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Resilience

Disaster & failure studies

Champlain Towers South Collapse

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On June 24, 2021, Champlain Towers South, a 12-floor condominium in Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed at approximately 1:30 a.m. EDT. The collapse happened suddenly and has resulted in mass casualties.

On June 25, NIST began deploying a team of six scientists and engineers to collect firsthand information on the collapse. Since then, NIST experts have been working with federal, state and local authorities to identify and preserve materials and information that might be helpful in understanding why the collapse occurred.

NIST encourages members of the public to submit any information, including video, photos or other documentation, that might help the investigation via the NIST Disaster Data Portal

Recent News

NIST Provides Update on Champlain Towers South Investigation

September 12, 2024

Work continues to determine cause of the 2021 tragedy and to develop science-based recommendations to improve building safety.

Two men stand a table in a warehouse space, looking at a broken piece of concrete that one is holding.

NIST to Provide Public Update on Hurricane Maria and Champlain Towers South Investigations During Advisory Committee Meeting March 6-7, 2024

March 4, 2024

The meeting will be livestreamed each day.

NIST Engineer Glenn Bell Elected to the National Academy of Engineering

February 26, 2024

Bell specializes in forensic engineering, or the study of structural failures.

Media

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 — 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.

Contacts

NIST Disaster and Failure Studies Program

Disaster@nist.gov

Created June 30, 2021, Updated April 5, 2022