Concrete buildings don’t just collapse out of the blue. Even earthquakes aren’t supposed to bring them down. So why did the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Florida — a modern structure built in 1981 — fail? Credit: The American Chemical Society

Concrete buildings don't just collapse out of the blue.

Even earthquakes aren't supposed to bring them down.

So why did the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Florida—a modern structure built in 1981—fail?

Credit: American Chemical Society