March 19th, 2024 by: WRG ENGINEERING P.C
The Collapse of the Champlain Towers South Building
On June 24th, 2021, part of a 12-story condominium residing in Surfside, Florida collapsed, leading to the deaths of ninety-eight residents at about 1:30 AM. The property damage had been estimated to be worth one billion dollars. Soon enough, federal investigators were searching for the cause of this single event. After thorough analysis, these teams concluded that the main reason for this incident involved the building’s pool deck. They stated that the material used to construct the deck was too fragile and the amount of additional pressure added onto the area of the pool over the years was another contributing factor to this event. These utterly important design flaws caused the water from the pool to flow into the garage area that was underneath the pool.
A year later, new legislation had been signed into law by the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. This legislation included further procedures for the evaluation, inspection, and maintenance of the structural integrity of high-rise condominium buildings within Senate Bill 4-D. Condo associations are now required to have sufficient funds for all necessary repairs needed to maintain the structural integrity of these types of buildings. Before, condominium buildings within Florida were not required to be inspected by licensed professionals. Some find it remarkable how a single event can lead to significant changes.
New Jersey Follows Up
On January 8th, New Jersey’s governor signed these extra procedures concerning their regulations into law as well. New Jersey has become the second state to do this, except this state has pushed things a bit further. Within this enactment, buildings made up of steel, concrete, timber, or other sorts of materials, are affected by this legislation. Buildings over seven stories high and condominiums over four stories are not an exception. Any buildings which have gone fifteen years or more without an inspection have a deadline of two years while buildings constructed after the eighth of January are to have theirs in fifteen years.
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