Inadequate structure was a central cause and I explain how this led to the catastrophe. Did the building fail from corrosion? Perhaps not. Inadequate punch shear reinforcement in the concrete slabs is the overriding factor in this collapse making for an exceedingly brittle structure. The importance of this type of rebar is illustrated.

Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Miami, Florida collapsed without warning on June 24, 2021. 98 people died in this tragedy.
My intent is to provide some answers how this disaster happened and the causes with the help of 3D animations. The analysis comes from my building knowledge as an Architect and discussions with structural engineers.


Timeline of Events and Witness Statements thanks to Maud Essen https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Surfside Public Records – Champlain Towers S https://surfside.one/public-records-s...

Animated in Blender and After Effects

0:00 Introduction
0:46 Recap
1:23 Pool slab on the brink
3:00 Shear walls
3:31 Fat n skinny columns
4:16 Punch shear
4:39 Why no beams?
4:51 Flat slab construction
5:16 Lacking punch shear rebar
6:00 Why was the pool deck connected to the tower?
6:32 Column rip
7:10 Rebar bulge and buckling
8:11 Summary