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Apartment Collapse Surfside is Wake Up Call

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Guest2022

The tragic collapse of part of the apartment block in Surfside, Miami is a wake up call for all owners and tenants associations especially for tall apartments located in coastal areas that are beginning to age.

Fortunately for DR most tall buildings are not so old but there are some.

All buildings have a 'design life'. Design codes tyically identify that is 50 years for most buidings and 100 years for major structures such as bridges. But all need regular inspection and maintenance.

Buildings in coastal locations are especially at risk due to the corrosive saline air and now due to sea level variations due to climate change with saline water affecting foundations.

To counteract saline conditions including airbourne salt, structrural designers specify more durable concrete and greater cover to reinforcing bars (distance between outer face of concrete and reinforcing bars within that concrete component). Reinforced concrete functions well to design requirements in tension, compression and shear due to the combined relationship between the concrete and the reinforcing bar and if either - especially the steel reinforcement or the bond between concrete and the steel weakens - then it's preformance under stresses begins to fail. Saline air and water seeps into reinforced concrete, which is to some degree porous, and attacks the steel causing corrosion. Corroding steel expands and causes the concrete to spall and the structural component involved weakens.

It is this important that tall buildings are inspected regularly to spot early any potential problems with the structure. A structural enginering specialist should be engaged from time to time. This is difficult in many instances because the structure of the building has been clad with finishing materials. But most tall buildings now have a basement or garage area and this is a good place to start with inspections because imposed loads and stresses will be high here and concrete will probabaly be exposed. Elsewhere in the building cracks in rendered bockwork walls of ceramic tiling may be indicators of movement and stresses. Also look fpr hairline cracks in beams along the span being a tell tale sign of stresses.

An added complication here in DR is that we live in an active earthquake zone and building codes were updated in 2012 in relation to seismic design learning the lessons of the Haiti quake of 2010. I doubt many owners of tenant asociations have given that much thought.

There is also the question of quality control in construction here. There are some good engineers here and ready mix concrete companies too but one wonders if the quality control is what would be demanded back home? Weaker concrete means weaker reinforced concrete and more porous concrete and higher risk of deterioartion.

Now for better news. Most of the taller buildings in the East Coast are not so tall and have been built relatively recently so time is good to start those regular checks. The same would apply to many apartment blocks built in Santo Domingo. But there are older tall buildinsg there too and along the South Coast in places like Juan Dolio and Boca Chica. Some taller older buildings exist too along the North Coast.

I hope this gets us all thinking, checking but not worrying too much.

Guest2022

Just a few days later and we have an older building in Zona Colonial being closed for reasons of visible structural damage.

Many of us who have visited ZC will have used this multi storey parking lot in the past.

Colonial Zone
DN Council of Aldermen declares the José Reyes parking lot as a public dange

https://noticiassin.com/pais/concejo-de … es-1118048

The Council of Aldermen of the National District issued resolution 18-2021 by means of which it ratifies as a public danger the public building where the Municipal Parking of José Reyes street is located on the corner of El Conde street in the Colonial City.

In the extraordinary session this Monday, the councilors learned about the request made by the Mayor of the National District, Carolina Mejía, as well as the report of the special commission, the report of the Directorate of Urban Infrastructure of ADN and the preliminary diagnosis on the state parking technician carried out by the National Office for Seismic Evolution and Vulnerability of Infrastructure and Buildings.

After knowing this, by means of said resolution they empower the municipal administration to proceed with the corresponding legal actions and order the Infrastructure Directorate to carry out the technical intervention of place to correct the structural damage of public property and that it respond to the parameters safety provisions for installations of this type. In that same section, the Council's provision specifies that the damages must be evaluated to determine whether the injuries require partial or total demolition.

The Council of Aldermen with said resolution provides for the eviction of the businesses that operate in the property, which were formally notified today and on the other hand, upon completion of the corresponding evaluations, a detailed report is submitted to the Council of Aldermen in a within 30 days.

The building where the Municipal Parking of José Reyes Street operates is a public asset and therefore its administration, custody and protection corresponds to the Mayor's Office of the National District.

It was closed by the council last Thursday due to structural failures that put people's lives and physical integrity at risk.

From the photograph included in the article this building could have been built using precast (prestressed) Bison slabs manufactured here years ago. Many older buildings here used precast concrete elements which use smaller reinforcement prestressed to take the imposed loads and would be more susceptible to corrosion damage if exposed to saline water.

At least the council has acted swiftly in this case.

Karin1

Good info.  These buildings that are in great need of repair, nearly everyone knows.   How can you not see the infrastructure problems when you park or use the pool, take the stairs, or walk around the building?  but nobody wants to pay for it.  I hope we dont see this happen again but in Florida and including this country (where we are surrounded by water), the sea levels are rising.  Best to go inland and stay away from the coastal high rises (dont live there unless they are under 10 years old).  Thats how to manage your risk but it does not help those who live or work there.

Guest2022

You are right. Nobody wants to pay extra for maintenance.

Unfortunately it is a risk that comes with buying an apartment and especially so an older one.

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