Federal investigators looking into the causes of the partial collapse of the 40-year-old Champlain Towers South residential condominium in Surfside, Fla., last year have developed about two-dozen hypotheses, and are working to prove or disprove each, using a growing collection of evidence. They aim to issue recommendations for changes to building codes and standards, in an effort to avoid a similar tragedy, by the end of 2024.
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NIST investigators are basing their probe on computer simulations and nonquantitative evidence, such as videos of the collapse, photos of damage and specimens taken from the debris pile. |
As ENR previously reported, NIST has broken the investigation into six projects to examine different aspects of the case, including building and code history, evidence collection and preservation, materials science, geotechnical engineering and structural engineering, plus remote sensing and data visualization added last fall. In addition to NIST’s professionals, the team includes outside experts from universities and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Developing
Recommendations
Judith Mitrani-Reiser, the lead investigator, said the
investigation will lead to recommendations for codes and
standards to try to prevent a similar collapse from
happening. And because there are many similar buildings, the
team will likely be including recommendations for existing
buildings, she added.
“Nearly a year after this terrible collapse, our dedication
is stronger than ever to get to the bottom of what caused
Champlain Towers South to collapse so that a tragedy like
this never happens again,” Mitrani-Reiser said.
While the NIST team has gathered its own materials—including
more than 600 physical specimens from the collapse pile plus
any documents about the building, photos from the collapse
and its aftermath and interviews with anyone with firsthand
experience with the building or collapse—the investigators
are also asking anyone with related data to share it. NIST
has a data portal on its website where photos, video and
other documentation can be submitted.
NIST probers are using their various analyses to create a
detailed timeline of the minutes before, during and after
the collapse, Bell said. They are also developing 3D models,
and plan to create animations demonstrating their eventual
findings.