Makes you wonder who else heard the 'loud construction noises' minutes before the fatal collapse but didn't get the chance to escape in time. So tragic.

Singularly the best representation. Taking on board witness statements and events for a full overlay of timeline. Definitely those ground floor units were key witnesses to either longer term issues (cracking issues) and the events of the night. My heart goes out to the little girl who experienced her bathroom ceiling cracking and had the foresight go grab sibling and run to mum at reception desk. Excellent work.

I work for a surveying company and my main job with them is to perform dilapidation reports on buildings that surround new development sites. If a new building is about to be built, it's law where I am from that you have to hire a surveying company to investigate and photograph every inch of every surrounding property and record pre-existing damage in case ground works from the new site cause vibrations which in turn cause any damage, I will be the one who will have recorded whether the damage caused was pre-existing or caused by the new development.... So needless to say, I've seen every inch of hundreds of parking garages, staircases, and the internals of every apartment in those buildings over the last few years.... And I've seen waaayyyyy worse than the water damage in the video from a year before the collapse. It's scary to know this is probably going to become more common as buildings progressively get taller and fancier, but completed with shortcuts and cheap materials to build them faster and for less. They look all nice and fancy when they're completed but after 15-20 years, they'll look like they're 70-80 years old in terms of depreciation and damaged caused by a mixture of poor designs and shoddy builders/developers. I've seen entire support columns of high rises cracking with efflorescence caused by leaking pools on the ground level. Entire slabs cracked in two, with cracks large enough I can see the warped re-enforced steel inside it. Sagging cement that separates the ground floor from the basement... among other things. We always inform the building managers, body corporates and councils when we find damage to areas that could put the structural integrity of the building at risk one day, but it's always shrugged off. No one seems to care until the worst case scenario happens. With some of the things I've seen, I'd never live in an apartment block taller than a few stories.

I feel terrible for those on the isolated portion that collapsed. It gave just enough time to figure something was wrong before the floor came out from bellow you

The ceiling damage one year prior to collapse is shocking

Those who were awake probably said “what the hell is that?” Sadly, not enough time to process the noise and escape.

Every building along that coastline needs an absolute fine comb inspection.

I live a mile away from this building. I remember being awake that night and hearing a LOUD ass noise that sounded like an explosion. Heartbreaking for all of us in the Miami area

Best video about the disaster better than the other people that have like 10 videos about the same topic but don't explain as well as this one , masterpiece

Thoughts to all of the victim's families - If you're watching this, we're all very sorry for you and wish you the best.

Couldn't imagine waking up in the last part that collapsed, just laying in your bed while the building sways from side to side, then boom collapse. What a horrible way to go out. RIP 🙏

I practiced architecture for 35 and have considerable experience in concrete and steel construction, having worked in many projects designing structural solutions in concert with structural, mechanical, and civil engineers. I have not heard yet any comments to this effect, but if the video is correct (and I've seen this before on another video), it is inconceivable to me that the structure for the pool deck was connected directly to the structural columns of the building. Those should have been designed as two separate structural systems from day one. In the underground garage there would have been two sets of columns side by side along the outline of the building above. Two different structures, with different loads, and different horizontal and vertical forces. I would have never, ever, designed anything like that, nor would I have approved such a design if presented to me. I hope to hear about this from those investigating the cause for the collapse.

I would imagine that south Florida is full of these ticking time bombs.

The narration is mesmerizing and haunting in a way. Very appropriate.

I cannot imagine the anxiety of many living in that area after this😟

My condolences go out to the families of the victims and everyone affected by this tragedy!

I appreciate how you represented this disaster. No fanfair or exciting theories. Just the most likely scenario presented in a respectful way. With quality animations, explanations, and narration.

Excellent presentation on what happened at Champlain Towers, one of the best I have seen.

Excellent work of the representation on what probably happened. Your 3-D rendering makes it real easy to understand and see the horrifying tragedy. Thank you for your hard work.

Rest in peace all the souls lost in this tragedy.

Nice computer simulation. A month later and the shock and horror of this event still ring loud. The cause of failure source is essential for so many people. Not just the loved ones but the other condo dwellers in that area specifically want and need to know so they may take appropriate action as necessary.

what deeply saddens me is only 3 people it seems had advance warning not knowing what was going to happen...and the other ones didn't stand a chance to survive. I hope they went fast.....😔😔

First and foremost deepest love to all effected by this horrific tragedy. Secondly, huge respect and admiration for what must have been literally hundreds of hours of work and research putting this absolutely spectacular presentation together. As a contractor in the construction industry here in the Balt/DC area, can I just share my extreme concern at the countless number of bridges and overpasses I see on a weekly basis that have massive chunks of concrete having fallen away exposing rusted rebar and long stress cracks that run up entire support columns. Not even joking, this is everywhere and that's why infrastructure is such a huge topic on Capital Hill right now. We cannot continue to ignore these things.

I was in the hospital, i was in an accident that almost took my life, the car missed the drivers side do by inches. Im on the bed and i receive a phone call, my childhood bestfriend, hes sobbing. I couldnt understand what he was saying to me. " she never showed up to work", i still didnt understand. " she was in the building and didnt show up to work". It was still unclear. He is able to control himself, and tells me our childhood friend was in the collapse and she is nowhere to be seen. I couldnt believe it. I called my mother and she began sobbing. Its hard to answer why these things happen to the best people. Ill never have an answer for it. Only thing i learned from this was to forgive and enjoy. Forgive your parents, your enemies, your exes, your children. And enjoy the sun, the laughs, the smiles, enjoy traffic, enjoy being sick, enjoy.

So sad. I drove past this building every day for 10 years.

It's a respectful well done job, focused on the facts, as it should.

Thanks for the presentation. Years ago, in 2008, we stayed in the building next to it (from where the CCTV footage came) when it was Howard Johnson Dezerland Beach & Spa (they demolished it and replaced it with another building). So somehow this feels closer to home than just a building collapse in some city because I know the area. I'm so sorry for all the people that lost their lives in this and their families.

All the engineers involved in this project are shitting bricks right now trying to prove they’re not to be blamed

Excellent presentation and animation. This is most likely what happened, and it always breaks my heart knowing that people had about 8 minutes to get out safely, had it happened during the day and not when everyone was likely asleep and couldnt even hear the loud noise of the pool deck collapsing.

It makes you wonder, if this happened during the day when more people were awake and aware/ or not home- there might not have been as many deaths.

I am amazed and impressed by your ability to put together this animation sequence so clearly, so that we can understand it. Surely it will help builders and architects in the future to make sure this never happens again. Why didn't anyone pay attention to the clues that this building was in danger of collapse? How horrific for those poor people and their pets.

Thank you. I didn't realize how the garage fell in minutes before the building fell. Very informative

The spalling of the concrete and following damage to the rebar was absolutely shocking prior to the collapse. Building Integrity does an excellent job with the finer details of the physics of how this all appears to have happened. I highly suggest his channel.

RIP all who were lost and affected during this sad event. 🙏

TYSM for making this video. I can now clearly understand what happened. For the record, we native Floridians have been waiting for just such an unfortunate event. I have zero family and friends that would live in a condo on the Florida beaches. Absolutely horrific event. My heart goes out to the loved ones left behind and the ones who lived to tell the story and yet lost their homes as well. Major props to every single rescue worker involved.

This piece should be used as part of the investigations. I wouldn't be surprised if they already watched this well put together 🙏🏾

It's mind boggling that the obvious damage that existed for a long time before the collapse was apparently ignored by those in charge of the safety of the residents.

I think you have presented a very logical and well thought out scenario of the failure. I think we will find that the pool deck slab was significantly overloaded by the addition of built up fill slabs to obtain slope for drainage the setting bed and pavers and the loads from the planters, which the original structural engineer did not provide for. Note that the pool deck slab was only 9 1/2 inches thick with a max. span of 29 feet. Based on 50 years of structural engineering experience it should have been at least 2 inches thicker or should have incorporated at least 4 inch deep drop panels at the columns. Great job with the simulation.

Excellent presentation. Animation and info presented was spot on and your efforts putting this together deserves high praise 🙏🏻

That was amazing! I had no idea the other tower was demolished and the site of the former Surfside condo was cleared. Your 3D rendering was what I have been waiting on to give me some sort of explanation how this building could've fallen. Well done!!

Lived in that area back in 1993. Even then so many of those highrises looked so old and in need of repair. Not to mention they are way too close to the ocean!

So very sad. I still think of all the people in that building how terrified they must’ve been and how quick it was.

God bless all of those families and their loved ones. I'm just afraid there will be more of these buildings coming down. Greed is a powerful motivator for procrastination.

I love how you start the video out with respect for the families/victims that were affected by this. Amazing analysis video!

It’s so sad seeing a few lights flick on in that last tower before it fell. Imagine waking up to just a few seconds left of your life as it comes down. Fuck

I've seen quite a few of these reconstruction videos, you're the first to acknowledge those that perished and their surviving family, most others are non-nonchalantly speculating on the cause of the collapse, even as many victims hadn't even been recovered yet. On the part of quality and analysis, yours happen also to be the best I've seen! Thanks for your work.

honestly I'd inspect everything the company that built that has done over the last 15 years.

This is the best description of what happen then any news reporter has given us

So sad. This should have never happened. My heart goes out to the families of all affected. It has to be a nightmare for them.

This helps a lot to understand what happened. A warning to us all on what to look for and if it is not safe to scream loudly and often to get stuff fixed.

Very well done! Your animation helped me better understand understand the structural failure. Clear, concise, and respectful. Thank you.

Tragic event and a really illuminating explanation. Thank you for the great clarity of your descriptions and animations.

Excellent report, thank you. At 8.08, the section described as 'this sequence' 4: the video shows the southern sections of the remaining top floors all crack-like-a-stack-of-cookies at the same point and same time. Chilling and unforgettable. (Rest in Peace, with angel's wings)

Thank you for correctly accounting the woman that was on her balcony and made the call to her husband! Everyone seems to get this wrong, she was not in 412!

"I hope this video was useful to you" Sir, it was exceptionally useful and presented in such detail that regular news media fail to do.

Thank you, Mike, for channeling your interest in a way that helps others understand what you think you're seeing. This is some talented and informative work.

It was built in the 80s during Miami's mafia/corruption era just like NYC. The city's civil engineer inspectors were bribed. They approved every single step of the construction from changes to the original building plan to the use of inferior building materials.

It's crazy how construction and design mistakes made decades ago can come together with shoddy maintenance over those decades so suddenly and catastrophically. Lots of mistakes made, but of those who made mistakes only the last ones end up having to take any responsibility.

I’ve just came back to rewatch because I’ve been studying this catastrophic even from the start. Now looking back all the way to now. I’m sure your aware of Column M1.1 by now . You were spot on from the start ! Fantastic work . I hope you do a follow even though how you would. You’ve pretty much nailed it .

Wow, I must say given it hasn't even been 2 months, the detailed description of the building's failure and collapse has been very well articulated. I would have expected this description at least a year after the event.

Very well done animation. After a month of almost obsessively researching this I believe your animation is the most accurate. There is a longer version of the neighboring CCTV video that starts minutes before the building is seen going down. In the longer version you can see what looks like a cloud of dust around the pool deck well before the building collapsed. Had someone pulled the fire alarm at the first sign of a problem I believe most would have made it out.

Ive seen a few of these video already, yours is the best and most detailed in explanation. Makes you now look at older buildings a bit differently now for sure.

Excellent presentation thank you for sharing with us 🙏🏾❤️

This is the most thorough and logical look at this devastating tragedy. Thank you for your clear analysis.

This is THE single most informative video I've seen on this tragedy. It presents the known sequence of events (many of which I was unaware of) in an easy-to-understand manner that I've never viewed before in the many other videos and news accounts of the collapse here on KZfaq and other media.

This is the most accurate description of the collapse so fare.

Great professional explanation while been very respectful to all victims and their families. Thank you !

Very well done! Thanks to you as well as KZfaq for making all this possible.

Didn't get through this video without a tear. These people had their dream home. Just want to say God bless to all families involved. Thanks for the explanation

It's just desperately sad isn't it.

Outstanding video. My heart goes out to all those who were lost and loved ones. There's some comfort in the fact that this disaster served as a warning to us all. This collapse has people alert to the possibility, as well as what to look for, and will save countless other lives in the future.

Excellent video. Very Thorough and well put together. Thank you for putting the collapse into proper context.

Why didn’t the front desk pull the fire alarm. So frustrating if they saw the whole thing caved in outside.

Mike, once again your animation and explanation makes perfect sense. Thanks for your insight

Thank you for this video. You put it together really well.

What we learn: - Don't neglect, when something is damaged, demand reparations - If you hear "construction noises", see cracks happening, feel shakes/vibrations, get the f**k out of there. -If no time, go onto the balcony or close to the outside wall, it will highten your chance of survival in being found quicker afterwards.

Truly a respectful simulation. Bless you sir.

Just to ponder if this happened only a few hours earlier when everyone was awake and more people saw the pool deck sinking and concrete falling maybe someone could of pulled the fire alarm and more could of escaped.

You did an amazing job with this video. I would encourage you to do another when you have more information on the cause.

the effort you put in the making is enormous. Respect.

Imagine being the person on the 6th floor and 4th floor who got out... they probably ask themselves “ why didn’t i scream or wake up my neighbors. I know at the the time they didn’t think about it but i imagine now there are so many what ifs.

It's going to be interesting when all that footage from the many cameras in, and around the condo building are finally released. Most likely be years, but I'm sure it will be just as shocking as the few we've already seen. That lady, and her children who escaped before the total collapse was so so fortunate, and to think of all those victims who had no clue what was going on just below them was just so sad..........

I heard that their is a report from a condo official, who said the building will collapse if it wasn't repaired soon. That was months before it collapsed. So, people knew it had structural problems, and that they were significant. I'm not sure why no one followed up on it, could've saved alot of lives.

Warnings? Back in the 2018 engineer's report, seems the building had been screaming for quite a while that all was not right. Any redundancy and safety factors were slowly corroded and decalcified away. Perhaps with one failed column the structure might've held on to allow most to evacuate. But with widespread "rot" there was no hope.

Informative, respectful, and not overly sensational. Thank you so much.

These are good animations showing several simulated points of view. Thank you for sharing and explaining.

I’ve seen buildings that have fallen into a sinkhole and it doesn’t look like this pile of rubble. My heart goes out to the ones that have passed and their families.

What I do not truly understand, was the placement of the shear walls which appear to be a bit inadequate to me, although I live on the west coast in a seismic area and the code requirements for placement and tie in of shear walls are there to make sure if part of a building falls, the shear wall stays up, the part that collapses peels off, and even if what is left is unstable the shear walls plays a big part in keeping its stable enough to get people people out and not follow the part that sheared off immediately downward. Code here usually requires shear walls to not sit on top of load bearing pillar but to go all the way down into the ground or below the floor or garage basement floor so as to be able to take load is a part down fall in a seismic event. I realize that in that area of the country high winds are usually the more common threat not earthquakes but shear walls would solve the same purpose it a partial collapse do to wind. Is it possible that the design did not include more shear walls at appropriate places due to them wanting to enable excellent views? When the first section fell it should have sheared off and actually left the back side of that center area and then with it stil standing even if the load had shifted on the beach side part it could have at least for a while born the brunt of the load and given time to get more people out

The cars fell before the rest of the pool Deck. The planter fell into the garage 7minutes before the rest of the building fell. There were small steps in the beginning, then the collapse.

The original design seemed to have been flawed due to smaller columns, and the concrete may also not have been mixed correctly, and not enough rebar used perhaps. Also, the addition of heavy palm tree planters that were not part of the original pool deck design, that were placed on top of very important columns, as well as the exposed excavated hole beside one of the planters, and the waterproofing was "past its useful lifetime", and also the pool deck's drainage system was not sloped like it should have been to allow water to drain properly, but instead it all saturated the slab and columns underneath. I'm not an expert, I just watch KZfaq videos, have a nice day.

Imagine being on one of the lower floors of the building, waking up to multiple car alarms blaring and concrete collapsing, suddenly before your own ceiling collapses and everything goes black. holy fuck.

Thanks for this, clear explanation and not sensationalized, and I have something of a better understanding of what happened. Thanks for making this

Those garage pillars look like match sticks holding up that enormous tall building.

Thank you for this animation and for qualifying that some elements may be surmised such as garage rubble extent. I appreciate your seqencing of collapse esp. that last section to fall was triangular the rear in vid was buttressed by shear wall of stairwell. I am 60 have lived in California my entire life. Been through countless earthquakes including1989 7.1. They ALWAYS jolt you awake if in bed. We had one here approx 4.0 2 weeks ago (San Leandro). Unfortunately, I am sure most residents were aware or cracking and jolting but may have fumbled to dress or headed to the elevators or east side stairs which both collapsed. The oft- commented upon flashes of light in the vid was no doubt electrical arcing as cables snapped. Conspiracy folks pls give it a rest.

Knowledge is light in dark times. I now have a clearer understanding of this terrible event. Thank you for posting a compassionate and thoughtful piece.

T. Y. For this enlightening video with 3D animation. My great Uncle & Aunt lived (1995-98) in Surfside condo. I was just looking at old photos from there, mostly in pool and beach front. But still, its really eerie to look at them.

Fantastic recreation. Thanks so much! RIP to all who lost their lives.

Failure at the slab step seems like a very likely source for the tower's demise. The complete lack of waterproofing in the core samples is astonishing.

I would have been killed in this collapse, even if awake. I would have walked out onto the balcony and seen the collapsed parking garage and said, "wow, lookit that." Then I would have gone back in, got my iPhone and come back out to take pictures or videos. I am a Darwin Award waiting to happen.

Great video, really well explained and good animations.