Retired civil engineer here with marine experience. I applaud your educating so many people on this complex topic. Your method of communication and explanation is spot on. Great job

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, thank you!

@112chapters3

2 жыл бұрын

Retired QS/Master of the dark arts here also with marine experience, I concur

@112chapters3

2 жыл бұрын

@Hiccum Blurpaedius my man

@d.e303-anewlowcosthomebuil7

2 жыл бұрын

@@BuildingIntegrity bad concrete?..it looks sooo chaulky, and it doesnt stick to the rebar in the normal way. Also, is there any pebbles in it? I dont see any.......incorrect building methods, built to minimum, paid off inspector?....planter box added later with no extra support....rust and rot ( lots of water leaks for years).....undersized columns.....what did i miss?.....bad maintenance, too much cost for condo owners( $200k each?)...engineer and co. inspector paid?, to not scare people( reduces property value $200k ea.).......etc..... .... So, no one could just put up some shoring underneath the pool deck, remove the planters, demo down to solid concrete, add structural crete to the deck, and lots more strength to the posts?.....i just shake my head....

@Tedybear315

2 жыл бұрын

@@d.e303-anewlowcosthomebuil7 I've watched many of the videos on this topic. Sadly the 'pool deck' when this engineer ran the physical numbers proved the deck was already at 100% capacity before the plant boxes where installed if memory serves. The 'chalk' appearance is due to water infiltration. One of this members videos addresses the effect of water infiltration upon the concrete and in turn the reinforcement used (rebar). Basically the pool deck had lousy water proofing and it wound up soaking water into the concrete and that cause the rebar to rust and blow out the concrete and the 'chalky' appearance as things broke down. This is a perfect storm of cheap stupidity. So many potential issues that one on their own wouldn't have brought the building down. But now you have a weakened support wall....construction with the roof repair.... Incorrect repairs already have been done. Severer water damage and concrete splitting/separating. People kicking the repair can down the road.. Eventually everything comes to a head and gives up. So far from my limited understanding: The pool deck went first and the supports punched through the deck while it failed. From that point it was just like knocking over domino's.

Huge public service to continue with on-going analysis of this tragic failure. Your studious approach is neutral, just seeking knowledge and comprehension.

Your videos are the most comprehensive, the least speculative and the least opinionated - reserved of knowledgeable interjections. I've watched others and hastily turned them off due to being akin to watching UFO documentaries or off-putting and insulting opinions. Great work and presentation! Thank you.

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

@CDRaff

2 жыл бұрын

I couldn't put my finger on why I didn't like any of the other coverage of the collapse and I think you nailed it. Too much speculation and editorialization to be really useful information.

@kelownatechkid

2 жыл бұрын

Great comment and summarizes my feelings as well.

@frankmiller95

2 жыл бұрын

Other than never even having considered watching UFO "documentaries," ditto.

@takethehighroad5027

2 жыл бұрын

@@BuildingIntegrity if you watch CSI Miami you can see aerial shots of the surfside buildings and also a few crimes were on Collins and you can also briefly see building from road level too in some episodes.

Thank you for this, you provide the best detailed commentary that can still be understood by regular people.

@coldwaterjimmy7044

2 жыл бұрын

DW ... All I can say regarding your comment is: "copy that" !

Quesion: Without the collapse of the building, would this lawsuit even exist? This seems like it should have been issued when the first report came in. The neglect seems evident. The continual flooding of the garage over the years and the neglect of the garage will probably supercede these attempts.

@williamhaynes7089

2 жыл бұрын

as you can see.. even if the 'wall damage' was real cause, wouldn't you think the CTS owners would fix it and send the bill to them long before collapse?

@pulaski1

2 жыл бұрын

@@williamhaynes7089 Would it have been smart to? Yes. Should they have? Probably. But that doesn't matter, you can bring a lawsuit whenever is convenient for you, subject to any statute of limitations. So while you make an interesting rhetorical point, it has little or no relevance to the bringing of the lawsuit.

@williamhaynes7089

2 жыл бұрын

@@pulaski1 - it would have been smart, because if it really was a life or death issue, i choose life

@pulaski1

2 жыл бұрын

@@williamhaynes7089 Me too, and as a real estate investor myself (albeit at a relatively low level) I am more than happy to pay for repairs and maintenance to protect and enhance the value of my investments - but as was apparently the case at CTS, some people are ill advised, ignorant, niaeve, and in some cases just plain "stupid" when it comes to maintaining the building in which they have an ownership interest. ..... And this is why I have never bought a condo, nor do I plan to do so, as it would tie me to other people unknown to me, who might not collectively make smart decisions about maintaining the structure of the property,

@BilCook

2 жыл бұрын

@@williamhaynes7089 this video tells me the real "fault" is with the management and board of CTS that clearly had issues and did nothing about it.

In uk this kind of thing is governed by Party Wall Act, Surveyors/ Engineers acting for both sides agree what is or isn’t necessary to prevent damage to the property on both sides of the boundary by the works and inspect the work to ensure it’s built in line with the agreement. The owners of the newest development being constructed would be responsible for paying for those acting for both sides.

@felsenruh

2 жыл бұрын

How interesting. At least common sense is still alive some place in the world.

Excellent Report/Opinion..Spent 25 years as a Structural Engineering Inspector in NY/NJ/CT&FL and so far have seen that Contractor cheaped out on rebar at Column Capitals and many other places so add 40years of abuse and there you are....

This whole thing is just so sad. Negligent behavior by most parties involved combined with greedy agendas.

@olegkosygin2993

2 жыл бұрын

And the system designed to prevent anyone giving a crap from interfering.

@VictorNewman201

2 жыл бұрын

@@olegkosygin2993 Exactly, the system is designed for developers to get away with virtually anything.

@luisxvgenovese1736

2 жыл бұрын

Just so much corruption all around. The county should have never sold 87 street to the developers. It put the new building too close to CTS

@andrewallason4530

2 жыл бұрын

@@luisxvgenovese1736 the street was built on 87 Park property. It was classed as a Right of Way. They maintained it as a Right of Way for pedestrians, but have NO obligation to maintain it as a Right of Way for vehicles. I have an old abandoned colliery railway running through the middle of my farm. The coal mine closed in 1926, and the line was pulled up shortly thereafter. The cutting is still classified as a Right of Way, but is only accessible to pedestrians, and the odd, brave mountain biker. That is all that is required by the property owner, for it to ‘accessible’. No requirement to be wheelchair accessible or anything else. They could have just left it as a track in the sand and that would be fine.

@kenlieberman4215

2 жыл бұрын

@@andrewallason4530 They DID until the city gave it up. This was discussed in the previous video, the city sold it for $10mil. The right of way also included outdoor parking. The sale allowed the developer to enlarge the bldg.

As an attorney, I really appreciate the way that you describe the content in a very concise and easy to understand manner. As an attorney, I also should remind you that we are trained to ask for it "all" and then be able to "settle" for something less. I think an attorney that did less, is not doing what is in his clients' best interests. Since Florida law allows comparative negligence, which allows a jury to divide or assign each party a percentage (%) of fault, they are making the case that the neighboring developer had some role in the collapse. Maybe 1% or maybe more?

@gerardacronin334

2 жыл бұрын

I also appreciate that he is not passing any legal judgments, just presenting us with the details of the lawsuit.

@Garth2011

2 жыл бұрын

Cutting it pretty thin with 1% as it may as well be zero vs. 1%. In my opinion, before they could be held partially liable, the percentage of liability should have to exceed a minimum such as 20% or more. Anything less is just guessing and asking for donations. Besides, 87 Park only started 3 years ago, CTS was planted 40 years ago with decades of issues previously.

@JoeKubinec

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for contributing. I learned something from your post!

Bro they going to call you to testify your expert opinion love the videos

Josh - regarding the replacement of a street with a 10' wide walking path. Isn't it reasonable to surmise that the street that used to exist between CTS and the hotel (later 87 Park) had some sort of gutter/drainage system? Didn't rainfall on the street drain into gutters which directed water into a storm drain system? Wouldn't it be the case that "historically" CTS's parking garage was "protected" from rainfall because that water was directed offsite? So did the 87 Park Developers close off and remove an existing storm drain system that used to take water run-off from the street? Did no one - the City? the Developers' engineers? requires some sort of french drain system under the gravel next to the new walkway?

@TuckerSP2011

2 жыл бұрын

Excellent question and I hope this can be answered.

@fuzzymath6240

2 жыл бұрын

That is what is so #@$€ about the developer who built that building next door. They really did scam the county when they tore down the hotel whats-it after promising to renovate. That's the ONLY way they could"buy" that building. They were given that building by the county. I don't know how the county came to possess hotel whats-it. I was guessing taxes or tax right off.... death tax, tax tax.... good nite... 😎

@Tomm9y

2 жыл бұрын

@@fuzzymath6240 It sounds like they should get a portion of the blame for CTS collapse. I hope the CTS lawyers are seeking freezing orders on the assets and people involved in the development of 87 Park, otherwise the assets and companies will disappear. From the previous videos about the development of 87 Park, it seems the county were negligent in how they handled the matter, if not more than that.

@randyclark8774

2 жыл бұрын

@Hiccum Blurpaedius forgot to take your meds again huh.

@fuzzymath6240

2 жыл бұрын

@@Tomm9y I agree the 87 Park developer has some pretty heavy questions to answer too. The outright theft of land being #1 question brought to light here.

Again.... excellent presentation! If you are not already ho!ding educational training for those in your profession (structural engineering) then you might consider doing so. The quality of the overall knowledge sets a bar I have not seen as of yet elsewhere. Thank you!!

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

Wow! Hi praise. Thank you so much!

@dianef108

2 жыл бұрын

I feel the exact same way and I’m a roadway engineer!

We're so used to seeing cracked concrete everywhere (sidewalks, driveways etc) that we don't see cracks in the ceilings, columns and walls. Those structural cracks were hiding in plain sight. Only an engineer can tell if a crack is dangerous.

@bubba99009

2 жыл бұрын

You do see failed concrete all the time because of inadequate surface preparation or improper drainage or lack of reinforcement. Especially in old sidewalks and driveways. It's just not dangerous since they are not structural (unless you trip and fall). But if you see any of the same things on a structural column... not a good sign. I have seen concrete structures that were starting to look like CTS, but they had millions of dollars in repairs and major retrofits with steel etc to be made safe again rather than just left to decay even further.

Learning from experience, especially when the costs are measured in lives lost, is very important. Improving policy and decision making in the future is one of the best ways to honor those who perished. Thank you for posting.

As Jeff said, we never got the security camera video from the pool deck cameras. One was pointed that direction and would have shown the pool deck first failure.

@mjohnson9563

2 жыл бұрын

From what I have heard the CTS security camera system went blank as soon as the first pool deck started falling as it tore some of the camera system cables.

@deedewald1707

2 жыл бұрын

That shows a beginning of the time line of events !

You have the best explanation of this anywhere on youtube. It does sound to me that 87 park did contribute to the water issues and damage to CTS but I don't think they caused all the issues.

@WhittyPics

2 жыл бұрын

I think it would have been an uphill battle for the condo association to assess the huge amount of money from its residents to make the repairs that were needed. Who could shell out tens of thousands of dollars on top of what they are already paying out? I would think assessments that big would have forced many residents into bankruptcy?

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Dennis for watching!

@wigglymoose

2 жыл бұрын

hi Dennis, i work in HOA management in california, so my specific knowledge may be different based on different state laws but i’d like to share what i do know to shed some light on this. bankruptcy is a possibility if an owner were to borrow funds to pay the HOA, but that is a decision an owner would make. if assessments go unpaid for a certain period of time or in excess of a certain past due balance, the HOA may begin the process of placing a lien on the unit which may end in a foreclosure of the unit. there is a mandated timeline of events for this process which extends the amount of time for which the HOA/Board to take action. in CA, there are laws regarding how much a board can special assess without vote of membership, a vote of membership is another timeline of events. each meeting in itself is a timeline due to the advance notice required to notify owners of an upcoming board meeting. another thing that happened for CTS is there was a complete change of board, i can’t remember specifics but voting in new board members is another timeline to be followed. there are some exceptions to these situations that allow for emergency decisions to be made, but still the board has to have a certain amount of agreement for any decision to pass. in hindsight, obviously we can all say that the HOA should’ve been saving more money for years before this. personally i would love to get a look at their financials and reserve study (long-term plan of expenses and how much to save each year to meet those expenses) to see where they were at financially. ultimately the HOA could’ve also tried to get a loan for the money needed - i can’t remember if they took any action in this direction, but i’d guess a series of special assessments would be required to pay the loan back. in CA, a full reserve study is required every 3 years in which an expert assesses the quality of their long-term maintenance items (think roof, structure, streets) and provides a general plan of when these projects are due, their expected expense, and how much to save each year to complete these projects on time. the reserve study should establish a fully funded balance amount (100% funded) for each year as well, so i would be interested to see how funded the HOA was. in general 60%+ funded is a fairly safe place for an HOA to be at any given time, in absence of extenuating circumstances

Excellent presentation. A pitched 10 foot walkway for cts is no smoking gun. They have to examine watershed size, volume of flow, direction of flow in the wall, and clear and direct connections of the water impacting the structural integrity of the garage and wall systems. Further investigations are required of 87 pre and post construction details of the wall and walk, any towns requirements of conditions for protecting adjacent properties, and cts maintenance schedules and documented repairs directly required due to this new condition. And if cts can show a direct relationship to required repairs, why did they not act on this and try to fix it sooner. Nice catch 22. Great report.

Man, I look forward to every video you publish about this building collapse! You do a great job!

If I build a house of cards on my property and my neighbor farts in his property collapsing my unstable, badly maintained and erroneous built card house, is the neighbor liable for the collapse?

@skliros9235

2 жыл бұрын

According to this lawsuit, yes.

@mixedupmenopausaladhd3999

2 жыл бұрын

If his fart actively blows out your southern edge card, perhaps.

@bubba99009

2 жыл бұрын

They'd probably settle out of court for some token non-disclosed amount since everybody knows there is no case. If it went the whole distance I think it would come down to determining a split of responsibility so you might get 1%.

@gerardacronin334

2 жыл бұрын

In my book, it’s up to you to ensure that your house of cards is fart proof.

The lawsuit against 87 Park and its developer may end up mattering the most because they have a still intact, income-generating building. They have money. I suspect the Champlain Towers association is virtually broke except for any insurance they might have.

@cayrick

2 жыл бұрын

If 87 Park was developed by a corporation that has already been dissolved maybe that won't be so easy. Many companies use corporations for one project only or if you are a trucker for example set up each vehicle as a separate legal entity. If everything was black and white there would be no need for attorneys.

@cayrick

2 жыл бұрын

A business law prof. taught me that in litigation reach farther than you can grab because that is what heaven is for .

@pulaski1

2 жыл бұрын

This litigation is part of a portfolio of actions against any party that they can point a finger at, and many of these may settle out of court because paying a few $millions will be cheaper than contesting the action and facing a much larger payment if they lose. Many of the targets will have insurance irrespective of whether they have income and/or assets, but if the lawyers for the owners and famiies of CTS owners can get settlements against numerous parties they may overall get back much of the losses that they are seeking to recover. ..... And explicitly, in this lawsuit against the developers of 87 Park, they are not expecting to get 100% of the amount of the claim, but will probably be happy if they can get 20%-25%.

@garyc39

2 жыл бұрын

@@cayrick Corporations always have legal loopholes to protect their interests

@tomkruze2749

2 жыл бұрын

Everyone has insurance….. they will be paying Million

In Miami are there no required setbacks from property lines? Placing structural elements on a property line and trusting your neighbor to be responsible is problematic. Also, controlling drainage is a basic requirement for any structure.

Dear Josh, I spare part III for this evening, and I will resume all three parts one after another…. Will be an interesting evening, thats for sure. Again: Thank you for your efforts, you‘re like a friend visiting me/ us.

Hello from Sweden! Thanks for the great explanations of complex topics. Never thought I'd enjoy videos analyzing US lawsuites in detail. I've watched all your videos related to the Surfside collapse. Keep up the good work.

Your analysis of the initial failure, additional information as made public, and the suit's evidence has been fascinating! Thanks for sharing your expertise with us.

One more thing: Street view provides proof of the incline of the sidewalk formerly 87th street. The border "wall" on south side has a number of steps that go higher, and the south wall of CTS has one large step where the wall rises hider to denite the rising elevation of the sidewalk. So water would definitely be flowing down towards the A1A main street. There is also 2015 street view of 87th street showing south wall before the street was converted to a footpath. There was a narrow sidewalk (painted in red) between street and south wall. There appears to be a slant starting west of pool down towards street, and flat around the pool area. One would need to know if that red sidewalk was attached to south wall and if any damage happened if it was removed (as oppose dto building footpath over it).

Another very good commentary by Josh. I have watched all the videos with great interest So under the building = no water damage and under the open to weather pool deck / planters there is water damage. They might struggle to pin that one on Eighty-Seven Park? Especially since the water ingress seemed to start prior to the building of E-S P? I suppose the law suit aims to discredit the developer using the way they obtained the permission and take that view forward into how they went about building it. Their Schedule of Dilapidations better be good!

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Excellent easy to understand explanation based on evidence that makes this tragedy better come into focus.

Thanks for all the great informative content. This just keeps getting more interesting as it unfolds.

Wow, you did a lot of work there studying the lawsuit!! Thanks so much for sharing you time, effort and can't wait to see Part 4! It has been very educational and I savor every second of the video. Kudos!

Thanks again Josh. I've watched everything you've put out regarding the collapse and have very much appreciated the effort and hard work you've put into each video produced. I look forward to your next update. Best wishes to you as you continue to update us.

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

Much appreciated

Thanks, Josh, for another clear and unbiased explanation. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Josh: Awesome presentation as always. Thank you for providing this public service.

Hi. Listen. Never complain about the length of your videos. I am a South African female who has probably never built a sandcastle in my life, so the way you explain it all (and have through all your videos) have made it extremely easy to understand for someone who is in a complete opposite profession. I only hope that the lawyers are watching your videos and take your opinion into account too. It also makes me wonder about the condition of the buildings around our coastline. I live in a city called Port Elizabeth and the field that I was in was alarm system repair and I can tell you that along the coast, corrosion of wiring on brand new systems were an issue for us.

Question for you all… I understand why they’re going after Terra/87 Park, but how come they just didn’t take responsibility in the beginning? Such as keeping their building maintained, etc.?

@johnbergstrom2931

2 жыл бұрын

Because when you hire liars, I mean lawyers, you don't have to be responsible for your own actions.

@mixedupmenopausaladhd3999

2 жыл бұрын

The condo association was tripped up by infighting. The dysfunction caused delays and in the meantime, damage increased along with cost to repair. They were starting to make a little headway when it collapsed.

@litz13

2 жыл бұрын

And unfortunately a good majority of said condo association's membership quite literally went down with the ship. They didn't survive the collapse.

@bubba99009

2 жыл бұрын

You'd have to get every condo owner to cut a huge check for the repairs. With money they may not have. Meaning they might have to get a mortgage to pay for it. It's a tough sell. There's never enough money from the condo fees to cover all the major repairs and the property gets more dilapidated and expensive to maintain and less desirable all with time while the condo fee just goes up and up. And then all the management decisions are out of your hands, unlike with a single family residence. I'd never own a condo for that reason. The best day in the life of a condo is a day the original purchaser moves in - it is all downhill from there.

@rainscratch

2 жыл бұрын

@@bubba99009 Very well stated and unfortunately so true.

Man, that 29-30 crack looks horrifying! Knowing what I know now, I'll be jogging out of any building I see something like that

@killman369547

2 жыл бұрын

Same. If i see a crack in a structural column i am leaving with great haste.

Thanks for the continued, insightful coverage. This story has all but disappeared in my usual news feeds, which has made it much harder to track.

I always learn so much from your videos, thanks!

The Surfside site was demolished very quickly for everyone's "safety"... I hope that the residents have enough evidence from previous reports and photos to prove their case.

@vakieh4381

2 жыл бұрын

Given half the building had fallen down, it stands to reason the remaining shell of a building was going to go down too - and the buildings next to it would have been compromised if it fell in the wrong way. A rapid controlled demolition was always going to happen.

@williamhaynes7089

2 жыл бұрын

@@vakieh4381 - hopefully they got the video recorder out of the security office in the standing portion out before the imploded it.

A superb and easily understandable video so much better than all the others found on You Tube!

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

That video answered some question that I had in the last video. Thank you and have a great week.

Thanks Josh. Very interesting and informative video. Definitely LOOKS like a contributing factor for the water intrusion into the parking garage to me. Looking forward to future uploads!

You are doing a tremendous job of putting this together, researching and present this to us! Thank You so much for all your great effort!

Love your videos. So informative! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Thanks Josh. Another fascinating explanation of this case. Looking forward to the next one.

Thank you for producing these for us!

I enjoy your channel very much, your focus. Your expertise, your voice, your investigation and explanations

THANK-YOU Josh for your clear analyses! I've learned so much from your videos - structural, materials, sequential/consequential, legal, engineering, human frailties, vocabulary (spalling and punching sheer are my favourites!) - all which make me look at the world with far more open eyes! CTS was a glamorous, shiny, schmeck timebomb that ended 98 lives - some SO young and it's very very sad. Regards from Sydney Australia.

Excellent video once again! You make it easy to understand.

Awesome videos. Great explanations.

Appreciate the graphics. Makes your presentation easy to follow.

Always look forward and enjoy these videos. I think we can all agree that building 87 Park contributed to the demise of this building but I do not think that it was the main culprit of it's demise. That building had problems long before 2016, and enept condo board and enept condo owners that didn't want to pay the upkeep the building. The lawsuit and the investigation conclusion will be very insightful in many ways

Thank you - your videos are excellent. You explain difficult information in simple to understand format.

Thank you sharing more on this tragic event Josh. It’s so interesting.

The video shows the penthouse collapsing almost simultaneously with the detachment of the middle to upper slabs. They were cantilevered and destabilized by the columns losing their supports on the damaged step beam.

It's a bizarre situation because (1) I would have expected that a Champlain Towers engineer would have reviewed plans for how that walkway abutted their wall and periodically inspected the 87 Park side of their wall during construction to insure that the wall was in good repair and the drainage on the 87 Park side was installed correctly. (2) If water started seeping in, then pulling up that gravel and installing waterproofing and drainage is surely a tiny project in the scheme of things for these properties. (3) For water to flow through the gaps at the base of the wall, that gravel would have to be flooded. How deep is the gravel? 2 feet or 2 inches? Does water pool there? Or is the water seeping in lower down the wall? What's the pool deck elevation compared to the walkway?

@johnbergstrom2931

2 жыл бұрын

You think the Champlain Towers South condo board was competent enough to hire an engineer?? Hahahahahahahahahaha....

@catalinawoody6954

2 жыл бұрын

I am so glad that you asked these questions because I, with no construction experience, was wondering how the water coming in from the gaps effected the ceiling of the garage and tops of columns and caused cracks and deterioration of cement and also rusted rebar that we have seen in some pictures?

@felsenruh

2 жыл бұрын

I have to respectfully disagree that I'd expect the HOA board at CTS to have spent the money to hire engineers to evaluate the construction plans for 87 Park and/or to inspect the exterior of the CTS parking garage wall on the side next to the new construction. Instead, I think the board would have expected that the CITY would have - via some sort of due diligence - protected the CTS property in the course of approving building plans. But even if the CTS board was concerned about the issues you flagged consider whether they (1) had the money to and (2) were willing to spend the funds on common sense, but still speculative issues? Such funds should have been pulled from reserves which means the residents' dues would have had to pay for those sorts of studies and inspections. And that would have gone over like a lead balloon with owners. But if - if - the CTS board had filed some sort of injunction against the developers to halt building until measures were in place to protect CTS (per recommendations by engineers hired by CTS) then maybe - maybe - CTS would have gotten somewhere. But they would still have to pay the legal costs of an injunction and ensuing court matters, plus the costs for engineering studies. Again, out of current monthly dues.

@litz13

2 жыл бұрын

I would add - where are the 87 Park plans for that walkway that show the expected and provided for drainage paths?

@lauraelliott6909

2 жыл бұрын

@@felsenruh I imagine this case would be complicated by the fact that the boundary between North Miami Beach and Surfside lies between the two properties, right along 87th Terrace.

The very first images we saw, I noticed this huge new building to the South of CTS. I gave it a glance as a possible contributing factor.

Thank you for sharing this excellent analysis 👏

I echo everyone's sentiment in the comments 100% which is why i became a subscriber to your channel :) also, i love your lamps! Where did you get them?

Excellent consideration of matters as always. One thought. Will demolition and clearance and rescue work have compromised or removed any possibility of examining materials comprehensively along the CTS boundary wall with the to-Beach walkway. What does that do to the possibility of attributing causation of collapse. What science do we have for forensically (archeologically almost) reconstructing the claimed damaging; so as to, maybe, do computerised-model runs, as they do in environmental studies

Another excellent video, thank you.

Thank you Josh - great research and reporting. Very interesting to see what is being suggested here. 👍

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

My pleasure!

Thanks. I have really enjoyed all the videos. And like to think I learned a lot.

Excellent discourse on a very complex issue. Thanks for sharing.

This makes more sense now. One of the most reviewed evidence was that of the firm surveying the passageway next to the pool for damage to the beams adjacent to 87th and the pool pumping equipment. I could not at the time see how that was relevant to the 40 year certification as the pool was connected to the ground rather hanging from the floor and therefore was not part of he buildings support structure. However it was this engineer who recorded the pooling of water in the centre of the car park (bay 87?). Reporting on the damage from the works done in the construction works from the new build makes total sense now. Has that report been made public, what does the scope of that report say was it’s intent?

Thanks, good job explaining what happened!!!!

Thanks for your continued coverage

As a teacher myself I commend you as an excellent educator. You are very articulate and present clear and concise information!

Thanks for making these videos.

Our neighbor built a large building next to our house. They used a compactor to compact the soil possibly with the same distances here. They shook our houses to the point that the dishes and glasses were rattling. I considered that excessive at the time. But I think the defense here could point out how Champlain was overloaded with an unplanned penthouse and sand and pavers on the pool deck. That trial should be amazing to watch.

@frankmiller95

2 жыл бұрын

That's assuming it ever goes to trial.

@metatechnologist

2 жыл бұрын

@@frankmiller95 I think it will because insurance won't pay out the kind of money the will be asking for.

Thank you for this. Brilliant presentational skills.

It's just so fascinating that they are assigning damage to 87 Park. Just a brilliant way of breaking down the lawsuit. You explain everything in such a way that it's easy to understand and I so appreciate that Josh. This is getting very interesting. The many things that had come together that damaged CTS.

Thanks Josh for another informative video.

Thanks for a very informative discussion about whats going on here. I look forward to your next video

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Thank you for your time, research, and presentation of this information! If I was a jury member on this I would have to think about this deeply and in silence. Just off hand this is very strong evidence of carelessness. However the building should never been attached so strongly to the pool deck. Everything around the building should be able to fall and not destroy the building. Since there were other sources of water intrusion I couldn't blame the neighbor entirely. Every one involved is at fault. I would question people that had previously walked on that patio on a rainy day. See what they say about rain runoff that they may have noticed. Did anyone from CT go look at the wall while it was raining??? If I lived there, I would have looked all over the place after the big vibrations.

Thankyou for the video and analysis. Very interesting - I certainly appreciate the new photographs AND I would guess that the condition survey of CTS and evidence from the 2016 survey on behalf of 87 Park will add a lot of interest. The water run-off penetration could of course be important (but would want to see a test pit down the face of the wall to see what measures were taken that either prevented or encouraged water penetration into the CTS wall/pool slab. But on the face of it I would suggest the 'evidence' indicates possible (minor) contributory factors but not the major causes. Having said that, and having reviewed you video about the vibrations I am less sure about this contribution but still have the question were the 87 Park piles bored, driven or vibrated into position.

My issue with the claim against 87 Park is that all of the spalling and pitting of columns etc. happened between 2016-2019. This is 37 yrs. after the initial construction. Damage and failure are normally not sudden but progressive. It seems that 37 yrs of use of a bldg. next to the ocean should show some column deterioration due to location forgetting other contributing factors. I lived in a condo in Sarasota (age unknown). It was concrete and the balconies and all had to be replaced due to being exposed to salt in the air for at least a couple of decades. Similarly anyone who lives in snowy climates where they use salt to melt ice on highways knows what this can do to the body of your automobile. Salt is not a building's friend. Also look at the flooding in the garage that was reported. Did this only begin in 2016 at the time const. began on 87 Park? If it was a prior issue why didn't they do something about it knowing that salt water corrodes. Josh you show the pool deck butting up against the bldg. and discussed it. I seem to remember that the pool deck was connected to the bldg but the ties were poorly designed and installed. Maybe I am looking in hindsight but wouldn't it be better to have the bldg independent from the towers. You also spoke to insufficient structural elements beneath the planter boxes which were heavily loaded that were a ticking time bomb. As built the columns would have, I assume one safety factor built in but a much lower one with the penthouse floors that were subsequently added. These made the bldg. more susceptible to other contributing factors. Again Josh as you alluded to in previous videos, the original developer of CTS had a shady history and the normal checks and balances that exist between the independence of the developer and the contractor were absent on this project. That is the developer and contractor were the same and there is no way of knowing if payoffs were given to city inspectors. You suggested yourself there were shortcuts in construction. Ultimately it is the court's decision whether the lawyer's allegations will stick to the wall. In the end, in my guess the developer of 87 Park will be say maybe 1-5% responsible. Arguing this in court will be a strong heated extended dispute where the lawyer's meters will be ticking for an extended period of time, which in the end is what justice is all about. I watch and enjoy your videos and please keep us appraised of developments. This is a tragic story but one full of interesting twists and intrigue. Thanks!

@VictorNewman201

2 жыл бұрын

I think the spalling issues were red herrings, that looked cosmetically bad, so they were focused on to a misleading degree by KZreadrs and media people. The Condo-caused construction damage was largely ignored early on, because understanding it requires more in-depth research. The sister building of the collapsed Surfside tower was built with the same plans, same materials, at the same time, by the same builders, architects, and developers...yet even after its sister tower's collapse, its still standing. Why? Because the collapsed tower was damaged by the Condo right next to it.

@looncraz

2 жыл бұрын

87 Park installed sheet piles with excessive force causing vibrations far beyond what acceptable limits (documented). This could easily account for the post 2016 damage to the columns all on its own. Water infiltration from the sidewalk would be a slower degradation, but it did have a few years to do its thing... but that's also an issue - CTS had an obligation to proactively address these issues and I haven't seen any efforts from them to do so - they didn't file a lawsuit (AFAIK) before the collapse, basically it seems they didn't take the necessary remedial actions... so that would definitely assign some of the responsibility to them... However, 87 Park is likely responsible for well more than 1~5%, probably closer to 30%. The 2016 engineering study brought up issues that CTS did not correctly resolve by the time the 2019 study was performed to document and examine 87 Park induced damages... the lawsuit should have been filed IMMEDIATELY during construction. A construction injunction and remedial efforts by 87 Park could have prevented this. As much as that shouldn't impact the culpability argument, it certainly will.

@pulaski1

2 жыл бұрын

I agree with your liability observation, but I don't think that this will ever get into court. Depending on the amount of insurance that the developers of 87 Park have to cover liability in this case, I expect settlement out of court for upto 20% of the claim, but could be less if there isn't insurance liabliity coverage.

@bubba99009

2 жыл бұрын

@@VictorNewman201 I'm pretty sure North has millions of dollars worth of repairs planned to address structural issues there. Somebody had to be the first. If North collapsed that wouldn't mean South was just fine. Spalling on structural members is not cosmetic at all - it's evidence of failure. And you can't just patch it over to make it look good for a little while (until it spalls again) because the member is still compromised.

@retepaskab

2 жыл бұрын

Also exhaust fumes could accelerate corrosion after the concrete was already cracked.

Josh, Great video and explanation - thank you! From watching all of your videos on this subject (and many others as well) I see it this way: Poor design 20 percent Poor/shoddy construction 20 percent Later modifications (penthouse, planters, etc) 10 percent Little/Poor maintenance 40 percent Effects of neighboring construction 10 percent All the swiss cheese lined up 40 years later Paul (in MA)

Great reviews.

My question, as far as true photographic evidence, and with regards to the ease of creating artificial evidence with tools such as Photoshop, how much weight can the courts put on these photographs, especially with such a high dollar lawsuit and numerous accusations? It seems only a true film negative should be used as photographic evidence as it can't be altered or edited in the favor of the defense.

Great video

They just found a condo in Wisconsin about to collapse and had people evaluate. 😩 I am so happy places are really now looking at the structures!!

Well done video

LOVE YOUR INFO

Great video......Can't wait to see the camera security footage from the pool deck and garage......all the evidence are there, who failed first

Thank you for that video, you are very good at explaining it! I think they have a very strong case! Very sad what happened!

Either way none of it negates the things you highlighted in the previous videos such as the issues with the planter boxes, the general construction and subsequent overloading of the pool deck with one area possibly compromised with the weight of cars... it doesn't suddenly make the developers and HOA of CTS perfect angels here..a lot of neglect spoiled that tower for years.

@tubester4567

2 жыл бұрын

Right. The damage was already there years before 87 Park building was built. Looks like they're just hoping to get some insurance money and spread liability.

@GordoGambler

2 жыл бұрын

The top stupidness for me is having that pool floating.

@k.c1126

2 жыл бұрын

I think the eventual findings will show that the causes will be tripartate: the original flaws with the design and construction of the building, the problems with maintenance and upkeep, and as a final "straw that broke the camel's back", the changes along the south wall that interrupted the tenuous balance of the building.

Great information & presented in a profession entertaining way. Thank you

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Well, damn. I thought that this lawsuit was casting a pretty wide net and it was spurious but there's a *lot* of smoke here. Eighty-Seven Park could be in a world of hurt. They have a lot of bad blood with the city and the jury would not be made up of structural engineers. I wouldn't want to be a unit holder at that condo building!

@luisxvgenovese1736

2 жыл бұрын

@T.J. Kong exactly, from what was presented in this channel it seems the only culprit is the original builder and the company that added weight (planters and palm trees) to the pool deck.

@johnbergstrom2931

2 жыл бұрын

There will be no resolution of this lawsuit before NIST makes it's findings public. Then it will be dismissed. NIST will find that CTS was an incompetent shit design, using shit concrete and the developer skimped on materials, combined with the imbecilic condo board neglecting basic maintenance for 40 years. This is all just a bunch of greedy, greedy, greedy fucking lawyers spewing bullshit.

@pulaski1

2 жыл бұрын

It won't get into court. If there is _any_ merit to the claims then 87 Park will offer to settle, but if the whole case turns to be weak, then the lawyers for CTS owners will withdraw their claim. I suspect that there will be a settlement, for a small fraction of the amount claimed - not more than about 20%.

@pulaski1

2 жыл бұрын

@@johnbergstrom2931 CTS wasn't well maintained but was built to code, passed inspections during construction, and stood for 40 years. It might not have been a _great_ design, built to the _highest_ standards, but it was _adequate_ and shouldn't have spontaneously fallen down, so there is likely _some_ level of liability that will attach to the developers of 87 Park, especially as they cynically encroached on _most_ of the former public right of way, 87th Terrace.

@johnbergstrom2931

2 жыл бұрын

@@pulaski1 No, I don't think they'll find CTS was built to code at all. A lot of the inspections that should have taken place didn't. When CDI was drilling the holes for the explosives to implode the surviving west wing, they said that it was the softest concrete they'd ever seen. Does that sound 'adequate'??? And it didn't 'spontaneously' collapse. 40 years of water damage, corrosion and spalling did that. The pool deck failed in a cascading manner, fatally damaging the columns under the building. GAME OVER. The effects of the neighboring construction didn't do shit. CTS would have collapsed one way or another.

From my limited knowledge of concrete, just as a well-read Electrician, the horizontal cracks in those columns are what fascinate the heck out of me, and would scare the daylights out of me, if I saw them In Person. The only reason I can think of is the fact that concrete does swell and contract, based on its humidity. These cracks make me think that the columns got wet. And expanded. And then dried. And contracted. (ETA, this would have to have been repeatedly, as well.) AND NOT UNIFORMLY, EITHER. There would be some, now shorter than their neighbors, even minutely, that would be contributing to their loads. Loads being born by columns with Spear-Pointed Tops, thanks to corner spalling.

Champlain sounds like someone stuttering when trying to say Champagne

Thanks for breaking this down for the layman like myself. I’m able to comprehend every aspect of this issue.

Thank you for your reliable and fair presentation of facts.

I enjoy these explanations from an engineer in the field.

If they knew about the damage earlier on they should have fixed it their selves and then sued the other property later. Showing damage from years ago incriminates the people filing the suit.

@stonewall01

2 жыл бұрын

The residents? They did report these things at the time and before and nothing was done. They are suing both 87 Park and the owners of Champlain Towers for their negligence.

@VictorNewman201

2 жыл бұрын

They were in the process of fixing everything at the time of the collapse. They did attempt to sue the Condo builders before, while the Condo was being constructed and causing damage. I'm not sure what became of that lawsuit, they may have not been able to afford the legal fees.

@timramich

2 жыл бұрын

This is all so interesting

@bartholomewcubbins9723

2 жыл бұрын

It incriminates the CTS condo association. But this lawsuit is by the CTS apartment owners/residents, and they ARE suing their condo association for failing to maintain/repair the building.

Thank you, for exposing the smoking gun; the pitched pathway/sidewalk. Now we need to: 1. Let the developers settle the law suit. 2. Let the developers buy the CTS land. 3. Let the developers build a new, taller condo, on the CTS death site, after they change the pathway/sidewalk’s pitch, of course.

@bubba99009

2 жыл бұрын

The pitch would be the same - obviously the walkway needs to pitch towards the gravel that's only purpose is to be there for drainage. Who knows if that drainage was adequate without seeing engineering drawings and a cross section though.

The " holes" in the base of the perimeter wall looks like exposed waterproofing coating. If the perimeter wall had holes this large I would think they too would have collapsed along with the building.

WELL DONE

Very informative to a lay person , keep up the good work

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Will do!

An extremely good report seeing I know nothing about building engineering. I think you would make a very good teacher to students on engineering as you explain it in layman terms which us "dills" can understand. Keep up the good work and we look forward to further reports !!

Hi josh, I noticed in other videos about CTS Along that side of CTS after the rubble was removed you can see sheet piles that been put in place probably when they built CTS, I would think the piles would have held any water back from 87 Park walk way, I have worked for builders who would put these piles in place to hold back the ground and water, when there was a road there before 78 Park was built Where did the water go from the road??.

@BuildingIntegrity

2 жыл бұрын

That's a good observation. The sheet piles may have deterred water from entering below 87 Park, thus exacerbating the intrusion into CTS

@MajorCaliber

2 жыл бұрын

Eve the former road had the usual curb drains, AND... the sidewalk was the conventional type, i.e. several inches higher than the road, AND... *sloped towards the road* and NOT sloped towards the CTS retaining wall. It appears that 87 Park may have disrupted a classic, safe, and proven design, and done something "artsy-trendy" that might have caused subtle damage to CTS. At the end of the day, ALL developers in So-Fla are "shady", so we have victims of shady CTS developer are suing victims of shady Terra/87 Park developer... only the lawyers win. ;')