SURFSIDE, Fla. — A renowned structural engineer whose firm has consulted on major disasters like the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the Florida International University bridge collapse is now shifting his focus to Thursday's fatal condo collapse in Surfside.
Allyn Kilsheimer, founder and chief executive of KCE Structural Engineers, has been hired by the town of Surfside to study the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South, which has left at least nine dead and 156 missing. The firm will also study the condition of the remaining existing building and similar adjacent buildings, while providing geotechnical and original-design evaluations, according to a contract with the town executed Sunday.
The firm will be working with Meuser Rutledge Consulting Engineers, a geotechnical engineering specialist, and other consultants and surveyors.
"As our consultation is in progress, we will, when needed, perform an in-depth evaluation of the cause(s) of the collapse based on the information supplied," the contract states.
Kilsheimer, who is based in Washington, D.C., toured the "limited, observable and exposed" areas of the underground garages of the Champlain Towers East and North on Saturday, where he "saw no visible evidence of any major structural concern," according to a press release issued by the town. The buildings are located near Champlain Towers South but were not involved in the collapse.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett has led efforts to voluntarily relocate residents of Champlain Towers North, which he said was "basically the identical building in almost every way to the one that collapsed." The north tower was constructed in 1982, a year after the south tower — with the same plans as the south tower, Burkett said.
The Champlain Towers North condominium association has informed the town it will hire its own structural engineering firm to investigate the building further.
Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer told the Miami Herald that the scope of the engineering work may evolve over time depending on what the experts uncover. She said the hourly rate that the firm is charging the town — $350 per hour, per the contract — is reasonable given the firm's reputation around the world for responding to disaster zones.
"What's great is the town recognized right away that we need to bring in the big guns," she said. "I feel like this is a really great first step."
