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Disaster & failure studies

Buildings, bridges, and other structures are not supposed to fall down. But sometimes they do, and for different reasons: fires, earthquakes, high winds, errors in design and construction, flaws in materials, and even terrorist attacks.

When disaster and failure events cause, or pose the potential for, substantial loss of life, the NIST Disaster and Failure Studies Program provides a platform for research into building and infrastructure performance and emergency response and evacuation procedures.

By understanding the technical causes leading to structural or response failures and then making that information public, NIST engineers and researchers strive to prevent similar failures in the future. Studies conducted by NIST have led to significant changes in practices, standards, and codes to enhance the health and safety of the American public.

News and Updates

NIST Report to Congress Provides Update on Champlain Towers South Investigation

NIST Transfers Evidence From Champlain Towers South to Miami-Dade Police Department

NIST Provides Update on Champlain Towers South Investigation

Feature Stories

The Joplin Tornado: A Calamity and a Boon to Resilience, 10 Years On

Piecing Together the Timeline of California’s Deadliest Wildfire

Featured Videos

NCST Insider | feat. Fahim Sadek

NCST Insider | feat. Fahim Sadek

NCST Insider | feat. Georgette Hlepas

NCST Insider | feat. Georgette Hlepas

NCST Insider | feat. Vincent Lee

NCST Insider | feat. Vincent Lee

Blog Posts

Hurricane Maria Recollections, Software Nostalgia, The Brothers Engineering: A Sample of Stories on NIST Social Media

Building in a Changing Climate: A Q&A With NIST’s Joannie Chin

NIST’s Investigations of Structural Disasters: What We Do and Why They Can Take Years to Complete