Following the tragic condominium collapse in Surfside, Fla., BOMA International co-convened a building safety symposium on August 17, 2021, with the International Code Council (ICC) and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). The daylong event, “Ensuring the Safety of Existing Buildings,” was hosted in West Palm Beach, Fla., by the Building Officials Association of Florida.
While the situation in Surfside is unrelated to commercial real estate, BOMA wanted to help lead this national conversation on building safety. A panel on “Property Management and the Real Estate Industry” included BOMA International Government Affairs Committee chair Mary Lantz of JLL and John Scott, BOMA Fellow, of Colliers and it was moderated by BOMA International’s Director of State and Local Affairs, Ken Rosenfeld.
The goal of the day was to establish a channel for the building safety community to develop information to help inform policy makers as they consider questions raised by the collapse of Champlain Towers South. The event did not address the causation of the building collapse while investigations continue, but instead focused on broader questions related to maintenance, inspections, structural safety and the application of current building codes and standards. Participants in this initial gathering represented a wide range of organizations, including experts from the code enforcement, building, construction, design and real estate communities.
For more information, contact BOMA International’s Director of State and Local Affairs, Ken Rosenfeld, at krosenfeld@boma.org.