex partially collapsed, a 2018 report has resurfaced which warned of “major structural damage” to the base of the building. As reported by The Guardian and The New York Times, the 2018 survey identified a failing concrete slab on the pool deck and “abundant crackling and crumbling” to an underground parking garage. The report, prepared by engineers at Morabito Consultants, warned that “most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion.”

The report highlighted a “major error” in the original design of the building’s lower levels. “The main issue with this building structure is that the entrance drive / pool deck / planter waterproofing is laid on a flat structure,” the report reads. “Since the reinforced concrete slab is not sloped to drain, the water sits on the waterproofing until it evaporates. This is a major error in the development of the original contract documents.”

The waterproofing below the pool dec...

12-floor residential building collapses in Miami, leaving at least four dead and 159 missing

2021-06-24T12:12:00-04:00

Author note: this article was published on June 24th, one day after the building collapsed. The final number of people who were killed, injured, or affected by the collapse may therefore be revised from the figures noted in this article.

A twelve-floor residential building in Miami, Florida has partially collapsed, killing at least one person and injuring ten others. Images circulated by national and international press show piles of rubble and debris at the foot of the back end of the apartment building, which collapsed at approximately 02:00 ET. Miami-Dade County Fire Department says that 55 units in the northeast sector of the building collapsed, with 35 survivors rescued thus far. The cause of the collapse is unknown.

More than 80 rescue units are aiding a search and rescue effort at the scene, situated at 8777 Collins Avenue, a few miles north of Miami Beach. During a news conference after the incident, Surfside mayor Charles Burkett confirmed one person had died, but that th...