MIAMI CONDO COLLAPSE | fast react video - failure visualization pt1
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2021
- A week after the collapse of Champlain Towers South I released this quick response video. With the preliminary information at hand immediately after the tragedy it illustrates the collapse sequence and a potential explanation of the failure. For the more complete explanation with additional evidence see the part 2 and 3 videos.
On 24 Jun 2021 the Champlain South Tower collapsed at 1:15am. This was a 13 story condominium building in Miami Florida in the town of Surfside. It was built in 1981.
The 3D animation is made from Architectural and Structural drawings made available by the town of Surfside. The events and sequences are based on key photographic evidence and eyewitness accounts.
I am an Architect with a career in designing and constructing buildings including experience in the USA. I caution that its still too early to know why it collapsed. This video is only a possible explanation of this failure.
Music by Borrtex - Feeling
WITNESS TIMELINE
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Surfside Public Records - Champlain Towers South surfside.one/public-records-s...
Where condo victims were whatsnew2day.com/where-miami-... - Věda a technologie
I learned more from this 2 min video than 2 weeks of watching the news.
News outlets look forward to events like these.
You should take that as a lesson when it comes to everything concerning the news, the days of reporters and news teams getting their facts straight before reporting on something are over, especially concerning politics, they're even worse in that area because they're flagrantly biased when it comes to that, every media outlet has it's political agenda in this day and age and that is what's turned them into advocates instead of reporters like they were years ago.
agree
Says things about CNN, doesn't it?
Horrible that this happened.
@@valkilmer6379 They do indeed.
As a Building Engineer that’s been more or less obsessed with this story, this simulation was the most helpful video I’ve found. This video can explain what happened from the most uneducated person to an engineer/scientist.
Your simulation shows a key issue about the building’s original construction, however doesn’t focus on the columns!!
The columns under the portion of the tower that first fell and the pool deck look to be close to half the size and strength of the columns under the part of the building that survived the initial collapse.
You're a building engineer, and you didn't understand what it happened? Lord help us!!!!
@@bdom7744 oh you’re right, I should have been able to guess accurately. I wish I was I as smart as you.
@@bdom7744 Lord help us from myopic comments like yours.
Your remark supposes that there is a single answer why this collapse happened.and that an engineer ought to be able to figure it out just by looking at the pictures. In fact there are multiple possibilities and it would be irresponsible to issue a verdict without careful examination of all the evidence, much of which cannot be determined by observation, such as the type and strength of the concrete used.
I am a Structural Engineer in TX and this simulation with photos is really well done. As you say, the whole world will eventually know what happened here but this is VERY plausible. Well done sir.
What a tragedy. As a board member of our 530-unit condo complex in Culver City, California, we do a complete inspections of our property every two years (15 buildings). About 5 years ago we discovered considerable spalling in a few of our buildings (underground carports). We got bids right away and fixed the problems, paid out of our reserves. Two years ago, we discovered spalling in the basement underneath our clubhouse...one of our pools is right next to it. It took some time to discover that our pool was leaking. We are currently wrapping up an extensive project to fix this problem. I am grateful to have worked on a board and with our HOA manager to address problems as they arise. Our monthly dues are $504 per month...very high...but we have money available to fix these types of problems when they arise.
Unless it's a california earthquake or mud slide or wild fire. Money can't protect that.
@@JohnSmith-uy7sv I may be mistaken, but I believe California building codes take earthquakes into account, and must comply to that standard. It’s a well known issue, I would be surprised if they didn’t.
@@Doomgath And when the ground turns to jelly from the vibration, nothing can stand in jelly. I forget the terminology for it . Liquification maybe. The ground becomes like liquid from the violent shaking. Only a ship can float in that. Not a building.
@@Doomgath What is liquefaction example?
Liquefaction takes place when loosely packed, water-logged sediments at or near the ground surface lose their strength in response to strong ground shaking. ... For example, the 1964 Niigata earthquake caused widespread liquefaction in Niigata, Japan which destroyed many buildings.
It seems that building codes in Forida shoud be revised, at least to counter in corrosion
I would not want to be standing anywhere near the rest of that structure given those remaining support columns. Those rescuers are incredibly courageous.
Some of the support beams for the structure still standing have temporary supports to help the first responders sift through the rubble. I'm afraid that this is like the World Trade Towers on 9/11, only on a smaller scale. I doubt anyone is still alive after all this time, unfortunately.
@@Steve_in_NJ On the positive side working faster probably wouldn't have saved any more lives
Agree with you 💯🧡.
If it's the deck that took down the other columns, but not these, then there's probably no reason for them to fall now. And that's how it should be. The other ones shouldn't have come down either
I think what remains is fairly stable I don't think it's going any place
Phenomenal simulation. This is the most logical and makes sense with what is known so far. Thank you.
Absolutely, this is really good I still just cannot believe this happened
Totally agree. Best simulation video on the web. Thank you.
EXCELENTE!!!!
I thought it was jet fuel.
@@silvermediastudio
Naw it was probably an eight hundred pound gorilla that took the elevator and tipped it over 😂
A lady who lived at the collapse building told the news she didn't know there was a emergency stairs next to her apartment and she ran to the other side of the building to take the stairs next to the elevator..at that moment the building collapsed.. her apartment was gone. If she would've take the emergency stairs she would be dead. Now I clearely see what happened
Sometimes it pays to be stupid
Stupidity is essential trait for survival or early men would have eradicated themselves back then
Wasn't stupidity but grace. She was a devotee of Our Lady of Guadelupe and our Lady interceded to the Lord for her benefit. Part of this involved blinding her to the fact that there were stairs literally 2 doors down, yet she knew about the ones at the other end of the building. Just one moment seeing a person go in or out that stair door, during the 10 months she'd live there, she would have know they were there, taken them, and been killed. And no human would have foreknown for those 10 months, that it would be the other section of the building to survive. If you read the story with a sympathetic eye - or even a mildly skeptical one - and think about it - it's clearly miraculous. So here is the advice, Grace is better to have than intelligence or stupidity. Or be a sukka and think it was somehow all luck. Pretty strong message there.
@@albud6687 sugarcoat it however you wish. Ignorance is bliss.
@@dumptruckintruthduke .just to be clear..she was going to take the stairs next to the elevator
I “liked” this video because of its quality, but it is truly heartbreaking. 😥
As a structural engineer I watched this animation and thought 'that's a pretty good hypothesis', before realizing I actually used to know the author. Not bad, Mike. I wish more architects had as good an understanding of structures.
Hey Gary. Fancy meeting you here. I appreciate the compliment. Im so curious to know the proven cause but that will take a while. I think there is an excellent chance they will uncover some clear clues in the rubble when the get to the 4 critical columns.
@@Mike-Bell I was kind of wondering if it might not be some kind of punching shear failure when they said the building had been settling over the years. If some parts of the building settle more than others, that would increase the axial load (and therefore also the punching shear) on the columns which have settled less. Then I read that there had been problems with rebar corrosion, and that the collapse seemed to happen in the pool area first. I'd been struggling to figure out how an initial collapse in the pool area (outside the building footprint) could cause the whole building to come down. When I saw your animation, and the actual photos of the columns punched through the slab, I thought 'ah, that makes sense'.
I hope all is well your side, and that your mom is doing well.
@@garymostert4811 If you look closely at pics of the rebar of the punch shear columns it has been commented how woefully little steel is visible.
this comment on reddit is pertient...
I design these kinds of buildings for a living. This building would not meet modern codes, and just simply wouldn't be built this way today.
The columns are extremely small ( And packed with steel, 8 #11 on a 16X16 column is absurd), the slabs are fairly thin for a conventional reinforced slab. I imagine the slabs were designed to razor thin margins even by that times codes. I don't think there was any shear reinforcement at the slab column joint either, which makes a punching shear failure more catastrophic.
If built by modern standards the building would have surely had more shear walls on the south end. These would have helped stabilize the building laterally and helped keep the south portion from collapsing long enough for evacuation to occur. www.reddit.com/r/CatastrophicFailure/comments/ocv4rv/simulation_of_surfside_condo_collapse_catenary/
@@Mike-Bell Sorry to step in while the experts are doing such a good job, but two things I'd like to comment on (and I'm no expert). First, my first thought on seeing the pictures the day of the collapse was that compared to other building destroying disasters (earthquakes come to mind), these pictures seem to show a woefully inadequate amount of steel within the concrete. Second, I too wondered how a pool "outside the building footprint" could bring this tower down -- my current way of thinking of it (with the help of your video) is that it's only "outside the building footprint" until you look at it from the perspective of the parking structure. Then it's all within the footprint (reminds me a little of Wacker Drive in Chicago in that regards).
Fascinating and depressing that apparently some archects 'don't' have as good an understanding of structures, as a total outsider, I'd have assumed they all did.
I have been trying to understand this tragedy and the sequence of events for a week now. Your simulation helped me understand what happened and a possible cause. Thank you so much for this excellent video. My condolences to all the people who lost family and loved ones.
Me too thank you
How about you look into Paraguays connection to Covid and this building
This dude gets paid to lie to you
This is a hypothesis of what happened. It’s not confirmed.
I agree, Tina! It's good too see they are already taking action at other locations for the safety of residents. Unfortunately, looks like hurricane is heading there, as we speak.
@@TheSterlingArcher16 looking at the photos and this simulation i would say it is pretty close .
I was staying on the same street that week in Miami. I still can’t get over this whole tragedy. It’s heartbreaking knowing that people were in their homes sleeping when their lives were just taken in an instant.
I hope I go out in my sleep when it's my time. Being asleep was a small blessing to those people.
Thank You for doing this !
Oh what’s up, love your vids, and the Supra
spacebar exclamation point
Amazing work. You honor the victims by putting your talents to such good use.
Indeed!
A husband of one of the victims said that he was on the phone with his wife who told him that the "pool area collapsed." Then the line went dead. She must've heard the collapse and went to check on it and then the rest of the building went down. So tragic and those who are responsible need to be held accountable for this negligence.
I highly doubt that story considering the time the collapse occurred.
@@lucreciaguaba7639 It's true. There are a number of sites reporting this.
@@lucreciaguaba7639 if you listen to other survivors there appeared to be about 2-3 minutes of trembling, shaking before collapse, tragically
@@lucreciaguaba7639 It is a true story, she was in unit 412, which is located in the last part of the building to collapse. She must have heard the pool deck initially collapsing, which was at least 7 minutes before the first part of the building collapsed. The story was accurate to what we now suspect failed first, every reason to believe its true, why would her husband lie?
@@lucreciaguaba7639 she was talking with her husband on the celly standing on the balcony
The concluding statement that this is only a tentative explanation is what makes this video worth every second. Far too many people put out explanations that are entirely theoretical or even just wild guesses without disclosing the same. The great simulation paired with photography and then that statement that this is just an initial look at how things may have transpired is really high quality stuff.
This is a very effective way to explain the collapse. The CCTV is shocking but all the information is hard to discern because the drama of the moment. Brings clarity to just how tragic this whole thing is.
Would be bad enough to just be crushed in your sleep, but imagine being in the east end and having time to jump out of bed and potentially realize what's happening. Just horrific.
I keep thinking about that. Scared to death from the noise then bam....a nightmare. Hopefully it was fast.
Dying from cancer is a slower more painful death.
Believe it or not but some deaths happen faster than pain setting into the body.
@@jasinbiggs7189 no one ever said people don’t die.
Man i dont even wanna think about that, but rip to all those that died, and my condolences to those who lost someone .
Bad time to be on the toilet taking a dump
I've looked at lots of photos so far and I had not noticed the pool deck punch through failure until this video. This is a very well made animation. I'm sure many of your speculations will come to be verified. Thanks for sharing.
That lady that escaped was lucky she had looked out the window while the floor was sinking
I wasn’t there so I don’t know the entire (her) situation but You know what would have been lucky? If she did two things. She could have pulled a fire alarm to wake residents and called 911 to explain what she saw. That would have given approximately 40 minutes for people to be evacuated.
@@robertcarraway3641 Somebody had a 40 minute head start and did nothing to warn others? Wow.
@@libenasukro Yah the ground floor resident that is mentioned saw the damage and left. I think it was also her who heard loud bangs. It think she fled at around 12:45 am and the building came down about an hour later. There were also people from a neighboring building that saw debris in the garage before the total collapse.
Can’t blame her. She had no idea it would be that bad.
@@little-rascal If it's bad enough to make you leave, then do whatever you can to warn others (i.e.-fire alarm).
Perfect choice of music for this. I feel the same sense of sadness watching this simulation as I did with simulations of the Twin Towers collapses. When you see it this clearly, you realize just how catastrophic these types of collapses are. Your simulation and presentation were just superb.
As someone in the industry, this looks to be solid hypothesis.
When I saw those columns just break at 1:04, I got chills...so scary
Yes, at that point I too was convinced that's what drive it home.
......almost looked like ah planned implosion
@@hawkeye1836 No it doesn't.
@@LisaBowers Lisa, "I didn't say it was" I've watched a lot of implosions, and talk to the operators, they all say, "if their lucky it will come straight down", like the Georgia Dome, it didn't all come down, they had to risk doing parts over.
@@hawkeye1836 no it doesn't. There's no conspiracy theories that apply here and I almost feel like it's disrespectful to the families and the victims for people to even suggest such a thing.
Hello Mike from Miami. Excellently created simulation! From everything that I have seen and heard, I think you nailed it. You even cover a few details that our local media missed. It has never made sense to me why some of those condo towers on the beach have underground parking garages.
Excellent simulation. Now the "punch through" explanation makes more sense. One thing that surprises me is how the entire structure is held up by those columns and the one deck slab.
The entire structure isn't held up just by those columns, but if you remove them, the structure will take itself down for obvious reasons.
@@libenasukro but those sheer weight pressing on top of those gave it away... it was literally supporting it.
Generally that one deck slab you are referring to that divides the sub to the super structure is appointed as a transfer plate. The layout of the carpark and the dwellings above are considerably different. That being said transfer plates can take many form at many levels pending the design of the structure as a whole. If the video is correct in its theory of punching, then id say the design or construction or both were inefficient. Could have been below the basement as well, ie the footing systems causing settlement differentially loading other areas past their limits. I doubt the loading of the building was in excess although it could have contributed to the above factors. There may also have been load additions to the building that may not have been factored well. The structural engineers/ builder and owner of the building will have some idea of the reasons, 100%.
2 major design mistakes. (1) hooking the deck to the middle of columns, not continuous with a slab on the other side, guarantees this situation buckles them. (2) Having the exterior, optional, feature-recreational surface slab - its concrete exposed to the elements fully even more than the roof - poured and rebar'd into the main tower columns. A fix would require separate abutting columns or a plate/sill on the main columns (making them double wide). Expect new codes to mitigate these issues. (1) is the most glaringly obvious problem. I might not have caught it but if a senior engineer n the company reviewed the drawings, no way they'd miss that.
@@albud6687 Totally agree, its seems as you enter the building you go up a 6-7 steps before you reach ground level. Having the deck slab & the ground floor slab of the building contributed to the buckling. I agree with you there should of been separate columns abutting the building columns. This would of prevented the collapse of the building. This clip clearly demonstrates my own thinking of the failure modes, its great really. So there is clearly a design flaw. It goes without saying had the waterproofing been maintained then it would of never happened but really one shouldnt be relying on the upkeep of the waterproofing system.
This simulation is very helpful in picturing what happened. Many thanks from someone who couldn't imagine how it happened prior to watching this. Also, I had no idea how many towers there were prior to the tragedy. Well done and much appreciated.
Thank you, Mike. I've been watching every moment of coverage on YT since the tragedy, and this was absolutely the best rendering and clarification on the Internet. 👏🏼🙌🏼
Thanks. Glad it helped
I agree
It’s not his original idea, it’s another guy who is the genius. I’ll attach link to him.
czcams.com/video/duzCQoC1AF0/video.html
@@Mike-Bell czcams.com/video/duzCQoC1AF0/video.html
The people in the part that didn't collapse were so close to death. I can't imagine.
I wouldn't go back into that building. Who knows what else is rusted and decayed?
@@shane99ca even if the authorities let you, would really want to get back into the remaining section of building to retrieve possessions?
@@IAMPLEDGE i Personally do not think the standing part of the building is at serious risk of collapse. All its columns are straight and functioning. Albeit this is just my couchside take
The elevator shear wall saved their lives
@@IAMPLEDGE I'd go in for my pets. There are at least two cats trapped in that section. I'd probably grab my laptop, important papers and cash if I could. Yes, I'm stupid and material I guess.
Great video. My understanding from the Morobito report is that the pool deck was not properly sloped to allow water runoff and standing water collected for long periods around the location of the column punch throughs. Water was also leaking in the same area to the parking deck below.
Slabs are routinely flat on top because it is much less fuss and quicker. The slope is achieve thru tapered topping. The issue is to not let the topping get too thick which is done with more frequent outlets. The sloped topping is visible is visible in fotos of the failed pool deck and the topping is pretty thick in parts. Morabito has created a misconception with this statement.
There were extensive stalactites of the garage ceiling but this was due to non maintained and failed waterproofing. Not because the deck was flat.
This is the first explanation that shows why the collapse of the pool deck brought the entire building down. Well done!
I see why most video's show the shorter version of this collapse. All those lights on before the collapse make it even more heartbreaking.. 💔
They really had no chance the way the buildings just collapsed.
Since we had a big earthquake followed by other 4000 ones here in my city, in Albania from 2019 - 2020, buildings collapsed and almost every house or building were damaged, I've read and followed many documentaries about building failure to prepere for the next one or any possible building failure. We have similar ground to Miami, a swampy one near the sea. By what i learned so far, in big structures like this, if no earthquake is involved, it doesn't happen out of the blue. There must have been cracks in the columns or walls, the ground level, down in the garage. People need to pay attention to their buildings, especially near the sea where's underground erosion.
@@freespiritable You are correct. I read that everything you wrote is accurate, there are pictures and videos showing the damage to the building prior to the collapse. A report written in 2018 mentioned the damages, The building inspector made notes stating “ major structural damage”. We can all learn from this and perhaps like you prepare for major earth changes and hopefully save others.
@kiki Building Integrity a CZcams channel , shows you how to identify the issues , using pictures from this actual building , prior to the collapse. Both channels have been extremely helpful.
@@tonyaanderson311 thanks dear. Your suggestion is very helpful. Best wishes
I'm amazed 3 are still alive. I wonder how the mother and daughter are doing after having surgery. I haven't heard it mentioned
There's only one other channel I've seen show such thorough work. Excellent video. Thank you.
Wow, thanks!
Man the people in that section with the elevator shear wall are so lucky.
The tower that didn't fail had bigger,better pillars, probably other bettter design features as well....
@@michaelmakes1225 nope, it was just further away from where the pool compromised the concrete around it.
@@RashaKahn the surviving building,now demolished,had pillars directly in contact with the west end of the collapsed deck..they were exposed by the deck collapse,but they held up ..and they were of a clearly thicker design.. that's the area I meant...if the collapsing deck had pulled those pillars from under that tower, it would've been brought down too...but they held.
@@RashaKahn If you look at some of the architects drawings, the west portion of the building had thicker columns than the east side. Really not clear why that was done, as the loading per sqft should have been approximately the same (possibly more as the east side had a penthouse apartment on the top)
@@tomsixsix crazy
Seen a lot of theories, but this makes a lot of sense. That pool deck was obviously severly compromised. I imagine future builds wont make a building so precariously susceptible to a domino effect like the one that happened here. Another person noticed that the support columns on the collapsed portion of the building were smaller than the support columns on the part of the building left standing. This just seems like an architectural failure on many levels.
Newer buildings have already been built stronger than this. At the time though this style was common in multiple cities across the United States. Although that doesn't mean other buildings of this style are going to collapse because it all depends on environmental elements. Climate change will cause much more damage to cities on the coast especially those in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas due to the effects of hurricanes and the rising water. Already there are multiple areas of Miami where sea water comes up from the ground. You'd think it had just rained and move along until you get told it didn't rain at all and the water is standing.
@@RandomMichiganGuy This seems to have been a first in terms of various factors. The waterproofing wasn't kept up, and some areas weren't pitches enough to disperse standing water. I imagine this will refine future building codes
@@RandomMichiganGuy This has zero to do with climate change. There were structural issues that were brought to light years before. This was negligence, pure and simple.
@@RandomMichiganGuy A lot of those places shouldn't have ever been built on in the first place. I believe in climate change, but I don't think it's the unusual kind. Earth has changed so much over so long, no matter what humans have done. Trying to stop the earth from going through it's changes is kind of futile. Whether we survive as a species is the real question. Yes, there are things that can be done to help along the way, but in the end, mother nature is going to do what she wants and is going to go through changes that she's been going through since the beginning of time. I'd rather just try to keep trash out the ocean and see nature parks in California properly take care of their foliage to prevent wild fires. By that, I mean they need to do seasonal controlled burns so that all of that natural fuel can be removed for new growth to begin. Thus preventing more fires. There are so many simple things we can do, that people just don't realize, because they see fire, and instantly think bad. They've done it for years in many national parks. Controlled fires prevent uncontrollable ones. Anyways, we really have built a lot of things on the coasts that should have never been built, because eventually water levels were gonna rise and destruction was basically eminent. Humans really do think we can build anywhere we want without consequences. Pompeii for example.
9/11
What a wonderful job you did with the animation and analysis of the collapse. May the poor souls that perished be always remembered and the root cause found so this never repeats again.
Such kind words. I couldn’t put my own feelings down more clearly. Thanks.
This is Florida. Too many high rises built on sand. Yes, this will happen again. This isn't the first time.
@@Steve_in_NJ foundation is only one issue. The ocean is in the air 24/7 that close to the beach. My parents chose a really nice doublewide on a canal lot in Ft. Myers over a condo. Mom's work as a property manager & Dad's work as an architect specializing in high-rise glass installations played a part in their decision. No view of the beach but tons safer!
A lot of animals too
@@katiekane5247 Hello Katie, I live just north of Tampa in a mobile home circa 1956, older than me. 1 mile from the beach. I used to live on a sailboat based in the Keys, in Marathon. Used to teach diving. Your family made the right decision. I can ride the car down and watch a sunset. I loved Ft Myers in the mooring field under the bridge. Stay safe and share some love, the world needs it right now.
It gives me chills. I worked there in my late teens, early twenties when they were built. I mostly worked the north building though. I was a security guard and valet. What a horrific way to go. Prayers and condolences to the loved ones of the victims.
Wow
Was the garage having flood issues then needed pumps?
Anyone that is living in a high rise with a pool, I would question the corrosion level
It was also just faulty waterproofing to the pool deck itself that caused it’s demise. Think about where they are located , right by the beach in hurricane territory as well. That deck was blasted with rain for 40 years with a critical design flaw
Watching that CCTV footage will always give me the chills... because it's like a moment frozen in time in the form of a video...where at that moment we knew those people were still alive, and we keep watching the replay of their death. Forever. It will always haunt you. Awesome simulation btw. May their souls RIP and the families get justice and closure.
I agree...so real...tragic and so sad. RIP TO ALL.
It's even worse... A Columbian/Cuban couple vacationing heard loud "explosions" in the parking garage at Surfside (it was probably the first of the columns starting to fail) and took video of gushing water and debris in the parking garage... Residence of Surfside who were asleep were being awaken by the sounds and to investigate the explostion sounds... The couple after taking the parking garage pictures started yelling at the people on their balconies in Spanish that the building was in danger... Within minutes the collapse... The people on the balconies either didn't hear them, couldn't understand them, didn't take it seriously, didn't care, or didn't make it...
It's terrible... And in an eerie way of reminds me of 9-11... when people in the 2nd tower were told to stay at their desks and that everything was fine... except its the opposite...
This is an excellent simulation of what probably happened. You should probably repost with a larger watermark--you know folks will cut off the bottom of the screen to steal it and post for their own clicks with no acknowledgment of your work.
They probably already have, the bastards.
Watermarks are the worst, they ruin television and youtube.
@@thewhitemustang Sorry that thieves are ruining it for you, too. I don't blame content creators for attempting to protect their content.
@@thewhitemustang What really ruins it are the people who steal and make watermarks necessary.
Where do you think he got it? j/k
Architects and engineers will be studying this for years, if not decades.
mmmmm not really, you'll find the reasons it collapsed are fairly obvious, just wait
@@rollover36 It would be incredibly stupid if they don’t. Pilots study accidents that happened years ago (some decades) to learn from the past mistakes of others. Why shouldn’t engineers and architects? They still study the Tacoma Bridge Collapse and that was over 80 years ago.
@@rotorheadv8 BLAAAA BLAAA BLAA BLA BLA BLA BLA RAAA RAAAAAA
@@iron-farmer Go back to your finger painting.
It will be added to the canon of engineering failures studied by student engineers like the Hilton walkway collapse, the shuttle disaster, the Therac25.
Thank you for taking the time to put this detailed video together, it’s very helpful, overlaying it with the actual photos of the collapsed building is especially helpful with understanding what we’re seeing/looking at when watching the news footage, thanks again
I didn't realize 3 separate sections came down.
I didn't either until just now.
There was actually 4 sections of the building (not counting the pool deck which fell into the basement parking garage before the building fell) but the collapse happened so fast that most people only saw the 3 sections fall.
Neither did I.
Me too I thought it was only one. Unbelievable poor people. So sad 😞
@@dalewalker4614 wow very sad
This completely makes sense especially after hearing about that woman who called (her husband?) minutes before the collapse and said the pool area looked like a sink hole. So, she must've seen the pool deck collapsed in right before the building came down. So So So So sad and just heartbreaking! This should Not have been able to happen, especially people still living in the building.
She was on 4th floor right in section that collapsed first
I wonder why no one hit the fire alarm to get everyone out
Try to remember….it was the residents (owners) of the condos that were presented the list of repairs and costs and were delaying any repairs (for years)….while the damage was increasing and initial repair costs were soaring. They essentially killed themselves…no one else to point the finger at…they were warned. In the aftermath of the collapse, I wonder if any insurance company will be held liable to pay damages considering the facts.
@@donsturtevant2396 I don't care! The owner of the building is responsible! If it was that bad, or had the potential to get that bad, to the point of collapse, then that is the owner's responsibility to keep them safe. Obviously the residents weren't informed of just how bad it was. Sure, some will want to put off some repairs($), but all needed repairs aren't essential in keeping the building from collapsing! Some are just aesthetic, some might be minor, but issues this big, as an owner is your responsibility whether the residents like it or not.
yeah ,..and all the some 50 people who said they heard an explosion first that "sounded like a bomb coming from garage" ,... those are just a buncha knuckle-dragger MAGA Trump voters huh ?? they were just paranoid ,..
That's the best illustration I have seen yet. And I have watched LOTS of stories and shows on this. Nice job. Well done. Looks pretty accurate.
I didn’t realize how much of the building collapsed. I thought I was a small portion but that’s half the damn building
There should have been redundancy built into the design. Just because the pool deck collapsed, that should be made to essentially break away and not drag the main structure down. Seems like architecture 101 stuff. It also is possible that they cut corners. Oh- and when the engineer told them 3 years ago that something like this could happen- they should have listened and taken action.
I agree. If this is accurate the pool deck should not be able to undermine the basic building support.
@@spacecoastz4026 100% correct. I studied engineering (not architecture) and redundancy is a very basic concept- even in electrical circuits. Always have a back up path is path A fails. One example might be the world trade center. It was constructed about a decade earlier 1973. It was extremely redundant. It took the resulting fire to weaken the other supports over nearly 2 hours. Champlain was completed in 1981. Also, they very likely cut corners. I heard the beams might have been thinner than what was used in the North Tower. Regardless, any building can fail if not properly maintained.
Good critical thinking. I made a video on my channel showing how the victims actions may be a clue to a possible different scenario. Must watch with an open mind though. Peace
@@zoomtruth1013 Which video- A Tribute... What is the bottom line- your point? Some people smile when they get nervous. What are you suggesting? Lack of maintenance/neglect, leaks on the pool deck, salt water and poor design brought this building down. If you have other thoughts- please share. I would be curious to hear.
@@UTAH100 jet fuel doesn’t melt steel beams 😉
Thanks Mike for this amazing and great animation. I hope this helps the investigations. Now I have a better understanding on what the pool deck was (it was basically the roof of the underground parking ! Thanks again!
Been twisting my brain trying to piece together all the analysis into a cohesive sequence of events and then I watched this and I want to shout THANK YOU!
What a profoundly accurate, "failure analysis", by Mike Bell.
This should exceed 1,000,000 views.
One day after you said that, it did!
You guessed correctly.
Makes a lot of sense. The contractors really fucked this up. The original plans had all kinds of slopes, drainage and waterproofing. Instead, they just filled the deck flat, installed hardly any drainage and left out a lot of waterproofing. I'm not sure if they realized that the structural integrity of the whole building depended on that pool deck.
It's a good question and a good observation. I wonder what what the North Tower is like in that area supposedly it was ran better and it's a way better shape than South Tower was
@@dougc190 look on Google Street view and you'll see evidence of what looks like concrete spalling on that building too, especially around the balcony barriers.
@@dougc190 Both Champlain North and East are in chitty condition...just different stages.
who were the contractors? I've heard things about the Miami scene cutting corners in the late 70s/early 80s.
@@Dutchess80 I appreciate your reply and I have no reason to doubt you. I'm just going off what I've heard and read on the news.
I've been extremely curious as to what could've caused this terrible tragedy. I've seen several CZcams videos on the subject, but my jaw dropped as I watched this. Amazing work, Mike Bell. Thanks.
Watch "Building Integrity" channel. Solid evidence for extensive decay of rebar leading to concrete deterioration. This animation really helps explain the sequence. There's a video taken 7 minutes prior to initiation of collapse showing water pouring down from roof of parking garage just past the ramp. If both channels collaborated, might provide even greater insight. Theory of the water is fracture of sprinkler lines just prior to start of collapse. Terrible & avoidable tragedy!
This really helped me to understand what could Make something like this happen, thank you for this video.
The best analysis I ever seen. Easy to understand by comparison.Thank you so much.
It can't be said enough, God bless their very souls.
Not at all most of the unit owners had tenets
God bless, yes the almighty's warm embrace that cover their eyes with darkness in their eternal sleep but this violent death was part of his great plan. Even children weren't spared from the perfect one's wrath. God Bless..more like God Curse.
@Boxing Fan probably. .and they still weren't protected by Hoa, that they paid probably alot of money too...
@Boxing Fan Yo what does them being rich got to do with any of this
You sound like you saying they are rich so they deserve to die.
Then used the phrase may God bless their soul" to soften the blow
Your stupid idea of 'god' is insulting to people who lost loved ones.
1:05 beam rotation explains a lot. I was looking at the pictures for a week before I saw the punch throughs and realized WHAT I was seeing and what it revealed.... Sister owns a unit in a 45 y.o. 22 story beachfront in Daytona- they replaced the pool deck waterproofing system in 2012- $6m, two years of extensive disruption, parking structure was closed for 26 months.
The pool and deck should NOT have been attached in such a manner that this could result. Also, the vertical posts would ordinarily be topped with horizontal beams (tie beams) in every garage that I have seen. So this scenario is weird from that standpoint. BUT, to answer my own comment, we can readily see the exposed vertical posts with no attached beams to be seen. Again, weird.
BTW I have been a Florida builder since 1975.
@@vegas1a Why would the 1978 County Planning office approve such a crappy design?! Was it just not known then that this could happen? What about places with taller condos and this type of deck over the garage design? Will underground parking garages go away after this? Has a sinkhole been ruled out?
@@Dutchess80, _"Why would the 1978 County Planning office approve such a crappy design?! ..."_ because they probably all thought, 'what the heck, I won't be around to worry about it.'_
@@vegas1a I agree, I do not think the deck was directly attached to those support columns like that, and the roof alone would not weigh enough to buckle 3 support columns like that even if they had. It did not buckle any of the others supports, so why the building supports? What I think did buckle those columns are something missing from the simulation. There were massive dirt filled planter boxes next to those columns on the pool deck. They would have weighed thousands of pounds and likely damaged the columns badly as they hit the garage floor, and pushed the columns inward as they fell, rather than pulling them outward.
@@Dutchess80 - Every high-rise in the world has underground parking. Do you see them collapsing all the time? No. This was a design flaw and lack of maintenance. End of.
Nice work Mike. This helped me with greater details of what happened. Prayers to all those effected by this event.
Thank you Mike Bell for this excellent simulation. I've been yearning to figure out the way it all failed, and your fine work has fulfilled my need. I'm sure it's quite accurate too. Damn good job.
It looks like it was like having the rug pulled out from underneath of them.
Indeed ! A brilliant probable illustration of a deeply unsettling tragedy ! Reporters talking about a "pool deck" (at an unspecified level ) and leaking roof (lacking drainage slope) sounded more like a cascading pancaking from top down, not columns yanked away at the bottom. :-o
One of the things that they could’ve done to prevent a complete and total collapse is to do the same thing that they do on modern bridges. On modern bridges they design the bridge with uneven spacing between the sections and columns to get them not to tug on each other during failures.
If you look at bridges the center spans are farther apart than the ones closer to the shore.
Engineers have found out the hard way to do that to bridges. It looks like some building engineers are going to have to find out the hard way that they need to follow suit too.
The deep state
Shut up
@@untoldofficialyoutube8563 ,
Or . . .
Open Down ! B-)
Great illustration. People from all over the world are sadden by this. Prays and hope from 🇫🇷 France
dont waste your time with prayers, child
@@VINvIN344 get a life omg
Thank you for making this. It's been mind-boggling to me how something this big could happen. This helps to at least understand on a technical level.
Thank you for taking the time to create this. Such an awful tragedy. 💔
There is footage from 7 mins before the collapse that show evidence of the pool deck collapse. Combine that with witnesses who heard a loud noise before the collapse and the woman who saw it happen while on the 4th story balcony. I believe this theory is definitely on the right track.
Supply the link for that
What is the name of the video.
@@glock23gen4 czcams.com/video/32spsIrM_PY/video.html it's footage taken of the parking garage entrance showing a pipe leaking water. You can also see the debris that had fallen into the garage which would have been from the pool deck having collapsed first. Also believe there are two accounts of people in the building commenting on the collapse of the pool deck before the building came down, one of them did not make it out and was on the phone with her husband when the building collapsed.
@@brycesbroadcasting it shows a beam and water That is chiller water ..not pool deck collapse. If the pool deck collapsed first it would have set off the fire sprinklers and the fire alarm ..The pool deck was punched by the building pancaking on top of it
With a P.E. License in Civil E., I have been on a dozen or so multi story building demolitions. This has ALL of the ear markings of a building demolition....in my professional opinion, the Miami building episode was NOT a self-sustaining collapse....it was INDUCED via high level explosives!
I think this is what happened because a new report says a woman on the 4th floor called her boyfriend and told him the pool deck had collapsed and shortly after that she went missing. This also explains why the other half stayed up. Another engineer on CZcams explained the same thing. The video of the water leak is exactly where the pool deck was. Maybe moving forward, they shouldn't have underground garages beyond certain pillars.
Or maybe respond to engineer findings in a timely manner. Also assess potential threat or risk areas of residence. Then have these people relocated. They could have raised money to help the people find other places to live until they addressed all the findings. It’s not the design that failed. It’s human failure to respond that caused yet another tragedy. In the Middle East or even China these condo association folks etc would be in jail. In the U.S they just get to file for bankruptcy and move on
It sounds like there were various things going on, think we'll have to wait on a more expansive report. Some say the design of the drainage was poor, it was a level surface rather than graded which would naturally cause any sort of water buildup to flow away, potentially made an ideal circumstance to rust or decay the material around it, or just increasing pore fluid pressure which makes shear stress failure more likely too. But this is all speculation as we don't quite know what point or points of failure caused this. Could even be a little bit of everything.
@@knightingg8324 Yeah, I guess the concrete slab was suppose to be slanted to allow water to flow off. Instead it was completely flat and water built up.
Everyone wants to blame the building owner but it seems like he did his job based on his presented reports and findings. The HOA didn't want to pay up though. Just another reason why you should never live under a HOA, their primary concerns going through their complaints was over dogs and "unclean sand". Engineering was out of their depth it seems
@@maxwillson doesn’t concrete soak up water and can cause expansion and cracks? Considering they’re next to the ocean and dealing with hurricanes yearly, that’s a lot of water.
This hurts my heart....Awesome job with the illustration!!
Excellent video!
When you look at the pictures you can clearly see punch and sheer failures with very straight rebar sticking out.
This building was NOT, NOT, NOT a victim of old age, this building may have needed repairs but non of these issues brought down this building.
My guess is the rebar was placed to high up in the floor.
This building was doomed the day it was built.
It may have taken 40 years of wear and tear to bring it down but it was inevitable.
You could see so many lights on in the condo units that collapsed and watched as the lights went off as the building collapsed. So sad to know their lives were extinguished at the same time.
@Ron Douglas I noticed that as well. The lights going on as if people were being woken up from the sound, and then the collapse.. That breaks my heart.
Indeed.
@@3smithey life is short.
I can not thank you enough for this video. I’ve been trying so hard to piece together this entire event to somewhat understand what happened and no one was giving any explanation as to how it happened step by step. This video was very informative and easy to understand. Thank you man
You're very welcome!
This is the most comprehensive model I have seen. Thank you!
News reports and experts they interview: "It could take weeks, months or even years to know what caused the building to fall"
Internet: Less than two weeks here is a computer model of what potentially happened.
That's because this isn't a causation analysis. It's an effects analysis.
@@floridadad2817 Correct. It doesn't explain anything.
Plus you got to understand that it's easy for us on the internet to put a "potential explanation" of what happened. But for the investigators in the field it has to be 100% correct. Especially when you're dealing with people's lives, you really want to make sure that the correct people are held responsible
News reports and experts could be sued.
But when the "experts" are done 2 years from now, it's still going to be just like this effects analysis animation. LOL. Some combination of rotten-ass rebar concrete, poor drainage, salt air environment, blah, blah that caused the pool deck to collapse just like this or similar.
at 1.05 you have all 4 columns pulled sideways and collapsing together - the concierge says he heard 3 loud bangs in close succession, probably the far 3 in your simulation , the 4th being part of the later collapse
Jesus Christ! Did he make it out at all with that lady and her kids?!
@@Dutchess80 Jesus Christ is the son of god. His name is not a cuss word!🤨
@@MrMJmusicLover in ireland we say ‘Ah Jazus ‘ which is fun and confuses the religious snipers every time😂
@@kevinmcgrath3591 I looked it up and find it more appropriate. 🤔😅
Until watching this video, I had trouble visualizing why the pool deck collapse would take down most of the building. It could be that it really was as simple as a poorly maintained deck, improperly constructed (no gradient for drainage), and tenants not fully understanding how that might put them all at risk, and therefore not rushing to pay for repairs.
We shouldn't put the onus of this on the tenants. If I were to find out the building I live in had structural defects dating back to the construction of the building, I wouldn't be thrilled at paying for repairs. Especially since my landlord should be the one paying for it since it is HIS property, not mine.
@@user-K8T this is a condo building with individual owners, not a landlord.
@@waitaminute2015 I see. I haven't watched any real news coverage, so I don't really know much information outside of the structural failure.
@@user-K8T it's very sad. Actually the Rolling Stones did an article about this that I liked. You can Google it , it's a fairly short read, but explains the situation.
@@waitaminute2015 All things like this are. 150+ people died in their homes. All of them had lives and families and certainly weren't expecting to die that day. I'm not ignorant of the tragedy of the situation. But I don't see any good reason to immerse myself in it. We can't help anybody who died, but we can learn how this happened and that knowledge will help us understand how to better protect against things like this in the future.
This was the most comprehensive explanation out there. Thanks mane.
Architect here, great simulation for a possible cause and based on the surface evidence completely plausible. Great job!
❤️
Brilliant analysis and computer simulation. And I am particularly impressed by the humility in your caution that this is only one potential explanation. You’ve definitely helped the investigation with your good work!
This is NO a computer simulation.
This is a very bad computer animation.
Example: 1:17
Just goes to show pictures speak louder than words . Thank you for the effort you’ve put into this 🙏
Excellent explanation. I have not seen much actual analysis of the collapse on any of the news I watch. Great job with great explanations and photographic evidence.
I stayed in Champlain Towers East for over 6 months in 2015. And I know one of the residents in Champlain South who most likely perished. When such tragedy strikes it's so important to understand why. This simulation provides a preliminary understanding of how this tragedy occurred. Thank you Mike Bell for this simulation
I’m glad to be helpful. Such a tragic story. I cannot imagine what it was like for the victims.
@@Mike-Bell no Mike neither can I... The resident I knew is Estelle Hedaya. Shes a beautiful woman from Brooklyn New York who moved to Champlain South in 2015/2016. She lived on the 6th fl facing north. Half her terrace remained standing inline with the others that we see. It was her bedroom and den that fell while her kitchen and terrace remains.... I pray for her every moment along with her neighbors... How the paradise of Surfside can become such tragedy... Horrific...
@@danperlman3185 yes it is tragic but on a larger scale I find it somewhat fascinating that life is so random that one moment you go to bed and the next moment you are known across the world. Very few people had heard of the city of Surfside outside of Dade County and Surfside Mayor Burkett was certainly unknown to the world. When he turned in for the night at 11 p.m. he had no clue that he would be addressing the world media in less than 24 hours for a catastrophe in the city. Just like the city of Parkland (school shooting) in Broward. Small unheard of city suddenly known across the world.
Your simulation has to be the most accurate example of what really happened. Great Job!
czcams.com/video/K0vgdPv9PWw/video.html
This is the best of all the 3D depictions that try to explain how the collapse happened. Great work.
Finally a video that is concise amd to the point and that offeres a well thought out explanation.
Amazing! This needs to be seen by millions.
I watched at .50 speed with the sound muted. That worked for me.
You’re beyond talented! You make complicated situations clear! Superb work!!
Excellent animation! I have not been following the news so this is what informed me!
I very much appreciate this visualization of what happened. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it
This was amazing work, out of all the models available online this is was the easier to follow for someone that doesn't have a background in the field. Once you show the model and the picture by picture its so clear to see how everything kinda got effected. Ty
Seems plausible, however I bet that the structural columns were already poisoned from the rot in the pool deck and once the deck collapsed they probably exploded no longer having that lateral pressure from the deck keeping them compressed.
Good eye. Why did the engineers make such building decisions? Like, how is an exposed water filled slab a main component of the whole building’s structural well being? That’s just janky. I get that they would’ve needed to make the columns thicker and all that but goddamn. No sense and fucking sad to say the least.
Thank you for stepping up to something rather important and not romancing any mystery
Thank you for sharing this with us.
WOW, absolutely similar to real life. Hopefully this tragedy will never happen again. Greetings from Paraguay.
@Mike Bell You not only provided a very logical and realistic simulation, you did it in a way that made me FEEL the emotion of the moment. Your choice of music is a beautiful accompaniment to the video. Thank you.
Thank you for the appreciation. Im happy you approve of the music. I am cautious to show respect to the tragedy.
Very respectful, yes.
Thank you, Mr. Bell.
Thank you for the simulation, great job, bring the possible causes to light.
You nailed it. This is precisely how I've deduced this happened, as well. Exterior slab punching failure caused the rotation/failure of the tower's perimeter columns. So unfortunate.
Precisely how YOU have deduced this happened as well?.. 🤨
You mean, precisely how this brilliant man presented it to you in an amazing detailed and elegant computer animation simulation? You probably fancy yourself a skilled CSI investigator and credit yourself as the lead detective when watching true crime documentaries too?
This is really interesting. Thank you for creating it. I was having trouble understanding why the pool deck corrosion would have caused the building to collapse and this really helps explain why that would be a problem.
What a horrifying thing to have to live through. Sadly, some didn't.
150 did not live
Most didn't*
@@kcholmeskicks sad numbers
Happened so fast they probably didn't even have time to process what was happening, let alone try to get out or even say "I love you!" one last time to their families.
Very sad God be with their families and I sure hope the Rest In Peace.
This is amazing! Thank you for making this so easy to understand.. wow! So sad.. bless those people ❤️
Glad it was helpful!
I appreciate the background music it really provides a necessary tone in watching this explanation. Respect .
Thank you so much Mike for taking the time to make this extremely helpful video. My condolences to the families. May your videos help prevent other catastrophes.
Wow. This channel is run by a smart man! Thank you for your possible explanation/Analysis of the buildings fall. Great work!
Thanks for putting this together and posting it....TV doesn't describe it clearly. So very sad. Prayers.
Thank you for the demonstration. Much appreciated.
If this theory holds up, to think that elevator shaft saved so many more lives
Andrew C: It was the elevator shear wall, not the elevator shaft as you stated, that may have served as a buttress preventing total collapse.
That is a shear wall it was meant to do exactly what it did. That worked really well
Elevator shafts will always prevent buildings especially during earthquakes from total collapse.
Shear walls add to building stability in case of failure, but as optimisation is a priority since the 80s new tall buildings lack the number of shear walls, design is based on the calculations that consider that the elevator shaft to accommodate those forces can hold the structure which is correct, but in case of loss of any foundation pile in any part of the building the shearwalls can hold the structure and personal belief is that the last part that collapsed would have held longer.
It's good to have a big shaft
Check the column size between the structure still standing and the portion that collapsed. The columns were vastly different in size, almost as a toothpick to a toothbrush. One was thick it looks like it could support the structure better and the other was sheered off completely.