Overview
- NIST said Monday that its National Construction Safety Team found the collapse sequence began in early June 2021 when two slab-to-column connections beneath the pool deck suffered punching-shear failures, and that those failures produced three weeks of cracking and load shifts that culminated in the June 24 catastrophe.
- Investigators showed that the building had low safety margins from the start because the original design and the constructed building diverged, some locations had far less reinforcement than code required, and later changes such as heavy planters, sand, and pavers added tons of new load to the pool deck.
- The agency tied long-term corrosion of reinforcing steel and ignored warning signs—visible cracks, jammed gates and worsening water leaks—to the progressive spread of damage from the pool deck into supporting columns and the tower above.
- Families of the 98 victims said the technical findings offer limited accountability and came too close to the fifth-anniversary observance for some, while the 2022 court-approved settlement exceeding $1 billion and the 2022 sale of the site to Damac helped resolve claims but left redevelopment stalled and construction paused over insurance and no reported condo sales.
- NIST will now compile a comprehensive final report that could shape building codes, inspection practices, and industry guidance nationwide as officials and survivors watch for recommendations that could prevent similar progressive failures.