The sudden, unexpected collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida in June 2021 shocked observers into questioning the safety of the region’s aging building stock. At the time, guidelines for building inspection in Broward and Miami-Dade counties required inspection at 40 years, followed by every 10 years thereafter – and the towers had just turned 40. In 2022, Florida lawmakers responded by setting a statewide 30-year milestone inspection requirement for condominiums of three stories or more.
Following the collapse, the Florida Building Commission sought answers. They initiated a study on the effects of the 40-year standard in the two counties that would examine the inspection results of four-and five-decade-old buildings, learn how the counties’ inspection programs worked, and provide recommendations for a possible statewide inspection program. Authors Jennifer A. Bridge, Christopher Ferraro, Thomas Sputo, Suzanna Barna, Kate Norris, and Timothy K. Mueller analyzed 573 inspection reports of largely residential buildings in 12 municipalities. Their study, “Reporting on Age-Based Building Inspections Programs in South Florida,” appearing in ASCE’s Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, revealed that the condition of buildings inspected at both 40 and 50 years improved after the first inspection, which led to fewer repairs needed at the following inspection. Also not surprisingly, closer proximity to the coast led to a higher severity of deterioration. The authors note several discrepancies in inspection practices across districts, and say the current program would benefit from clear rating definitions to differentiate between structural distress and maintenance issues. Learn more about how setting and following inspection intervals enhances maintenance programs and improves building safety at https://doi.org/10.1061/JPCFEV.CFENG-4875. The abstract is below.
Abstract
Prior to 2023, building structural inspections were required for all nonexempt buildings when they reached 40 years of age in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, Florida. In 2022, Florida introduced statewide requirements for structural milestone inspections of condominiums over three stories when the building reaches 30 years of age. The objectives of this study were to report on the implementation and outcomes of the original 40-year building inspection programs. Analysis of information contained in inspection reports showed that approximately one quarter of buildings assessed for their 40-year inspection required some type of repair, and 14% had indications of deterioration in structural elements. Further analysis indicated a higher rate of deterioration and required repairs for buildings closer to the coast, which likely is due to increased exposure to airborne chlorides. Analysis of subsequent 10-year anniversary inspection reports showed that subsequent inspections noted lower rates of required repairs than the initial 40-year inspections. These results indicate that the structures may benefit from the maintenance and repairs required as a result of defect identification during the 40-year inspections, highlighting the potential positive impact of age-based building inspection programs to promote building maintenance and safety. Deficiencies were noted in the required standard inspection forms and in the guidance provided to inspectors in completing them, leading to variability in how the inspection reports were completed by inspectors. As a result, the conclusions of this study are limited by the level of detail and variability of the information contained in the inspection reports. Recommendations for the standardization of existing building condition assessments are provided to improve the implementation of future inspection programs.
Learn how your jurisdiction may benefit from a scheduled inspection program in the ASCE Library: https://doi.org/10.1061/JPCFEV.CFENG-4875.
