The Surfside Condo Was Flawed and Failing. Here’s a Look Inside.

The collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo left 98 people dead and triggered investigations that could last years. Such a catastrophic failure would almost certainly have many contributing factors, engineers said. 

The New York Times created a 3-D model of the tower based on the original design drawings. That model, combined with a review of documents and interviews with structural experts, reveals how design errors, last-minute changes, dubious construction practices and years of worsening deterioration could have all contributed to the collapse.

Problems Underground:
Engineers investigating the collapse have been scrutinizing the base of the building — the foundation and the underground garage. It was here that the first signs of failure emerged in the minutes before a large section of the tower gave way on June 24.