Early Thursday morning, an apartment building in Surfside, Florida tragically collapsed, claiming the lives of at least four residents and leaving over 150 people unaccounted for.
The Champlain Towers South condominium was a 12-story apartment building, which was about 40 years old and was located near the water. San Francisco has several buildings of a similar size and age — with a number of habited structures well over 100 years old, built after the 1906 earthquake. And any of them are located in similar proximity to the Bay.
That begs the troubling question: Could a similar collapse happen here? And if so, what can citizens do to prevent such a tragedy?
[San Francisco’s] building code includes provisions to seal aspects of buildings, protecting them from the kind of corrosion which may have been a factor in the tragedy in Florida.
.To be clear, the causes of the collapse in Surfside are still unknown; engineers, however, have been sounding the alarm as far back as 2018, noting certain structural damages.
But according to reporting by the New York Times, several factors may have been involved. Champlain Towers was due to be inspected for corrosion, which may have been a factor in the collapse, given the building’s seaside location. (The NYT also cited possible unpermitted construction projects as a potential cause of the collapse.)
To learn about how these factors come into play in San Francisco, I spoke to a local expert. They asked to remain anonymous, citing the developing nature of the tragic collapse in Florida.
More than ten inspectors are assigned specifically to apartment buildings in San Francisco, with extra emphasis placed on buildings housing vulnerable populations.
To start with, the good news.
While corrosion can happen anywhere, the said expert told me that the environment in Florida and in the Bay Area is vastly different. Florida’s high humidity makes corrosion more of a concern there. Despite San Francisco’s moniker as the “City by the Bay” — and the fact that many of our buildings are close to the water—corrosion is likely a lower hazard here than in East Coast cities with higher humidity.
The expert also said that our building code includes provisions to seal aspects of buildings, protecting them from the kind of corrosion which may have been a factor in the tragedy in Florida.
The expert said, though, that we still have our own hazards here — namely earthquakes and other seismic issues. That’s one of the reasons our building code needs to be very robust and has been developed carefully over time.
There should be no unpermitted construction in San Francisco.
The expert I spoke to also said that there’s nothing in San Francisco’s building code which doesn’t need to be there; everything is designed to keep buildings safe, even when earthquakes strike. They likened the code to the operating manual needed to safely fly an airplane — it’s dense and complex, but every part is in there because of some anticipated hazard, or some lesson learned from real-world events.
Of course, that’s no guarantee that people actually follow the code.
One of the potential causes of the Florida collapse, according to the NYT, is “unauthorized remodeling” which “could result in someone eliminating a structural support column.” Essentially, an unscrupulous contractor or clueless DIY-er could have mistakenly weakened the building through a not-to-code repair, either causing the collapse or increasing the risk of it occurring.
The source I interviewed told me that in San Francisco, authorities are very vigorous about finding and correcting code violations. They added there should be no unpermitted construction in the city. More than ten inspectors are assigned specifically to apartment buildings, with extra emphasis placed on buildings housing vulnerable populations.
When a new building goes up, city authorities are involved in every step of the process, going so far as to measure the strength of concrete and other building materials as they’re poured. That can lead to massive permitting costs for construction in the city (up to 18% of a project) but should help to bolster safety.
This is especially important given that many of San Francisco’s buildings are built right up to the sidewalk, with no setbacks, my source said. If a part of a building were to fall, it could injure a passerby, even if the building’s residents were unharmed. For that reason, the city has to be especially careful about structural issues and small collapses which might present less of an issue elsewhere, where there’s a bigger buffer zone between buildings and streets.
It’s never possible to prevent all building issues. But well-designed codes, environmental factors, and proactive reporting of issues by citizens can all combine to keep San Francisco’s building as safe as possible.
For older buildings — including ones of a similar age to Champlain Towers South — enforcement in San Francisco relies heavily on reporting of violations by residents and other citizens. The city investigates all reports of potential code violations, unpermitted construction, or building damage, with the main goal of making sure the city’s buildings are structurally safe.
That’s important and empowering. My source said that San Franciscans can do two things to increase the safety of the city’s buildings and to help prevent tragedies like the one in Florida.
Firstly, anyone considering a renovation project should make sure to work with licensed contractors who don’t cut corners. If a contractor offers to save you some money by doing a project without a license — or by not reporting an issue — say no. Yes, renovations in the Bay Area can be blindingly expensive. But because even minor renovations can damage a building and put all the building’s residents at risk if they’re done wrong, using scrupulous contractors and not cutting corners is essential.
My source also said that residents should report any concerns about a building directly to the city’s Department of Building Inspection.
Telltale signs of damage include cracks in a building’s structural elements (floors, walls, pillars, etc.) or signs of water damage (which can be a precursor to corrosion). Residents should also report any potentially unpermitted construction.
My source emphasized that city officials are rarely out to punish people for violations, so citizens shouldn’t feel bad about filing a report about a potential issue. Fines can be assigned, but my source said that the city’s engineers are primarily concerned with making sure that the city’s buildings are safe. If a project can be brought to code, the city will often work with residents to ensure that it is. And even if damage to a building turns out to be minor or non-structural, it’s always better to report a concern than to take the risk of a collapse or other issue.
The Bold Italic’s thoughts are with those who lost loved ones in the tragedy in Florida, as well as the rescue crews working tirelessly to save survivors. Our hope is that a full investigation will reveal the cause of the collapse in Florida so that no one else perishes in a similar, tragic event.
It’s never possible to prevent all building issues. But well-designed codes, environmental factors, and proactive reporting of issues by citizens can all combine to keep San Francisco’s building as safe as possible.
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