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Resilience

Disaster & failure studies

News and Updates

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Media contact

Jennifer Huergo
jennifer.huergo [at] nist.gov (jennifer[dot]huergo[at]nist[dot]gov), 202-309-1027

News

Press Conference Videos (Captions in English and Spanish)

NIST Announces Expert Team to Investigate the Champlain Towers South Collapse
NIST Announces Expert Team to Investigate the Champlain Towers South Collapse
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced the expert team members who will conduct a technical investigation into the June 24, 2021, partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida.
NIST Announces Full Investigation on Champlain Towers South Collapse
NIST Announces Full Investigation on Champlain Towers South Collapse
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced it would launch a full technical investigation into what caused the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condominium in Surfside, Florida, on June 24, 2021.

B-Roll Videos

B-Roll Video Reel #1 - Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation
B-Roll Video Reel #1 - Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation
To download this video, click the top right file button.
B-Roll Video Reel #2 - Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation
B-Roll Video Reel #2 - Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation
To download this video, click the top right file button. Captions forthcoming.
B-Roll Reel #3- Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation
B-Roll Reel #3- Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation
To download this video, click the top right file button.
B-Roll Reel #4: Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation
B-Roll Reel #4: Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation
To download this video, click the top right file button.
B-Roll Reel #5: Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation | Core Drilling
B-Roll Reel #5: Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation | Core Drilling
Core Drilling. To download this video, click the top right file button.
B-Roll Reel #6: Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation | Concrete Core Testing
B-Roll Reel #6: Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation | Concrete Core Testing
Concrete Core Testing. To download this video, click the top right file button.
B-Roll Reel #7: Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation | Rebar Testing
B-Roll Reel #7: Champlain Tower South NIST Investigation | Rebar Testing
Rebar Testing. To download this video, click the top right file button.

 

NCST Insider Videos

NCST Insider | feat. Emel Ganapati
NCST Insider | feat. Emel Ganapati
Introducing Miami-based N. Emel Ganapati, who will serve as the Social Science Team Leader on the Evidence Preservation Project. She will lead interviews of residents, first responders, family members and others with knowledge of the building’s condition and collapse.
NCST Insider | feat. Kamel Saidi
NCST Insider | feat. Kamel Saidi
Introducing Kamel Saidi, who is serving as a co-lead on the Remote sensing and Data Visualization Project.
NCST Insider | feat. Malcolm Ammons
NCST Insider | feat. Malcolm Ammons
NIST’s Champlain Tower South collapse investigation is introducing Malcolm Ammons, who is supporting the Evidence Preservation Team, Building & Code History Team, Materials Science Team and Structural Engineering Team. 
NCST Insider | feat. Christopher Segura
NCST Insider | feat. Christopher Segura
Introducing Christopher Segura, who is serving as a co-leader for the evidence preservation project in the investigation.
NCST Insider | feat. Marisa McCormick
NCST Insider | feat. Marisa McCormick
Introducing Marisa McCormick, who supports the evidence preservation and material science projects.
NCST Insider | feat. David Goodwin
NCST Insider | feat. David Goodwin
Introducing David G. Goodwin Jr., who is co-leader of the evidence preservation project in the investigation.
NCST Insider | feat. Georgette Hlepas
NCST Insider | feat. Georgette Hlepas
Introducing Georgette Hlepas, who serves as co-leader of the remote sensing and data visualization project in the investigation. 
NCST Insider | feat. Vincent Lee
NCST Insider | feat. Vincent Lee
Introducing Vincent Lee, who supports the remote sensing and data visualization project in the investigation.
NCST Insider | feat. Fahim Sadek
NCST Insider | feat. Fahim Sadek
Introducing Fahim Sadek, co-leader for the structural engineering project in the investigation. 

 

Photo Gallery

Large chunks of concrete bristling with rebar and colored flags sit in a warehouse.
In this January 2022 photo, physical evidence from both the collapsed and imploded sections of Champlain Towers South is stored in a secure warehouse where it has been carefully cataloged and evaluated by members of the National Construction Safety Team investigating the June 24, 2021, collapse.
Credit: NIST
A researcher with a handheld device performs tests with small pieces of colored material lying on a large piece of concrete.
In this January 2022 photo, National Construction Safety Team Evidence Preservation project co-lead David Goodwin evaluates nondestructive test methods for examining structural samples from Champlain Towers South.
Credit: NIST
Three people in safety gear stand in a warehouse looking at chunks of concrete from Champlain Towers.
In this January 2022 photo, National Construction Safety Team members (L-R) Malcolm Ammons, Marisa McCormick and David Goodwin examine structural evidence from Champlain Towers South for details that can be included in a physical evidence database.
Credit: NIST
A researcher in safety gear crouches near a large piece of concrete, looking at a handheld device.
In this January 2022 photo, National Construction Safety Team support member Ruthie Corzo evaluates nondestructive protocols to measure chloride content in concrete with a handheld analyzer.
Credit: NIST
A researcher in safety gear holds a smartphone up to a large piece of concrete and rebar.
In this January 2022 photo, National Construction Safety Team member Malcolm Ammons systematically records information about physical evidence from Champlain Towers South that will help provide clues to its original location and condition.
Credit: NIST
A researcher in safety gear bends over a large piece of concrete and rebar, performing tests with a handheld tool.
In this January 2022 photo, National Construction Safety Team member Marisa McCormick measured steel rebar in a concrete column from Champlain Towers South.
Credit: NIST
A researcher in safety gear leans over a large piece of concrete and rebar, pointing at it with a scanning device.
In this January 2022 photo, National Construction Safety Team member Daniel Sawyer evaluates a 3D scanning protocol for physical evidence from Champlain Towers South.
Credit: NIST
Two people wearing safety gear sit on either side of a concrete column lying on the floor, performing tests on it.
In this January 2022 photo, National Construction Safety Team members Malcolm Ammons and Stephanie Moffitt conduct nondestructive measurements on a single-story column from the garage of Champlain Towers South.
Credit: NIST
A researcher sits at a computer looking at a model of a broken piece of concrete on the screen.
In this February 2022 photo, National Construction Safety Team Remote Sensing and Data Visualization project co-lead Kamel Saidi processes a 3D scan of physical evidence from Champlain Towers South.
Credit: NIST
Broken pieces of concrete marked with blue spray paint lay on the ground near a storage facility.
NIST staff members at the holding site for evidence that may help in the investigation into what caused the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium.
Credit: NIST
Three people in hard hats and other safety gear bend over a broken concrete column marked with blue spray paint.
In this July 6, 2021, photo, NIST engineering experts examine a concrete column from the Champlain Towers South condominium before it was taken from the collapse site for preservation.
Credit: NIST
A piece of broken concrete column is lifted by a crane with construction equipment in the background.
In this July 7, 2021, photo, a concrete column is moved from the debris pile of the Champlain Towers South condominium to a staging area for tagging before being tagged and catalogued as evidence. 
Credit: NIST
Two people in hard hats and other safety gear look at a small piece of broken concrete that one of them is holding.
In this July 1, 2021, photo NIST staff members examine pieces of concrete removed from the debris pile at the site of the Champlain Towers South building partial collapse.
Credit: NIST
A person in a hard hat surrounded by debris including a crushed car takes a picture of a concrete block with a phone.
In this July 2, 2021, photo, a NIST staff member tags and photographs a building element that has been identified for preservation as evidence in the staging area near the site of the Champlain Towers South building collapse.
Credit: NIST
A man in a hard hat and other safety gear takes a picture of a broken concrete column with his phone.
In this July 6, 2021, photo, NIST engineering experts photograph and tag concrete columns from the collapsed Champlain Towers South condominium. Building elements were marked and tagged with unique identifying information before being moved to a long-term holding facility. 
Credit: NIST
Two people in hard hats and other safety gear examine broken concrete columns with a dumpster and a condominium building in the background.
In this July 6, 2021, photo, NIST engineering experts tag and photograph concrete columns from the collapsed Champlain Towers South condominium. Building elements were marked and tagged with unique identifying information before being moved to a long-term holding facility. 
Credit: NIST
Two people in hard hats and other safety gear bend over broken concrete columns marked with blue spray paint, with tents and construction equipment in the background.
In this July 6, 2021, photo, NIST engineering experts tag concrete columns from the collapsed Champlain Towers South condominium. Building elements were marked and tagged with unique identifying information before being moved to a long-term holding facility. 
Credit: NIST
The site of the Champlain Towers South partial collapse in Surfside, Florida
The site of the Champlain Towers South partial collapse in Surfside, Florida.
Credit: NIST
Palm trees stand in the foreground before a pile of debris with construction vehicles.
View of the Champlain Towers South condominium site from a balcony in an adjacent building to the south. NIST has positioned imaging equipment on the balcony to record the locations of items being preserved for study, and to record changes to the site as debris is removed.
Credit: NIST
Equipment stands on tripods on a balcony with the beach and sea in the background.
Cameras and lidar used by NIST and its partners scan and record the site of the Champlain Towers South condominium.
Credit: NIST
A jagged piece of concrete slab on the ground.
Building elements such as columns, beams and floor slabs are identified, removed from the debris pile, tagged and moved to a holding area before the evidence is transported by police escort to an offsite storage facility where it will be preserved for study.
Credit: NIST
A man in a hard hat sits on a concrete column while looking at a scientific device.
NIST is using nondestructive test methods to determine the properties of concrete from the site of the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium. Here, an engineer evaluates the strength and quality of a concrete column using a method called Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV), which measures the velocity of an ultrasonic pulse passing through the sample.
Credit: NIST
Pieces of concrete marked with blue spray paint lay on the ground amid pieces of construction equipment.
Building elements such as columns, beams and floor slabs are identified, removed from the debris pile, tagged and moved to a holding area before the evidence is transported by police escort to an offsite storage facility where it will be preserved for study.
Credit: NIST
Broken concrete column with exposed rebar on the ground
Building elements such as columns, beams and floor slabs are identified, removed from the debris pile, tagged and moved to a holding area before the evidence is transported by police escort to an offsite storage facility where it will be preserved for study.
Credit: NIST
Three people in orange vests stand on a darkened balcony near a tripod.
NIST and National Science Foundation staff members discuss imaging of the Champlain Towers South site using lidar, which uses pulsed laser light to measure distances to objects, creating a 3D representation of the site.
Credit: NIST
A man in a hard hat crouches next to a concrete column, taking measurements.
NIST is using nondestructive test methods to determine the properties of concrete from the site of the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium. Here, an engineer evaluates the strength and quality of a concrete column using a method called Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV), which measures the velocity of an ultrasonic pulse passing through the sample.
Credit: NIST
Four workers in hard hats look down at a damaged concrete pillar.
NIST and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff members inspect a building element from the Champlain Towers South partial collapse in Surfside, Florida, for its evidentiary potential.
Credit: NIST
Three people in hard hats and other safety gear stand in front of a forklift carrying a piece of concrete inside a warehouse.
National Construction Safety Team members, investigating the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South building, oversee the safe move of physical evidence into a new warehouse (May 2023).
Credit: NIST
Concrete columns lay on their sides inside a warehouse with lots of space around each one.
Concrete column specimens from the Champlain Towers South building in the new warehouse space, which will allow investigation team members to safely conduct the next phase of material and structural testing (May 2023). 
Credit: NIST
A long trailer parked outdoors holds pieces of concrete with broken metal bar around the edges.
Evidence from the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Florida, was transported to a new warehouse this spring, where experts will extract concrete core and steel reinforcing bar samples for material testing (May 2023).​
Credit: NIST
A worker uses a specialized device to tap on a large piece of broken concrete.
The NCST experts began conducting nondestructive testing of the evidence in its new location to identify which pieces would be suitable for coring of the concrete. Hammer tapping, shown here, can reveal voids and degradation within a section of concrete (May 2023). ​
Credit: NIST
Inside a warehouse, a steel beam is attached to a concrete column being lifted by a forklift.
Specialty moving methods, such as using steel beams to provide stiffness, were employed for the most fragile pieces of evidence from the Champlain Towers South collapse before they were lifted and moved with a forklift (May 2023).​
Credit: NIST
Two people in hard hats and safety gear stand looking at a large piece of concrete on a forklift.
Each piece of evidence from the Champlain Towers South collapse was documented in several ways to ensure the chain of custody could be maintained as it was transported from the existing warehouse to the new warehouse space (May 2023).
Credit: NIST
A slab of concrete with ragged edges sits on a warehouse floor as researchers use equipment to extract core samples.
Cores of concrete and reinforcing steel are extracted from a pool deck slab specimen collected from the collapsed Champlain Towers South condominium, as part of the National Construction Safety Team investigation into the technical cause of the collapse (September 2023).
Credit: NIST
Packets of cylindrical objects wrapped in clear plastic bags with white labels are lined up on the floor of a conference room.
Cores of concrete and reinforcing steel collected as part of the National Construction Safety Team investigation into the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium await testing (July 2023). 
Credit: NIST
A researcher wearing safety goggles and a high-viz vest leans over to examine a concrete core sample on a lab table.
A NIST National Construction Safety Team investigator examines a concrete core collected from a Champlain Towers South building evidence specimen prior to mechanical testing (July 2023).
Credit: NIST
A researcher in safety gear leans over to examine a concrete core sample placed inside a blue metal testing machine.
A NIST National Construction Safety Team (NSCST) investigator checks a core prior to compression and modulus of elasticity (MOE) testing, as part of the NCST investigation into the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium (July 2023).
Credit: NIST
A researcher faces away from the camera toward a concrete core sample held vertically in a blue metal testing machine.
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) staff member prepares a concrete core for a compression test, as a part of the National Construction Safety Team investigation into the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium (July 2023).
Credit: NIST
Two men stand a table in a warehouse space, looking at a broken piece of concrete that one is holding.
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff member and National Construction Safety Team member examine a core extracted from Champlain Towers South evidence specimens following compressive testing of the core (July 2023).
Credit: NIST
A concrete core sample shatters as it is held vertically inside a blue metal testing machine.
Concrete cores extracted from Champlain Towers South evidence specimens undergo compressive testing until they fail. These tests, conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, help the National Construction Safety Team members determine the material properties of the construction elements (July 2023).
Credit: NIST
Two researchers in hard hats lean over a rebar sample on a table in a large workspace.
Engineers evaluate rebar samples before they are entered into a device that tests how they deform and break (February 2024). 
Credit: R. Eskalis/NIST
A concrete sample is sandwiched between two small platforms being held by a researcher. Wires lead away from the bottom platform.
Samples of concrete cores from Champlain Towers South are tested for how well they carry electrical current when wet. The greater the capacity to conduct current, the faster rust can form on steel reinforcement within the concrete (February 2024). 
Credit: R. Eskalis/NIST
Labeled concrete samples lay in pink liquid inside a trough.
Concrete samples are soaked in water in a test designed to measure how quickly water and the chemicals it carries are absorbed (August 2024). 
Credit: R. Eskalis/NIST
A woman gestures to a building model on a computer screen as she speaks to the two other researchers sitting near her.
Georgette Hlepas, Kamel Saidi and Judith Mitrani-Reiser (left to right) review a computer model of Champlain Towers South. Models like this one are used to determine where pieces of evidence came from before the collapse (April 2023).
Credit: L. Gerskovic/NIST
View from behind shows two seated researchers looking at a computer screen that shows an aerial view of a large outdoor site.
National Construction Safety Team members Kamel Saidi (left) and Georgette Hlepas review an aerial photo of the collapse site. More than 600 pieces of the structure were recovered from the site. This evidence contains important information about how the building was made, the strengths and weaknesses of different parts of the structure, and how the collapse itself may have unfolded. It’s important to know where the pieces of evidence came from, and computer tools like these help investigators put the pieces of the puzzle together (April 2023). 
Credit: L. Gerskovic/NIST
A researcher wearing green gloves and safety glasses over his regular glasses holds a small magnifying glass close to his face to look at a hard drive.
Using a magnifying glass, a NIST researcher carefully examines a hard drive collected from the site of the Champlain Tower South collapse (Nov. 2024).
Credit: R. Eskalis/NIST
Close-up shows a hand in a green glove holding the center of a metal disk while using a pointed tool to remove a part.
A NIST researcher carefully removes the magnetic disk from a damaged hard drive recovered from the site of the Champlain Towers South building, which partially collapsed on June 24, 2021. Twenty-five hard drives from the building were recovered and analyzed to determine if any belonged to the digital video recorder that stored footage from the building’s security cameras. Unfortunately, the hard drives were too damaged to read, even with the most advanced forensic techniques available (Nov. 2024). 
Credit: R. Eskalis/NIST
A man points to images on a computer screen in a lab as two other researchers look on, one seated and one standing.
Judith Mitrani-Reiser, Kamel Saidi and Daniel Gopman (left to right) examine microscopic images of a damaged hard drive recovered from the collapse site (Nov. 2024). 
Credit: R. Eskalis/NIST

 

Created June 30, 2021, Updated November 21, 2024