Miami apartment building collapse-

[Dude#1279435]

Great analysis from an engineer....

 

[Dude#1279435]

That was the other thing. Why were the concrete supports at the base so much smaller than on the left? I got the impression it was constructed in pieces.

 

[highfigh]

Good grief mikey, if anything the residents screwed themselves by delaying work due to costs involved...not a "landlord" situation like you';re accustomed to...these are 500 -700k condos and they couldn't get repairs approved / started timely via the owners' association....as assessments for work needed was up to 200k per unit....

HOA strikes again. Kick the can down the road until terrible things happen and in a salt air/water environment with sandy soil, I wouldn't consider living in a building like that. Now, they want to take the rest of the building down, before they find all of the missing.

A more assertive inspector and a better presentation of the possible dangers were needed, as well as a city that had a pair. I think some kind of grant could have been available, especially in light of the fact that several hurricanes have plowed through in the time since it was built.

Terrible.

 

[highfigh]

Great analysis from an engineer....

It would be helpful to know how thick the walls are that were supporting the areas that showed spalling- the top (below the slab) is used as a beam and the width decreases the span between walls but the spalling shown is only part of the problem, which may not be visible without using some method to check the integrity of the walls, footings, etc.

As they taught is in school- "nothing is truly 'waterproof' ".

 

[Dude#1279435]

This is a very good one too. This guy has construction consulting experience. Goes through the various pics during the 2018 construction analysis. The wording used in the reports (ie timely manner vs immediately). Even I can figure this stuff out by just walking down in the basement parking. Oh that doesn't look good! Hey there's rebar sticking out! Look at that huge waterline crack! Patches only cover up the problem etc. Weird they chose to do the roof first when it was reported it didn't have any leaks. When you jackhammer the roof you have to consistently go down and monitor the supports for increased stress. Really just a sad experience.

 

[Hetfield]

This is a very good one too. This guy has construction consulting experience. Goes through the various pics during the 2018 construction analysis. The wording used in the reports (ie timely manner vs immediately). Even I can figure this stuff out by just walking down in the basement parking. Oh that doesn't look good! Hey there's rebar sticking out! Look at that huge waterline crack! Patches only cover up the problem etc. Weird they chose to do the roof first when it was reported it didn't have any leaks. When you jackhammer the roof you have to consistently go down and monitor the supports for increased stress. Really just a sad experience.

Yes, this is the guy I've been following. He is excellent and knows his $hit. Very interesting info from him, fascinating information.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Dude#1279435]

HOA strikes again. Kick the can down the road until terrible things happen and in a salt air/water environment with sandy soil, I wouldn't consider living in a building like that. Now, they want to take the rest of the building down, before they find all of the missing.

A more assertive inspector and a better presentation of the possible dangers were needed, as well as a city that had a pair. I think some kind of grant could have been available, especially in light of the fact that several hurricanes have plowed through in the time since it was built.

Terrible.

They want to take the rest of the building down due to the approaching hurricane I believe.

 

[Dude#1279435]

It would be helpful to know how thick the walls are that were supporting the areas that showed spalling- the top (below the slab) is used as a beam and the width decreases the span between walls but the spalling shown is only part of the problem, which may not be visible without using some method to check the integrity of the walls, footings, etc.

As they taught is in school- "nothing is truly 'waterproof' ".

I assume thickness matters even when concrete is absorbing moisture?
Also how much spalling is acceptable in older buildings?

 

[highfigh]

They want to take the rest of the building down due to the approaching hurricane I believe.

I have only seen it referred to as a Tropical Storm- not sure how bad it will be but at the very least, everyone needs to move out if the remaining structure is safe to enter.

 

[highfigh]

I assume thickness matters even when concrete is absorbing moisture?
Also how much spalling is acceptable in older buildings?

Can't tell without knowing how much concrete is supposed to be there but for that place, near the water and on sand, I would assume the foundation walls and floors are supposed to be very thick. The American Concrete Institute would have the specs for allowable loss of section and spalling but that's only a symptom- when rebar rusts, it expands and when it does that, the surrounding material fractures and spalls. How much fracturing occurred is probably more important.

American Concrete Institute

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) is a leading authority and resource worldwide for the development and distribution of consensus-based standards, technical resources, educational programs, certification programs, and proven expertise for individuals and organizations involved in concrete...

www.concrete.org

Being near the water comes with its own challenges, whether fresh water or salt- hydraulic pressure occurs when the soil is sandy and the structure will experience difficult loads because the pressure isn't uniformly distributed.

 

[cpp]

The blame game on who is at fault will be in court for years.

 

[Dude#1279435]

Another great one. He goes into the beams underground etc. Speculation but is wondering if there was any waterproofing as a chunk of the deck was taken out for inspection. Photo by a condo staff shows sitting water on the deck. The pre-collapse video he figures one of the columns had given way hence the debris at the bottom of the ramp.