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Congressbon I Research Service
Informing 1h legisIlive debate since 1914
September 13, 2023
NIST Update on Champlain Towers Collapse Investigation
Overview
On June 24, 2021, part of the Champlain Towers South, a
12-story residential building, collapsed in Surfside, FL,
killing 98 people. On June 25, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) National Construction
Safety Team (NCST) sent investigators to the site to
identify factors contributing to the collapse. On June 30,
NIST launched a full technical investigation of the collapse.
Still underway, the NCST investigation is exploring a
number of factors that might have contributed to the
collapse, including sinkholes, excessive settling of the
building's pile foundations, and other factors.
On September 7, 2023, the NCST reported on the
investigation's findings to date. The update included
preliminary evaluations of the data collected on site
conditions and deviations from design in the construction of
the building's pool deck.
Prehiminary Findings
According to NIST,
The [NCST's] preliminary evaluation of the data
collected indicates that approximately one quarter
of an inch or less of settling occurred in the pile
foundations supporting the pool deck structure and
basement, which would have had minimal impact
on the pool deck structure. The preliminary
evaluation did not reveal evidence of sinkholes that
could have created voids under the foundation.
The team's preliminary evaluation of physical and
historical evidence also revealed how the
construction of the pool deck deviated from design
requirements. This adds to the low margins against
failure that were [previously identified].
Specifically, the team found that the number of slab
reinforcing bars centered over vertical columns was
inadequate and that the reinforcing bars in the top
of the slab in the vicinity of the columns were
spaced farther apart than the design required. These
deviations weakened the slab-column connections.
In the course of its investigation, the NCST has extracted
more than 300 concrete cores and rebar samples from the
site and begun materials testing. Thus far, according to the
NCST, the average tested concrete strength for various
types of structural elements such as slabs and columns
exceeds the specified design strength for those elements.
The NCST also reported progress in building a computer
model to simulate the collapse initiation and progression.
In addition, the NCST team is actively seeking additional
photos or videos of the building during the collapse to aid
in its analysis.
NIST anticipates that the NCST will complete its technical
work in June 2024 with release of its final report, including
findings and recommendations, in June 2025.
N 1ST, NCST Authorities Under the
National Construction Safety Tearm Act
Congress enacted the National Construction Safety Team
(NCST) Act (P.L. 107-231) in October 2002 authorizing the
NIST, a non-regulatory agency of the Department of
Commerce, to establish teams to investigate building
failures. NCST Act authorities are similar to those of the
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the federal
agency that investigates transportation accidents.
Under the act, the NCST is charged with improv[ing] the
safety and structural integrity of buildings in the United
States by providing for the establishment of investigative
teams to assess building performance and emergency
response and evacuation procedures in the wake of any
building failure that has resulted in substantial loss of life or
that posed the potential for substantial loss of life.
The NCST Act authorizes NIST to dispatch teams of
experts, where appropriate and practical, within 48 hours
after major building disasters. Each team must have at least
one NIST employee. Teams may include private sector and
university experts, representatives of professional
organizations, and appropriate federal, state, and local
officials. Under the act, NSCT teams are to:
establish the likely technical cause or causes of
building failures;
evaluate the technical aspects of evacuation and
emergency response procedures;
recommend, as necessary, specific improvements to
building standards, codes, and practices;
recommend any research and other appropriate actions
needed to improve the structural safety of buildings,
and to improve evacuation and emergency response
procedures; and
within 90 days of completing an investigation, issue a
public report of findings and recommendations.
The NCST Act authorizes NIST and its investigative teams
to access the site of a building disaster; subpoena evidence;](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govemwc0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)