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NIST Finds Surfside Collapse Likely Began at Pool-Deck Slab-Column Connection

NIST’s preliminary analysis identifies critically weak pool-deck slab-column connections as the likely trigger based on testing and simulations.

New Report: Investigators Point to Pool Deck as Likely Starting Point in Surfside Collapse
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Overview

  • The pool deck and street-level parking areas began failing at least seven minutes before the tower, according to investigators’ timeline.
  • Visible distress in the weeks before the failure included cracks, a jammed gate, a sliding glass door off its frame, and worsening water leaks in the garage near the pool area.
  • NIST reported critically low safety margins at the pool deck’s slab-column connections driven primarily by design understrength and misplaced slab reinforcement.
  • Factors under examination include reinforcement corrosion, concrete shrinkage, construction deviations, and added loads from planters, palm trees and sand on the deck.
  • Investigators aim to finish technical work by the end of 2025 with a detailed public update expected in spring or early summer 2026, as legal settlements and redevelopment at the site proceed.