FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Fort Lauderdale commissioners were briefed on efforts to strengthen the structural integrity of the city’s new $100 million police headquarters Tuesday, which is currently under construction.
The building, designed to be a three-story, rectangular structure, is facing several design issues that engineers and contractors are working to address.
A structural engineer with the forensic engineering firm WJE, hired by the city of Fort Lauderdale, explained the ongoing efforts to strengthen the “load path” from the building’s roof to its foundation.
“We still have questions about some of the beams,” said Brent Chancellor, associate principal at WJE. “The original design was under-designed or had design issues.”
He also noted that the team had found cracks in the concrete at the structure’s north elevation.
The investigation also uncovered problems with the roof beams, which were not fully code-compliant in the original design.
“We’ve identified issues with all four third-story columns,” Chancellor said, referring to structural flaws that were found during the investigation.
David Didier, the East Region Chief Operating Officer of AECOM, the design firm behind the building, assured commissioners that the problems would be fully addressed.
“This is a mistake that we are fully committed to rectifying,” he said. “We’re working with our sub-consultant, Thornton Tomasetti, to ensure the fix is permanent.”
AECOM, which led the design of the building, is taking responsibility for the costs of the necessary corrections, as confirmed by Didier during the conference meeting.
“We are committed to making sure you are financially made whole for this,” he told the commissioners. “We are going to take full responsibility for the cost of the fix, what we are responsible for.”
One of the design changes involved shifting from steel to concrete, which led to complications, according to Anthony Fajardo, assistant city attorney of Fort Lauderdale.
“Unfortunately, Thornton Tomasetti didn’t properly account for the different loads that concrete has versus the steel,” Fajardo explained.
To compensate, engineers had to reinforce columns, but additional support was needed for the columns underneath the structure.
The building’s resilience was a key concern raised by Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, who asked, “Will it withstand a Category 5 hurricane?”
Fajardo reassured the commission, stating, “It is supposed to.”
He went on to emphasize that while using the word “structural” can be concerning, engineers are confident the building is not in danger of catastrophic collapse.
“There’s no danger of catastrophic collapse,” Fajardo said. “What we are talking about is shifting, and we are now mitigating against any potential issues such as water infiltration that could lead to leaks or mold.”
“Once all the rectifications are in place, the building should function as intended, with no ongoing problems expected,” Chancellor said.
“We found a design error, and that is what we are addressing. We are not going anywhere. We are going to stand by this building,” Didier said.
Officials told Local 10 News that the building is approximately 80 percent complete, with work still underway.
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