TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,062
Posts: 21,062
Posted:
If you didn't catch it, Discovery Channel ran a documentary on the surfside collapse:
When Buildings Collapse: Disaster in Surfside
Interesting points made:
No one issue likely caused the collapse. It was likely a combination of major and minor things.
An additional floor was added that wasn't in the original design. This added weight.
Supporting columns under the center and east wing were smaller then those on the west wing (which remained standing).
The sheer wall in the east wing was smaller then the west.
Additional planters and trees were added to the pool deck that were not in the original design. This added weight and tree roots potentially damaged the concrete. The trees were removed prior to the collapse.
The pool deck was flat vs. slope as designed - allowed water to stand and gave time for water to penetrate concrete.
Concrete at the time of the build was not the concrete of today, making it easier for water to penetrate.
An potential owner had video of conditions inside the garage prior to the collapse. Based on what she saw, she did not buy.
FL requires condos to be inspected every 40 years. Surfside was inspected 2 or 3 years before the deadline and work had begun to correct the issues.
Those who survived were never allowed back in to get belongings. They had to start over with what they had on them at the time.
Some want to make the site a memorial - some need the money from the sale of the land to restart and buy a home.
The show kept calling it an apartment complex. Only 2 or 3 times in the 2 hour show did they say it was a condo.
The show did not touch on HOA/COA politics. It simply investigated the reason/s for the collapse.
Again, an interesting documentary.
When Buildings Collapse: Disaster in Surfside
Interesting points made:
No one issue likely caused the collapse. It was likely a combination of major and minor things.
An additional floor was added that wasn't in the original design. This added weight.
Supporting columns under the center and east wing were smaller then those on the west wing (which remained standing).
The sheer wall in the east wing was smaller then the west.
Additional planters and trees were added to the pool deck that were not in the original design. This added weight and tree roots potentially damaged the concrete. The trees were removed prior to the collapse.
The pool deck was flat vs. slope as designed - allowed water to stand and gave time for water to penetrate concrete.
Concrete at the time of the build was not the concrete of today, making it easier for water to penetrate.
An potential owner had video of conditions inside the garage prior to the collapse. Based on what she saw, she did not buy.
FL requires condos to be inspected every 40 years. Surfside was inspected 2 or 3 years before the deadline and work had begun to correct the issues.
Those who survived were never allowed back in to get belongings. They had to start over with what they had on them at the time.
Some want to make the site a memorial - some need the money from the sale of the land to restart and buy a home.
The show kept calling it an apartment complex. Only 2 or 3 times in the 2 hour show did they say it was a condo.
The show did not touch on HOA/COA politics. It simply investigated the reason/s for the collapse.
Again, an interesting documentary.