Part of the official investigation into the collapse of the Champlain building, 2 years ago, by independent engineers and investigators became known.
And the final result of that investigation could take until May 2025 or a little longer. However, researchers and engineers already have the first suspicion of what they call “the start event” and with this we return to the suspicions of 2 years ago, on the floor that surrounded the pool.
4 aspects are key in the investigation: how the building was designed, built, modified and degraded.
And the pool deck is seen as the main aspect of the collapse.
Carlos Turizo, Civil Engineer, says:
“After 4 problems activate at the same time is when this type of collapse occurs.”
Let’s talk about the design first. The pool deck was not built according to the 1981 code. The contact points between the columns and the deck slab, according to the investigation, was a very weak sector.
Gary Klein, a member of the NIST advisory committee, says:
“The authority having jurisdiction in Surfside may not have had the time or skill to assess the weight deficiency in that area by reviewing the plans. And when a structural element collapses, which would be the pool, it pulls the columns of the tower that were not designed for that marking, because the entire tower fails”.
Then came the construction. It was even worse than first thought, with too much steel in the columns and 2-inch rebar, embedded in the pool slab, when it should only be 3/4-inch.
“That is what is defined as a constructive error.”
The deck was modified over the years. New heavy paving and more sand, plus flower pots. They are not seen in the original drawings, but are seen in the Google Earth images. This would have added weight, which, over time, led to problems.
“Having an error in the original design made the situation even more serious.”
Part of what was left was degraded. The steel reinforcement in the concrete suffered corrosion from the salty air and water, plus other contaminants that ate it away.
Allyn Kilsheimer was hired by the City of Surfside to conduct his own investigation.
“I think that if material is lost and corrosion reaches the iron, this has a negative impact on the columns.”
And that investigation is expected to be about the state of the soil and how strong the Champlain South was for it to collapse, taking the lives of 98 innocents and destroying so many families that are still waiting for answers today.
