Champlain Towers South (Surfside, FL) Collapse Investigation

In the early morning of June 24, 2021, the eastern half of the twelve-story Champlain Towers South Condominium collapsed, killing ninety-eight residents of the forty-year-old building in Surfside, Florida. WJE was retained by attorneys representing the condominium association to determine the cause of the collapse and provide litigation support.

Our scope of work included a review of design and construction records, videos, and photographs taken before, during, and after the collapse; site inspections at the Champlain Towers South collapse site and NIST primary evidence facility; testing of construction materials and subsurface conditions (in coordination with the involved parties); review of relevant codes and standards; and structural analyses. Our investigation found that the flat plate slab supporting the pool deck above an underground garage was under-designed, with significant structural distress apparent before the collapse.

In this webinar, WJE structural engineers Matthew Fadden and Gary Klein detail WJE’s investigation and findings, including our collapse theory.