Warning Signs: Huge Cracks Days Before Miami Condo Collapse Champlain Towers

[@Lmzip2]

Wow, I am blown away with this. All these serious signs were basically ignored and/or minimized. This is so heartbreaking since we all know the final result. Great detective work! Bringing these issues to light educates and empowers many people to question all warning signs that would otherwise not be acted upon. Plus, bringing attention to the concerns of simply adding weight from various remodeling projects. This is powerful information for prevention.

[@SV7-2100]

It's been a year and every few weeks we get something like that. Truly sickening how preventable it was

[@jeffostroff]

I'm afraid what other before photos are lurking around the corner

[@aszthrotep4632]

you should do more videos like this, so informative, so simple and thoughtful in your reasoning and how you present it.

[@jeffostroff]

I have done several videos like these on the collapse

[@aszthrotep4632]

@@jeffostroff yes but other collapses, ive seen the bridge one and miami, love them. you should do more :)

[@Kimbyrleigha]

So glad you came through with this information

[@jeffostroff]

Is always glad to help thanks for watching

[@devilsadvocate701]

​@@jeffostroff "god was watching out for her"? what about the other 98 people? which "god" are you referring to?... And how can you even consider that a "miracle"? seems to me that she got "lucky" because she was observant... no "god" needed.

[@jeffostroff]

@@devilsadvocate701 That day God chose to call the other 98 people home. Just like he calls thousands of people home every day. The fact that she ran to the other staircase instead of the one next to her unit Shows a divine plan. There really is no such thing as luck that's a word that non believers can talk non believers concocted because they don't want to admit there is a God in control of everything.. He chose to allow the other 98 people to remain asleep blissfully unaware of what was going on, yet she happened to wake up, And she happened to walk into the living room, and she happened to notice something was wrong with the sliding glass door and she noticed the crack on the wall, and she decided to get out of there, and she ran down the absolute correct Staircase to run down on the opposite end of the building. That was God's doing. That is our god.

[@devilsadvocate701]

@@jeffostroff I'm curious... if such a thing exists... how do you know it's the "god" you believe in?

[@devilsadvocate701]

@@jeffostroff seems like you follow the evidence... except when it comes to your "god". Keep up the good work

[@Roholi]

Jeff, you and Josh provide such valuable information and insight into this tragedy and simplify your discussions in ways that a layperson like myself can fully understand. Thank you!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

[@CoreyChambersLA]

Screaming is correct. There were countless warning signs years before, months before, days before and again minutes before the collapse.

[@jeffostroff]

Hopefully people will pay better attention going forward when they see damage at their building

[@garyrosie9475]

That's why it was empty and demo'ed.

[@clouddancerss]

Another awesome video Jeff! I couldn't wait to get home to watch it! Thank you for doing these, it is so interesting. I like Josh's channel a lot too, but you go the extra step and go back to the maps and drawings as you're talking, so we can remember how things went. I love that, it makes it all easier to visualize and understand!

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you so much I'm glad you enjoyed it and I look forward to making more of these detailed videos

[@matt63m]

Looking at the pictures inside apartment 611, I am genuinely surprised at just how small the structural columns are. I get that the pool deck collapsed, but there are definitely design issues here as well as there is no way that the collapse of the pool deck should have led to collapse of the building. The building design should have had enough redundancy for the possibility of losing one column.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes if I remember correctly those columns were 12" by 16" which is somewhat spindly.

[@matt63m]

I see there was a further article by the Miami Herald behind their paywall about Iliana Monteagudo just a few days ago. What does that say?

[@jeffostroff]

@@matt63m It mentioned that she was expecting to get $600000 from some of the settlements that were announced in March, but in light of the new one billion dollars settlement awaiting final approval, she is asking that they give out more. She paid $600000 for her condo, and how she wants to buy a house.

[@corydalus981]

The columns look more like pipe chases. Startlingly small far a building that height.

[@Phenrex]

@@jeffostroff Isn't it believed that the columns were originally supposed to be 24 inches, but were cut for cost?

[@lindap.p.1337]

Josh’s channel Building Integrity is amazing. He is a great teacher. I have learned so much.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, he is a smart engineer

[@virginiaviola5097]

Knowing how the building came down, I find it incredibly hard to believe that a structural engineer wouldn’t have looked at that planter and the way the crack ran the length and it was so bleedingly obvious that the wall had dropped, moved and separated from the deck? Surely someone could have seen that and thought ‘gee, if this is happening here, I wonder what happening underneath?”. Engineers should have known that, and the building should have been evacuated. Similar happened in new apartment buildings in Sydney Australia, although the buildings were evacuated and emergency work commenced, before they were able to collapse. Just Just goes to show you that innocent people pay with their lives when the people whose expertise they rely on either don’t know how to, or are to lazy, cheap, to do their jobs properly.

[@mikelemoine4267]

It really looks like the building was trying to warn them for so long until it just didn't have the strength to keep standing. If only someone had paid more attention and taken action in time like they did in Sydney....

[@MajorCaliber]

For being such *oblivious morons,* Structural Engineers Morabito Associates (or their insurance company) ended up paying $16M into the total lawsuit "pot"... will anyone else be silly enough to hire them????

[@TWLogik]

No, I blve it. B4 a major disaster like this or a bridge or road collapse there is always signs. But what I notice anywhere is that ego is normally involved and businesses are hardly ever proactive. They pay people to manage the status quo. That's why when something major happens people runaround clueless and don't know what to do. And this engineer probably felt this novice is telling him what the problems are. Who is he to do that? And just went about his business. You see this in business all the time too. Where a person's opinion or insight is automaticalky discredited bcse their new or the experienced person assumes they don't know anything.

[@michellem7300]

That's true but another problem was that the tenants didn't want to pay out of pocket for all of the repairs. I think they were arguing back and forth with the HOA and the tenants couldnt come up with any kind of agreement.

[@charisma-hornum-fries]

We don’t know if engineers knew about it. I can’t imagine that no one knew at all.

[@Johnysmithapple]

So grateful for your continued coverage of this!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks for your continued watching John!

[@Wild1995]

Wow, you put so much work into this. Incredible

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you very much!

[@ABSOLUTfiftytwo]

I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how amazing you are! I can’t thank you enough for your detailed and educational videos you have presented. The Marriott Video was amazing 😮You would think that EVERY Property up and down that beach should be immediately inspected and repaired at once and brought up to current code! You would think that they would have learned from the Champlain tragedy? I thank you!

[@political-social]

Great video again Jeff . Thanks for sharing!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks for watching again S G!

[@mykofreder1682]

They don't show the slab underneath the sink in the garage. Probably would have shown the concrete resting on garage columns, holding up the pool side of the whole building, was punch through failing around 1 or more columns. The tolerances were so tight and damage was on multiple columns, 1 column punches through, shortly after a couple others join the punch through, the corner where it started is no longer supported, close tolerances on loading meant the remaining columns buckled. Started with punch through on several of the worst columns around where the crack was, that overstressed the design.

[@maudessen573]

I’m glad the Timeline spreadsheet helps you, Jeff…that’s why I made it. And I appreciate the credit. I still maintain the spreadsheet, and will be updating it to reflect the fact that MDFR has completed an investigation to identify the woman in the garage rubble as Theresa Vasquez, who was visiting her parents in 304, rather than Valeria Barth who was with her parents in 204.

[@jeffostroff]

I was supposed to have that in the video last night but there's so much more to add to that story like the scamming that the USA Today reporter did to the firemen involved, so I was gonna wait and put it into the next video

[@pf5898]

Maud, Where do I find your updated Timeline spreadsheet. Thanks.

[@maudessen573]

@@pf5898 it’s a Google Sheet. Because KZbin won’t let me post a link, I cannot share it with you here.

[@pf5898]

@@maudessen573 Thanks for responding. There was a link to your timesheet on one of Jeff’s early videos (June-July 2021) but not finding it now.

[@abricO6]

@@jeffostroff It’s been 2 months, man

[@ajtony1313]

Jeff, Thank you for another well done informative video. I placed an icon on my desktop that links me to your playlists site, and I usually click on it once a day in anticipation that you have added a new video about Champlain Towers, or other engineering fails. Your presentation skills are top notch.

[@jeffostroff]

Awesome glad you came back for more

[@motorTranz]

Thank you for another intriguing analysis of this tragic event Jeff!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

[@richardmurray9204]

I'm not a conspiracy theorist but it is very strange that the security footage hasn't been released and that they failed to get the security system out before they demolished the rest of the building forever preventing the information being reviewed.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes I have banging the tables about this since day 1

[@charisma-hornum-fries]

New to your channel. It’s a giant learning experience watching your videos as there’s so many details to dissect and you’re easy to understand while going through it all.

[@daveo532]

Killer update Jeff, can't wait for more!

[@jeffostroff]

Glad you liked it Dave

[@gtaelement137]

Hello 👋 thank you so much for the update. I can't believe it seems long time the condo need a lot of work

[@jeffostroff]

I see condos get neglected like you would not believe. I have had 2 condos that I sold take over 6 months to sell just because of the property condition

[@davewelch151]

Great information. I agree that M9.1 is the start of the building collapse. The reason I think is the builder not following the design for attachment of BMA to M9.1. The attachment was 11 inches deeper than it should have been. Therefore when the floor collapsed, the BMA tore 11" more out of M9.1, leaving it much weaker, holding another 7 minutes before collapsing. See drawing sheet 31, top left corner, view 'Beams Type A'. The floor had a step at the planters, BMA was supposed to follow the step, but the builder constructed the concrete shuttering straight across to M9.1, thus increasing the attachment depth by 11", with probably an increase of rebar depth. I have mentioned this before. Just reminding you because I am convinced that this build error caused the collapse.

[@billj5645]

The planter crack first shown is just south of the column at grid coordinates K and about 13.1, on your architectural plan this is the column between parking spaces 74 and 75. If you look in that area of the lobby level plan you see that the slab spans from that direction going to the south are abnormally large compared to any other slab spans on that level. In other words the span is the longest one in any of the slabs, and the slab along gridline K also has to carry the planter box. But on the plan you don't see any greater amount of reinforcing steel than in any other span on the drawings. That makes this a spot of interest with respect to where the collapse might have started- longer span plus more load without increasing reinforcing. If this longer span deflected more than other spans it could cause the slab to pull away from the underside of the planter box at this corner and cause the cracks visible in the video. If you look at the amount of deflection under the planter box, the slab deflection at mid-span of the slab would have to be much greater than it would be at the planter box near the column, this would be above the drive aisle between parking spaces 74 and 43. This would be very obvious both from the inside the garage looking up and from the pool deck looking at the slopes in the top surfaces of the pavers. This was not found or reported by anyone, so we have conflicting evidence here.

[@jeffostroff]

I believe that is the section where they were saying it was a 30' spin which is way out of control. Not only that the area of the planter is where there was a design change in the as built Drawings show that a reinforcement beam that was supposed to be under those planters was removed.

[@fixizin]

Come on now... every load of concrete and rebar NOT used for beams is more $$ in Reiber's pocket... have some sympathy for the developer... that lobby and driveway area with the massive transfer beams really put him in the hole... _rolleyes_

[@billj5645]

@@fixizin I'm very familiar with value engineering and developer games.

[@msv-777]

Thanks for the update, Jeff - excellent analysis.

[@jeffostroff]

And thank you for being a loyal follower and watching all of these videos

[@katerantsalot]

I subscribed to you after searching how to fix a leaky garbage disposal. I’ve been watching Josh Porter’s coverage of this, and I’m so grateful for your great content here. Excellent work thank you!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks for the sub Kate, yes Josh is a smart engineer!

[@georgiazettakaragianni9832]

Great video. I can't wait for the future videos about Champlain!

[@jeffostroff]

We do have more coming

[@georges7340]

Thank you Jeff for keeping those of us across the country who are interested in the progress of this investigation informed....... love your in depth analysis!

[@jeffostroff]

Glad to help George thanks for watching

[@perthfanny3017]

Or foreigners like me who were just on a vacation and drove by the site!

[@leahacosta2908]

I’m so intrigued with your videos and your findings!! Thank you 🙏

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you Leah!

[@dawncurry5597]

Excellent video!!! I can’t wait to watch the next one!!!! Thank you

[@jeffostroff]

Glad you liked it Dawn!

[@allurach1746]

Thank you mapping and illustrating the lady’s story. It would be great if you can get in touch with her. However, she’s probably sworn to secrecy for the time being by the investigators.

[@Paulburnard]

Hey Jeff, thanks for the update.

[@jeffostroff]

Glad to help Paul and thank you for coming back to watch another

[@kathym5307]

Thanks for the great update!

[@jeffostroff]

Any time Kathy!

[@aoife316]

I learn so much from your channel! Keep on keeping on, Jeff! 👍

[@jeffostroff]

Glad to hear it!

[@markbarret6836]

Jeff, your info actually helps people. I observe carefully now.

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks mark I'm glad you liked it

[@helpyourcattodrive]

Great coverage on this story! Thank you.❤

[@moderncranerigginginc9181]

I was there. I worked that job for a couple weeks. this is the first time I've seen anything about it since it happened. and I was fine until the video was 3/4 the way through. then I wanted to throw up. because I could smell it again. and the last wall still standing, idk, 4 ft high before the beach.... I found someone's paperback lord of the rings book. on top of a bed sheet, on top of concrete. I dug a child's yellow rubber ducky out of thr sand. and I didn't have the heart to throw it away. so I still have it. this was one of the worst experiences of my life. I made friends with one of the cadaver dogs though. he didn't know how sad the jobsite was for some of us. he just wanted to play. for some people though it was just another job. it emotionally destroyed me though. I have some pictures, even though I risked immediate termination to take them. but I didn't want to be there anyway

[@jeffostroff]

Would love to see some of your photos, if you want to message me on FB: facebook.com/jostroff

[@ko7302]

I am so sorry just know it was not your fault. You just were hired for a job that probably was unfixable. The building should have been demolished. Greed caused this not you I just hope you don't blame yourself.

[@aquinna]

I am so sorry for what you had to go through and the pain you're still experiencing. I don't know if it helps at all, but the horrific work you did contributes to the understanding of the cause of the collapse, and that information will save lives in the future.

[@SantaFishes101]

@@jeffostroff love your work man, but your compassion needs work in this case...

[@maryjennings228]

Thanks Jeff. I like your videos and information. Peace🌎💞

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you Miriam glad you like my videos

[@SleepingZombies]

Hey Jeff, just a tip you can right click to open a web image in a separate tab which let's you access the highest resolution version. Often times what you see on the page is just a low res "preview" of the actual photo. Still depends on the quality of the image they uploaded to the page, but opening it in a separate tab will allow you to see the most detail for your analysis

[@jeffostroff]

Yeah I find many of these articles that's the original size of the picture which is a bummer

[@neuropilot7310]

@@jeffostroff Sometimes you can adjust the URL to get a higher res version. A significant number of news websites use an image CDN and/or WordPress VIP. If you reply, I'll check specific articles if you'd like.

[@2kiona]

That's an astounding amount of water ceiling damage above column 76. You can see how the water ran down that column. And is that paint that's dripping down from the ceiling? That's a very large area of "paint damage", it even continues off the photo on the right, looking at it, so I don't know how anyone could see that stuff and not be totally freaked out.

[@jmcenterprises9591]

Great analysis, thanks Jeff!

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you for coming back for more jmc

[@Mark-ct5lq]

Great work Jeff! Thanks....

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you for watching Mark

[@cherrytomato6139]

I am a couple years late to discover your videos. Have watched pretty much everything you posted about the collapse of the condo. Let me tell you how impressed I am. Your analyses is brilliant and very convincing. Now watching your videos about the Titan sub disaster.

[@juanmelendez8909]

Thanks Jeff for your information 👍 and video 👍 📹 I appreciate you 👍

[@vinnylenci7311]

You've been doing great job on this next month June 24 will be one year memorable things to me have happened on my birthday! thanks Jeff! such a tragedy to those who have been personally affected 😢 family first responders and neighbors

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks Vinny yes and jaequally it's bad for one of my friends whose birthday is Sept 11

[@toddhupp]

Maria has a major guardian angel for sure

[@MyzelleJenkins]

Would be awesome if you could talk with Maria - that crack location I think could be a critical piece of info…and evidence… Great info!

[@jeffostroff]

That would be great Day to be able to talk to Maria

[@rufkutdiamnd]

@@jeffostroff She’s still living in Surfside in a condo I believe. She’s not in our group but several family members of others are and might have info. Also Mayor Shlomo might know her.

[@Chronically_JBoo]

Excellent video. Also glad you handled this in such respectful manner. Keep it up

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks JayBoo, I strive to provide the best

[@DUBSTEP_KUSH305]

RIP to everyone that DIED My friend shamoka was the security guard there that survived in the building collapse

[@erika8627]

Wow, this is so fascinating. On that ring camera though, wasn't the wall in the kitchen bowing and collapsing, making it more likely that Maria's wall was cracking on the other side? Meaning, looking into her window, not out of it, the wall issue would have been actually on the left? Just a thought. Thank you for the analysis! You and Josh have the best videos!

[@jeffostroff]

Any of the scenarios could be true yes

[@wranther]

Great and very interesting video Jeff! At about 12:00 +/- in the video you are discussing the addition of a "reinforced sand trap" with its designed water retention factors not including drainage away from under the tiled deck. Is that a typical design feature incorporated into building design down in your area? Perhaps a broader question involves how widespread is the inattention to drainage details in your area? Thanks in advance! -Bob...

[@jeffostroff]

In attention to drainage is everywhere down here background I don't even think builders knew anything about water run off. I owned one condo on the 1st floor where the slab actually sloped inward towards the unit and it flooded every time it rained warm when the sprinklers came on. It is sure stupidity down here

[@timrobinson6573]

@18:45 I can barely see your cursor. Most of the time I have no idea what you're pointing at.

[@johngoodwyn8246]

Great Job super interesting will follow up dates.

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks for watching today John

[@newcarpathia9422]

In the end, I highly doubt anyone will be able to point to a single cause. Bad design. Bad maintenance. Poor choices in renovations. Construction next door. Incompetent management.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes many cause son this one

[@newcarpathia9422]

@@jeffostroff What I wonder is whether it's even possible to pinpoint the "start." Say, some of the rebar in the retaining wall broke, but the deck holds, but that's enough to give a column the reduced lack of support necessary to initiate a punching shear. That starts happening, putting more stress on the retaining wall, etc. I have a funny feeling the final report will not have any black and white answers, the sort one can point at and go, "ah ha! It was that!"

[@The.Spicy.Raccoon]

Fascinating as always!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks for coming back for more videos

[@The.Spicy.Raccoon]

@@jeffostroff always! I really enjoy your channel.

[@machtschnell7452]

The incompetence is just mind numbing.

[@jeffostroff]

It's easy to say that in hindsight, but before this the paradigm was that nobody would have ever expected a building to collapse including engineers unless you see a smoking gun. Now that we know things like this hopefully they will learn from this and pay more attention when they see large cracks develop

[@athgt6630]

How come they settled so quickly? Is it common? Seems like some people want to put this whole thing to sleep. Looking forward to your next video!

[@jeffostroff]

It is very uncommon and likely some very wise people in the insurance companies representing these Defendants knew this would be an unpopular troll for them and rather than be the bad guys they thought settling would save a lot of money just think all of that money would go to the lawyers after 10 years of litigation. This way here everybody wipes the slate clean it's finished, and nobody has to accept any blame.

[@Smart-Towel-RG-400]

@@jeffostroff from what I heard from doing research is everyone involved probly maxed out their insurance becuase they all know once the report drops it would become a 7-10 year lawsuit and they'd spend 100 million on lawyers between all the defendants and probly pay more then they settled for now.... Plus it buys good will not dragging it out even the lawyers on the victims side are not taking what lawyers normally would for a case like this the judge chased off the ambo chasing lawyers that wouldn't tried taking 30-40%

[@trevorstewart8]

Jeff around 12.55 you talk about the weight of water causing deflection, but I think it more likely that the concrete being constantly wet would cause the rebar to spawl with rust. People forget the concrete itself is not waterproof, especially with pooled water which can seep by osmosis down to the rebar. Flexing is not the problem, osmosis is. The salts in the concrete are what forms the stalactites from the water ingress flowing through by osmosis. I'm a retired plumber with knowledge of water pathways on roofing and flashings, and I can tell you that Osmosis and Capillary attraction are both very poorly understood vulnerabilities of buildings and can power water travel for many, many meters to an unexpected exit.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes without a doubt in many places we know that moisture got in and caused spalling for sure. There's a whole lot of bad things happening at once here that all came together as one big perfect storm

[@iggymac3473]

WOW great info Jeff

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks again Iggy!

[@jameschandler3308]

Slab was bonded to main structure too.

[@teresacorrigan3076]

This is making me wonder about our old church. The abandoned house behind has collapsed so the water is coming in our basement presumably from the hole /basement hole. Our property manager will look into it. Thanks to you I knew to mention it. All those pools of water rang a bell for me.

[@jeffostroff]

Glad to help Teresa!

[@wendys7285]

Thank you so much for this!!!

[@jeffostroff]

Glad to make that and thanks for watching Wendy

[@BayonetRecon]

Fantastic coverage and breakdown of events.

[@jeffostroff]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@youtbe999]

The fact that Maria's front door was able to open at all, she is very lucky.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes great point!

[@garfixit]

Great video again

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

[@alicewilliams1597]

Yes I do agree with all your theories.

[@jeffostroff]

Great minds think alike

[@nancydarling4918]

Great video! Thanks!

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you Nancy!

[@chrisperrien7055]

IMO, the slab fractured first right where that crack behind the garbage can is. It was cause by water intrusion, the weight of that planter and the parking of cars on the back side ( variable active heavy loading over 40 years) , And when that slab area fell, it pulled on the adjacent thinner columns, fracturing them- where Jeff says the building collapse started (because of those thin columns being over-stressed already , from planter weights and along with added weight of remods in the building , and the fact those columns were also damaged by water intrusion causing concrete/rebar degradation/rust as well.

[@jeffostroff]

One other thing Chris that is the area where there was 30 foot spacing between a few columns, some say that is too much

[@chrisperrien7055]

@@jeffostroff Yes, there was some "odd" column spacing below that slab/area of the pool-parking deck. Your "friend" LOL Joe Pesci over at "Construction Engineering" notes the angles between some of the columns in that area , are "out of code" and he is right about that. I have also mentioned that behind that planter , the closest parking space , was often taken up by an over-sized van/minibus , it shows up in several pictures before and after the collapse . Could have been a Condo transport, but I haven't noticed/looked for any markings on it .

[@jeffostroff]

@@chrisperrien7055 The building should have been able to support even a minivan there with no problem, unless of course the concrete becomes degraded Or infected with spalling

[@chrisperrien7055]

@@jeffostroff Yea, but it is just one more thing. you can see the "Van" at 16:50 and 17:20 in your vid. 2different photos. Did you ever do any tile-work in the DC area about year 2000?

[@s.masson8263]

Also. the trash can left a rust stain; indication of standing water in uneven surface of eventually collapsed pool deck.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, that should have been inside an enclosure

[@williammcbrayer3277]

It's visible in just about every view Jeff showed - the pool deck view facing the building, the 360 view from 611, the pics of the planter crack, and so on. Certainly, all those pics could have been taken at about the same time, but it would be interesting to see how far back in time it does go.

[@monkeybusiness1999]

Fascinating analysis. Most sensible people understand that steadily moving & dripping water means erosion, corrosion & instability of sandy building bases to hard materials. Basic geo-science stuff. So it's mind-boggling that these obvious signs of decay were left ignored & unrepaired by professional property managers long enough to become this devastating. I can understand missing hidden problems but all this? No curiosity? No deeper look-see? Thankfully the general public can watch these videos & learn to recognize some possible or likely dangers. 👍

[@jeffostroff]

I hope they all learn from this

[@johncoil1418]

Jeff, I know that Josh commented that the top of the wall was concrete, but I don't believe that is the case. It doesn't make sense that one would go to the expense of forming and casting concrete for the top foot of a planter wall. To me the real question is - was the weight of the planter accounted for in the original design?? Also it appears from the limited testing that the pool deck was covered with an additional layer of paving tiles or "stampcrete" without removing the original paving. These added loads could be the explanation for the failure. Anyway I enjoy your presentations, keep up the good work. A retired consulting structural engineer from California.

[@jeffostroff]

In house building when we do concrete blocks for the walls of the house, the top 12" or so are usually poured concrete all the way around they call it a tie beam. It's not unusual to To do the same thing with the planter as well.

[@MajorCaliber]

@@jeffostroff Seems like overkill for a planter box, not to mention SO HEAVY. #BlameSergioBreiterman #BlameReiber

[@davidteiman]

I 100% believe that the weight of the pavers and planters on the pool deck and the excessive vibration from the construction that further weakened it, caused the pool deck to collapse. And then pulling the columns holding the building forward just enough until the pressure collapsed that middle section.

[@jeffostroff]

Yeah man! great minds stick alike

[@rufkutdiamnd]

You will also note that the H beam that was supposed to be where that planter and parking spot 76 was missing and not seen in the collapse. Look at the original collapse photos.

[@jeffostroff]

That was covered months ago by one of the other channels building integrity, where they showed that sometimes the as built drawings can be different than the submitted design drawings and somewhere along the line that beam was removed.

[@rufkutdiamnd]

@@jeffostroff And that’s why that particular area was weak. Between the vibration from 87 park, the leaks, the weight of the wet sand and planters it creates the perfect storm.

[@pl6035]

If the seriousness of the failing building integrity had been recognized in time (6 -12 months prior) could anything have been done to save the building from collapse?

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, shoring poles could have been installed everywhere, and a plan to add column capitals and drop panels on the ceiling where the columns meet the slab.

[@garywheeler7039]

I think the added weight loads, the palm trees addition and the palm tree roots, the water coming into the old foundation when the walkway was removed next door and gravel added, all contributed. It seems the particular fertilizer used to feed palm trees is also rather corrosive. Palm roots are intrusive into any cracks in the pool deck and were probably very destructive, especially in a salt water environment which would increase rebar rusting. The pool deck was doomed to fail. And when the pool deck failed the columns to the building lost support.

[@FloraDubya]

And they were probably hosing off the deck a few times a week.

[@piyoweb]

I've to wonder how some of these people sleep at night knowing that hundreds of life could've been saved if they gave some serious warnings.

[@jeffostroff]

I think you'll see a lot of that change now going forward. Probably no engineer would have thought that the building was going to come down, and certainly more ruby though certainly more rubido was correct in 2018 by telling them they need to get these repairs dorepairs done or it will spread exponentially, comma but nobody can be psychic in psychic and look and see what's going on inside the joint.

[@rufkutdiamnd]

@@jeffostroff I wonder how our lawmakers can sleep at night knowing they couldn’t pass laws to effect change for all condo owners.

[@alro2434]

@@jeffostroff That 1 -2 inch gap in the patio wall is the first sign, a real sign, of serious structural changes that have affected its strength & integrity. All before this was superficial, signs of gradual deterioration and in no way 'imminent!'. The pool mech room is aesthetics, barely structural, just unsightly and a good indicator that left unchecked, the next 40 years will be more then twice as bad.

[@ryantorchia3202]

Looking at the Google Earth images from 11/2019, or at 17:30 in this video, what are the dark yellow/orange discolored spots that appear in a row across the middle of the deck, about half-way between the planters and the lounge chairs? There also seems to be stained line partially between the spots, and then running diagonally from the leftmost dot to the walkway between the There's another row of them running about 3-4 feet north of the pool, and a second diagonal line leading from them to the same walkway. They can also be seen in the 1/2021 image, but the historical images lack the resolution to see them. If they're not clear in that video, they're very clear in Google Earth.

[@hazelmaryjackson6389]

I am still interested in the movement of the retaining wall at the boundary wall with the "infill" new building.

[@hazelmaryjackson6389]

I mean boundary wall with 87 park condo

[@jeffostroff]

es a lot of people are focused there

[@jackiesiebrass3321]

Building on sand in Florida is accidents waiting to happen..sink hole state...building condos next to ocean water you'd think it could eventually be a horrendous problem...

[@matt63m]

At about 16:30 you can see the view of the pool deck from apartment 611. There is no cracking at that time in the wall behind and beside the black bin.

[@jeffostroff]

Write the cracking only showed up about 2 weeks before the condo collapsed. These photos were likely taken last October of 2020, As Maria purchased the unit in December of 2020

[@Tee19691]

Maria wasn't an idiot. Maria knew the building was failing when she saw a 2 inch Crack running across her living room wall. The sound the building was making plus the shifting most likely woke her up. She is alive because she was smart, running away from her sagging building to the adjoining building stairwell. How are they allowed to build towering buildings like that in a hurricane prone area.

[@jeffostroff]

It was assumed to be a sturdy building when built, it has a large shear wall. Something went wrong on the smaller portion, now they say the shear wall for that smaller portion was too small

[@s.masson8263]

So scary.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, very ominous

[@ado3616]

At 16:43 in your video -- check out the tile pavers in the spot by the trash can -- is this evidence of what you are saying -- massive sag before punching sheer -- or is it lens distortion?

[@jeffostroff]

It is not likely a length distortion so what is either the sagging Concrete deck below the pavers, or it is simply the pavers sloped on the sand to direct the water like they should be. So we normally want to get down to the concrete slow up to investigate

[@garfixit]

Thank you I drove pass it the other day breaks my heart ❤️ 🙏

[@jeffostroff]

Yes the memorial across the street really sobers you

[@Halloween111]

All the warning signs, going back for a few years, say this building was screaming long before it fell.

[@otiswilson4713]

You have pictures of the temporary shoring supporting what’s left of the pool deck. What happened to the dirt that should be there. You also have pictures of the the building sinking down below the pool deck.

[@Mmullis0001]

I really wish they would release more footage of the actual collapse. Do you think that will ever happen?

[@jeffostroff]

Somebody somewhere has it and at this point in time there's no need for them to be holding onto it and not give it out to the public to see

[@kneel1]

god there were a lot of nice condos that were in that building. Unreal

[@jeffostroff]

Yes the building looked a little aged on the outside but inside those remodels what some people did was absolutely gorgeous

[@dennisnifong9086]

Your theory makes sense. It collapsed at night as things would have contracted.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes and next Friday is the one year anniversary of the collapse

[@mariekatherine5238]

I’ve never formally studied engineering but much of it seems to be common sense-or the lack thereof.

[@jeffostroff]

yes lack thereof in this case!

[@davesmith5656]

Would you do an analysis of the San Fransisco Millennium Tower?

[@jeffostroff]

That 1 has been down a million times by so many people

[@davesmith5656]

@@jeffostroff ----- If we keep adding "migrants" I'm afraid we run the risk of CA tipping over and sliding into the ocean ....

[@davesmith5656]

@@jeffostroff ----- I did find a few, mostly by NBC news affiliate SF. It's probably a huge undertaking to analyze it, but my bet is that many of the analyses are politically tilted. One of them just explained that it's normal for skyscrapers to tilt .... They had photos of wall crumbling exposing rebar, cracks in the sidewalk, yet the affirmation of the engineers in charge of it are that it's [still] inhabitable. Great marketing line: "Spacious, new, inhabitable." I don't mean to be be mean sarcastic, just that my sense of humor tends to subside over things as big as that tower, at those prices, and looking at NYC, that one isn't the only "somewhat vacant" skyscraper that wasn't really built well (not to mention Australia's problems with tall buildings).

[@Smart-Towel-RG-400]

@@davesmith5656 channel called building integrity did a few videos on the tower

[@marshall.cochran]

Ok maybe a dumb question but was the patio door already opened or did it crack open because of the building movement?

[@flashgordon3715]

Ive heard all of the bathrooms were remodeled with floor to ceiling tile. Surely more weight than design. Have you ever heard this?

[@helengarsed3979]

Hi Jeff from Australia , i wish u could talk to Maria the Lady who managed to Escape that Tragity.She maybe able to give u more insight to what else she Saw and Heard.How very Lucky she was u could say an Angel was looking after her and a Smart Lady as well.But i myself rent a 2 bedroom unit for over 9 years and have had lots of Water Issues in the Driveway.I live near the Beach and there is also a Creek near the Beach and every time not only in Winter when it Rained the Driveway was flooded mainly near me and person next door. There are 2 Grates to take water away and the Grate nearest were i live , 5 Units on block and the Driveway seems to go down as tho it has dropped.Driveway is Concrete and the Drain near me the concrete is broken away and Bricks surrounding Grate some are ready to Fall in and no one wants to Drive over it.It is under Body Corporate and i took photos down and showed them the Water and my Wheel in the Shadow of the Water but they have done Nothing.1 of the owners has paid $1600 to get someone out to put Camera down and that has helped.But 1 owner out of 5 paid money for a Plummer to come out.I am renting and had several issues with water in this unit that had to take it to Legal Aid and went to Court last Year , most of things have been fixed bar the Bathroom that i have had Mould in 2 times and i dont smoke.The Battern on the Roof was Broken and Tiles Broken wjich chap fixed but it had got Wet in the Ceiling and the Judge said needs to be attended to or Mould will come again.My Agent said they will have to leave it till i Move as it could be a Big Job.But that is not fair as i have had to put up with things even tho taking to Court.So i am telling U my Story as this is How the Real Estates Operate most times.But i would say this Building had a lot of Faults and People knew about it but did not want to fork out the Money to Fix all the Problems just like my Owner.She takes ages for me to live in a safe place plus pay private rent and in Winter i am freezing as the Heater is all Electric and in the wrong spot plus so Old as Units are about 36 years old. So my friend brought me a oil bar as now our Winter and 13c so very cold.But Jeff and Josh U both are doing amazing Work by showing us all what U both are putting things into what could have brought this 40 years old Building to Collapse in the Middle of the Night with all 98 Adults and Children Lives Lost.So Terrible someone has to be Responsable for this Tragity.😇🦋👋⚘

[@jeffostroff]

Yes we all always play that pay me now or pay me much more later game

[@cyphi474]

I think its exactly area where it all started. That planter sinking down. It could be sign some rebar at outside wall already gave up.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, everything seems to point to this area

[@laneboyd6410]

I really appreciate this channel because you talk about engineering problems in super simple terms. I think it makes it super accessible to the average person, and you're very enjoyable to watch!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it Lane!

[@redneon06]

Jeff, What caused the sliding doors to open in Maria’s apartment?

[@jeffostroff]

Other articles suggest she left them open.

[@toddhupp]

very logical Jeff .Who ever installed the sand and paver should have known better. Massive weight.

[@glennlittle1580]

Do you think the property will be rebuilt on or will it be a Memorial Site? Great video's

[@jeffostroff]

I think there will be enough pressure from the families that some type of onside memorial will be made.

[@georgiazettakaragianni9832]

The lot sale was just finalized- it will be rebuilt. There was a proposal for a memorial on 88th Street, the one adjacent (north) to CTS.

[@Smart-Towel-RG-400]

They are selling the site to recover money for the owners most the billion dollar settlement is a wonderful death for the people who died ... company is paying north of 100 million for the land

[@maryroberts2099]

About 5 years ago I had an apartment with underground parking. It had leaks, the rebar was rusted and showing. My neighbor and I would joke that they had shoemakers fixing it. NOw I see all the water damage, etc in the garage and what part it played in the collapse.