Miami Herald: Collapsed Florida Residential Building Had Major Defects, Violated Code

The safety of Champlain Towers South was compromised to make more room for parking, according to an investigation by the Miami Herald in consultation with four engineers and a general contractor.

2 minute read

August 11, 2021, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The mangled remains of a residential tower after it collapsed in Florida.

Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock

Sarah Blaskey, Aaron Leibowitz, and Bern Cornack report the bombshell findings of a new study into the building conditions that caused the collapse of the Champlain Towers in Surfside, Florida in July.

Champlain Towers South was poorly designed, even for the 1970s when the plans were originally drawn and codes were less rigorous, according to an analysis of building plans, applicable building codes and photos of the debris performed by the Miami Herald in consultation with four engineers and a general contractor.

Most of the column designs were too narrow to safely accommodate the amount of reinforcing steel called for in the plans at the basement and ground floors, especially at the critical areas where the columns connected to the slab, engineers’ calculations based on the building code requirements at the time show.

The column-to-slab connection would have been stronger if the building had been constructed to code, and the narrow columns were built to allow more space for parking, according to the experts consulted by the Herald.

The deck — which sat on skinny columns to maximize parking space below — was barely designed with enough strength to support a pool party, much less the layers of pavers and standing water that loaded it down over the decades, calculations by engineers using figures from the 1970s show.

The article includes more detail on the construction deficiencies and failures to build to code discovered in the analysis. Some of the findings of the report, especially regarding the column-to-slab connection, echo the findings of earlier photo analysis by The New York Times.

Sunday, August 8, 2021 in Miami Herald

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

View of residential street in Los Angeles with palm trees and hazy city in distance.

Rebuilding Smarter: How LA County Is Guiding Fire-Ravaged Communities Toward Resilience

Los Angeles County is leading a coordinated effort to help fire-impacted communities rebuild with resilience by providing recovery resources, promoting fire-wise design, and aligning reconstruction with broader sustainability and climate goals.

April 27 - Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office

Entrance sign for San Jose-Santa Clara Regional wastewater treatment facility.

When Borders Blur: Regional Collaboration in Action

As regional challenges outgrow city boundaries, “When Borders Blur” explores how cross-jurisdictional collaboration can drive smarter, more resilient urban planning, sharing real-world lessons from thriving partnerships across North America.

April 27 - * A Placemaking Journal

Rendering of Penrose Roundabout in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Is Expanding its Network of Roundabouts

Roundabouts are widely shown to decrease traffic speed, reduce congestion, and improve efficiency.

April 27 - WHYY