Dive Brief:
- Federal investigators said Thursday that the pool deck at the Surfside, Florida, condominium that collapsed in 2021 did not comply with original codes and standards, the Associated Press reported. Champlain Towers South gave way in June 2021, killing 98 people.
- During a regular meeting of the National Construction Safety Team Advisory Committee, investigators from the National Institute of Standards and Technology provided the new information on the pool deck’s structural integrity.
- They reported corrosion, misplaced reinforcement and heavier plant containers on the deck than in the original plans, which contributed to “critically low margins against failure,” AP reported.
Dive Insight:
The NIST investigation is ongoing, but a report on the cause and suggestions for updates to codes likely will come in 2025, according to the AP. Some experts had already indicated the pool deck may have contributed to the collapse of the 40-year-old building.
Three settlements were reached in the class-action suit between survivors and families of victims against three companies that worked on the neighboring Eighty Seven Park condo. Champlain Towers South’s condo association, Morabito Consultants and the engineering firm that conducted inspections agreed to pay $55.55 million in April 2022.
The property has since sold for $120 million to DAMAC Properties, a Dubai-based real estate developer, which plans to build a luxury residential tower. Victims’ family members have pushed for the site to become a memorial, rather than a new condo.
