Collapsed Condominium Building Near Miami Had Serious Concrete Damage, According to Report

Collapsed Condominium Building Near Miami Had Serious Concrete Damage, According to Report

A report conducted nearly three years ago on the condition of the condominium tower near Miami which partially collapsed this week found “major structural damage” to the concrete slab below the pool deck. 

It also found “abundant” cracking and crumbling of the columns, beams, and walls of the parking garage under the thirteen-story building. 

159 people are still missing following the catastrophic collapse of the Champlain Towers South complex — and the report, released by the Town of Surfside, “helped shape plans for a multi-million dollar repair project that was set to get underway soon — more than two and a half years after the building managers were warned,” the New York Times reported on Saturday. 

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“The complex’s management association had disclosed some of the problems in the wake of the collapse, but it was not until city officials released the 2018 report late Friday that the full nature of the concrete and rebar damage — most of it probably caused by years of exposure to the corrosive salt air along the South Florida coast — became chillingly apparent,” said the NYT. 

“Though some of this damage is minor, most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion,” the consultant, Frank Morabito, wrote about damage near the base of the structure as part of his October 2018 report on the 40-year-old building in Surfside, Fla.

He gave no indication that the structure was at risk of collapse, though he noted that the needed repairs would be aimed at “maintaining the structural integrity” of the building and its 136 units.

READ THE FULL REPORT HERE