![]() ![]() O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Schafer, a professor of civil and systems engineering and director of the Ralph S. To learn more about the long-term significance of the Champlain Towers South disaster for building designers, Scientific American spoke with structural engineer Benjamin W. Until the conclusion of rescue operations and likely multiple investigations into what caused the Surfside collapse, structural engineers, leaders and policy makers may have to wait for useful insights into how to modify designs and building codes to prevent similar future tragedies. These buildings may face loads and other threats that designers did not anticipate, including those linked to climate change. Champlain Towers South, for example, was erected in 1981. However, nearly all the building stock in the U.S. Engineers routinely update design practices, often in response to advances in technology or hard-won insights from failures. Structural engineers aim to design buildings that can withstand the loads from forces and hazards such as gravity and weather. Experts have speculated about structural damage and the possible corrosion of the reinforced concrete building’s foundation or stabilizing rebar. No immediate explanation for the disaster has emerged. To date, 16 deaths have been confirmed, and more than 140 people are missing. But engineers and planners are keen to learn what caused the June 24 failure of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla. ![]() Such unplanned collapses are rare in the modern history of structural design, experts say. Last week’s deadly collapse of a 12-story oceanfront condominium in a small town on the same barrier island as Miami Beach, Fla., is raising concerns among structural engineers and designers about how to prevent future building failures. ![]()
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