Surfside Sadness
Lets talk about Surfside for a moment. The tragedy in Surfside still wrenches my heart. I’m so deeply pained by it because it feels like its striking so close to my core. I don’t personally know any of the victims, or the missing people, but it feels like they’re all one degree from my life. Many of the building residents were Jewish and that deeply pains me. While it’s a tragedy when anyone is killed, I personally see myself in every one of those jews that has perished. It could have been me. It could have been any of us. That is why this is so devastating. The residents of the Champlain Tower South were peacefully sleeping in their beds one moment and the next they’re gone forever, all brought on by a freak accident and the evolving degradation of a structure. It’s even more painful because of the warnings bestowed upon the condo association in charge of managing the aging building. It could have been prevented. It should have been prevented. When the condo association was presented with the evidence of the deterioration of the structure back in 2018, they should have emphasized the importance of swift action. They did not and clearly the problem festered. Whether the condo association was put off by the extraordinary costs that its homeowners would have to incur, or someone in the chain of analysis downplayed the severity of the report, we might never know. I’m sure the delayed action played out over numerous conversations and I’m sure it was a bit of both in the malfeasance. This tragedy is a reminder that these homeowners associations hold tremendous responsibility. Often they get castigated for asinine policies and rendered useless. It’s not just about pet policies and trash chutes, they represent the lives of so many in their decision to act on behalf of a class of people. While we don’t know all the details and I am not in a position to put blame on anyone, it feels like a wake up call of epic proportions for the real estate community.
While this tragedy has been unfolding, I’ve used it as an opportunity to try and better understand the nature of structural engineering and the work that it entails. Having moved from California recently, structural integrity and seismic fortification was always front and center of development due to the prevalence of earthquakes but I never really emotionally factored in what could have happened in Surfside. I always thought a foundation might crack but there would be enough redundancy in the system to keep pretty much any building upright. I mean, it’s not every day you see a building collapse, and certainly not a luxury built oceanfront tower - even if its 40 years old. Structural engineering is critical and this only deepens that belief. The analogy that I like best regarding structural engineering and architecture is to think of it as a human body - the structural engineer is concerned with the skeletal system where as the architect is focused on the muscular and outer aesthetic form. While you need to always focus on your health, keeping your bones steady and strong is foundational. Don’t skimp out on an expert who focuses on bones.
Anyhow, I’m so devastated by the situation and the loss of so many innocent people, we need to learn from this and I’m still trying to come to grips with it all.