Clearwater condo evacuated

• Wednesday at 4:22 PM

• #2

Sym P. le

Mechanical

Jul 9, 2018

1,194

It sounds as though they were doing some remedial work and got ahead of themselves. There is stuff missing from this story.

 

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• Wednesday at 6:12 PM

• #3

JStephen

Mechanical

Aug 25, 2004

8,705

"He said the crack was about a 'couple of feet wide' and was getting bigger before crews began stabilizing it."
Did they maybe mean "inches" or is this building really going two different directions?
A photo or two would be handy.

 

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• Wednesday at 6:18 PM

• #4

Pinwards

Civil/Environmental

Nov 18, 2005

154

This version of the story has some photos. Pretty nasty crack, and certainly cause for alarm but not "feet" wide - feet tall maybe, and several inches wide.

Construction crews continued to stabilize condo on Sand Key after crack found in parking garage: CPD

Construction crews continued to stabilize the condo building on Sand Key after it was evacuated after a crack was found in the parking garage.

www.abcactionnews.com

#

 

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• Wednesday at 9:11 PM

• #5

Sym P. le

Mechanical

Jul 9, 2018

1,194

So if the containment rebar is missing from that column, where else is it missing? What were they working on/with above the column to completely obliterate it. This story is much bigger than we know.

 

Last edited: Wednesday at 9:18 PM

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• Wednesday at 9:45 PM

• #6

G

Garbage1

Civil/Environmental

Oct 31, 2024

174

Problem solved, they used DEI temporary shoring system that supports beam all way to the near-midspan crack..........

 

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• Wednesday at 10:05 PM

• #7

dik

Structural

Apr 13, 2001

26,064

No column ties?

 

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• Thursday at 1:37 AM

• #8

spsalso

Electrical

Jun 27, 2021

956

I'm sure the original building inspector thought it entirely adequate. So, too, the government agency that employed and directed him.

Be assured they take these things Very Seriously.

I wonder if a PE was possibly involved in this project. Maybe. It could happen. Say, are there actually plans for this building?


spsalso

 

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• Thursday at 4:28 AM

• #9

M

MintJulep

Mechanical

Jun 12, 2003

10,134

You guys just aren't looking close enough. There's plenty of reinforcement in there.

 

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• Thursday at 4:49 AM

• #10

M

MintJulep

Mechanical

Jun 12, 2003

10,134

Looking at Google satellite and street view https://www.google.com/maps/place/1...try=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUwNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw==

The building to the South, and two buildings to the North look to be the same basic design.

 

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• Thursday at 5:48 AM

• #11

Sym P. le

Mechanical

Jul 9, 2018

1,194

Plenty? Oh, I missed that one.

Is it possible that by removing the slab at the base of the column, the effective six inch (or so) increase in column height tipped it over the edge? Answer: no, they couldn't cut right up against the column ... although on the thin side that cleaved off it looks as though the slab was removed right up to the column edge. We need better photos.

Did they bump the column with a skid loader?

 

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• Thursday at 6:02 AM

• #12

TugboatEng

Marine/Ocean

Nov 1, 2015

11,844

I don't see any paint transfer in your earlier pictures.

 

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• Thursday at 6:12 AM

• #13

Sym P. le

Mechanical

Jul 9, 2018

1,194

It looks to me that the column base was destabilized by removing the slab. I'm not sure what precautions should have been taken to avoid that. I don't see the footing either.

 

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• Thursday at 5:10 PM

• #14

spsalso

Electrical

Jun 27, 2021

956

If the column lost support because of removal of the slab, wouldn't the column have dropped, and wouldn't there be cracking in the ceiling as IT dropped?


spsalso

 

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• Friday at 6:13 AM

• #15

M

MintJulep

Mechanical

Jun 12, 2003

10,134

• Granted, we don't have many picture to go by, but in what we do have, I don't see anything like spalling or shoddy "repair" by buttering over defects.
• This looks like a compression failure.
• So, if this column worked fine for long time, and now suddenly failed, wouldn't that mean that the load had increased?
  • What else were they working on that might have unloaded other columns and shifted load to this one?

 

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• Friday at 11:43 AM

• #16

Sym P. le

Mechanical

Jul 9, 2018

1,194

a curious cat said:

... although on the thin side that cleaved off it looks as though the slab was removed right up to the column edge.

Click to expand...

I suppose I can answer my own question --> As they pulled up the cut up slab sections, they disturbed the column, which was integrated with that last piece of slab which extended beneath, or stuck to the column. The column likely fractured in quick order, then slowly progressed as the "whoopsie" alarms went off. The subsequent evacuation was diligent but this was not a sudden fracture/collapse and the overall design safety factors kicked in to save the day.

 

Last edited: Friday at 1:07 PM

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• Friday at 4:39 PM

• #17

waross

Electrical

Jan 7, 2006

28,271

Looks like Central American concrete.
That is, a lot too great a slump to make placement easier.
The excess water eventually migrates out, leaving the concrete porous.
That allows moisture to ingress and corrode the re-bars.
When iron converts to iron oxide, the volume increases, in some cases forcing the concrete away.
While it is difficult to tell accurately from the poor photos, that looks like typical Central American concrete failure.
The column may have been, and probably was compromised before the crews removed any slab.
When a supervisor inspected the slab removal work, he realized that the column was in bad shape.

 

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• Friday at 6:14 PM

• #18

G

Garbage1

Civil/Environmental

Oct 31, 2024

174

"a curious cat said:
... although on the thin side that cleaved off it looks as though the slab was removed right up to the column edge."

I lean towards the curious cat explanation. Like using a skid steer bucket curl up under edge of remaining concrete around column to break it loose, rather than using the proper tool, like a concrete chainsaw to plunge cut right up flush with column.

 

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