Researchers say the collapsed tower on the surfside had ‘severe defects’ in the pool deck.

“Under conditions that we believe existed at the time of the collapse Some parts of the structure had very little protection. Glenn R. Bell, NIST’s principal investigator for the Champlain Towers South case, said in his report on the preliminary findings. “In some cases very little,” he noted, noting that it could be a combination of several factors.

In his presentation, he began with the floor design for the Champlain Towers South Pool: from the start, he explained, the structure was not strong enough due to the distance between and among its many sub-columns. . Bell said the problem is severe in various locations on the rig.

He explained that the steel reinforcement in the pool deck slabs was buried deeper in the concrete than intended in the initial designs. Besides, Planters were added to the north side of the pool deck The original design of the tower, built in 1981, did not exist. Images taken by Google Earth showed they were heavy and tall — three stories high — adding weight to an already stressed structure.

Bell noted that a pool layer renovation is subjected to another additional burden of added weight over time: the sand layer and the waterproofing layer. “This weight also reduced the failure margin of the structure,” Accurate.

They also found signs of deterioration, he said “Variable degrees” of erosion in stems Platform reinforcement. “It reduces or compromises the strength of the wires.” Bell explained that this particular issue will be studied further in the coming months to determine the extent of corrosion in the Champlain Towers South Pool system and how it contributed to the collapse.

An engineer specializing in structural safety confirmed that the west side of the pool floor had already shown signs of “severe stress” such as cracking days before the collapse: “This failure is consistent with large deflection. The slab is consistent with our findings that there is little safety in the structure.”

The collapse of Champlain Towers South has been listed as one of the worst tragedies in US history for a residential building in years. 98 people died. Since this happened, there have been concerns about a failure in the pool deck, not only due to the suspicions of residents, but also due to reports from inspectors who have evaluated the structure on several occasions. A preview released by NIST this Thursday shows the first hypothesis about the problems with the sudden collapse of the building.

NIST researchers still have more than a year to investigate. The presentation of the final report on what caused the collapse of the tower is scheduled for May 2025. It will be accompanied by recommendations on possible changes to building codes in the U.S. and around the world, and will be shown with animations, he said. Champlain towers from the south leading to the fall.

Results include interviews with witnesses, investigations into the condition of the structure before the collapse, and computerized tests of the building remains.

“We are still investigating many possible causes,” Bell warned, promising that this was one of the “most complex and challenging” investigations NIST has ever undertaken. He noted that they are still evaluating what caused the sudden collapse of the tower on June 24, 2021: “We may see either a single event or a gradual destruction that took place over a long period of time.”

After the collapse of Champlain Towers South, many details emerged about structural flaws. For example, Morabito Consultants warned in April 2018 of violations in the pool and parking area. detected Peeling paint on the garage roof, excess water on the sidewalk, leaks from a sprinkler. A few months after that inspection, they asserted that the garage structure was showing “signs of failure and fatigue,” with “abundant cracks” in the columns, beams and walls. At that time, they warned that damaged concrete areas should be repaired quickly.

The company also explained that there were some bad repairs site of the pool — it’s unclear whether they were required by the city of Surfside in March — and made the area worse by developing new cracks on the plastered. They warned that the underground parking lot was leaking water and would worsen if proper repairs were not done.