Buried alive in the rubble of the collapsed South tower of Champlain Towers in Surfside suburb of Miami Beach June 25, at least 159 individuals are reported missing and not likely to survive a furious rescue operation of the 13-story building, reminiscent of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center disaster. No surprise that the Homeowners Assn. [HOA] received a letter outlining extensive structural repairs Oct. 8, 2018, “Major structural damage,” the report said on the concrete slab over the garage. “Failure to replace waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete damage to expand exponentially,” warning the HOA about eventual catastrophic failure. While everything is now hindsight with at least 159 casualties because of years of neglect for the 40 year-old structure. Calling the damage to the building a “systemic issue,” the report warned of catastrophic failure.
When it comes to liability there’s plenty to go around, especially with a luxury condo tower in the prestigious Surfside community. “It looks like [inspectors] may not have been able to examine structural elements in other parts of the building,” said Gregg Schlesinger, a Fort Lauderdale general contractor and attorney who’s handled building lawsuits. “There was probably similar problems elsewhere,” speculating about the cause of the building’s collapse. Champlain Towers aren’t the only high rise in the area probably suffering from structural fatigue that could jeopardize the safety of other residents. “The problem is at the bottom of the building,” said Matthew Levy, Columbia University engineering professor. Levy’s the author of “Why Buildings Fall Down: How Structures Fail.” Levy thinks the report was already three years old,, showing ownership and the HOA did nothing.
Getting a report that the building was falling apart, not structurally sound, potentially a condemned property probably put the HOA into a quandary, knowing there were insufficient funds for the overhaul needed to retrofit the 13-story, 40-year-old building. :”The problems obviously in the report is three years old and nothing was done until, you know, recently,” Levy said. When you look at the dilemma for the HOA, they didn’t have enough funds to perform the massive retrofitting needed to shore up a structure in irreversible decay. “The [40] year report was not formally submitted or authorized by the property owner Champlain Towers,” the town’s not, saying it was not submitted to Miami-Dade County as required by code. Champlain’s owner couldn’t fathom that the building was so deteriorated it would have been condemned by Miami-Dade building inspectors.
Dealing with the massive loss of life, there’s plenty of blame to go around, especially with the HOA and owner that saw the devastating report on Champlain Towers’ condition. “Abundant cracking and spalling [break] of varying degrees were observed in the concrete columns, beams and walls,” said Morabito’s Consultants Oct. 8, 2018 report. What’s abundantly clear was the Champlain Towers ownership conspired with the HOA to avoid any repairs, fearing the building was subject to condemnation. As Congress debates infrastructure spending, the Champlain Towers collapse lets the private sector know that older buildings, especially high rises, are subject to the same kind of deterioration as public roads, bridges and other structures.. Ownership of Champlain Towers chose to kick the can down the road knowing the 13-story structure would have been condemned by Miami-Dade authorities.
When airliners lose engines and face catastrophic failure after years of service, it’s often attributed to metal fatigue. Clearly, high-rise buildings, especially near the ocean, are subjected to the elements, including the sa;t air and, most importantly, the battering buildings endure over time from storms and inclement weather. “It could be slow, degradation over time, maybe the concrete wasn’t placed properly, it could be that the ground had moved somewhat causing it,” said John Wallace, UCLA Prof. of Structural Engineering. “It could be multiple different things,” chocking it up to overall structural fatigue from years of sustaining the elements in South Florida. Faced with massive costs associated with retrofitting, Champlain Towers ownership sought to ignore needed repairs. Fearing that once contractors started the work, inspectors would condemn the building, ownership did nothing.
One hundred-and-fifty-nine or more souls buried in the rubble of Champlain Towers is a bitter reminder of the risks of structural failure in aging buildings subject to the elements in costal locations subject to inclement weather. It’s clear from Frank Morabito’s Oct. 8, 2018 structural report that Miami-Dade county building inspectors might have condemned the building. Faced with exorbitant repairs and possible condemnation, building ownership chose to do nothing, resulting in the June 25 total collapse of the South Tower. No matter how furiously first responders try to save residents, it’s doubtful with the rubble and underlying fires that much can be done to rescue anyone. Whatever the original design of the 13-tower building, it’s clear that the 40-year-old structure wore out over time, requiring major retrofitting before the high-rise eventually collapsed.
