The International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) joins all Americans and all those affected in mourning the tragic loss of life in the collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla., on June 24, 2021.

While the causes of the Florida collapse have yet to be determined, the ubiquity of concrete structures in the U.S. and around the world calls for greater awareness and education to help ensure that they remain resilient and durable.

ICRI is the only association dedicated solely to advancing the concrete repair and restoration industry. Our mission is to provide education, certification, and leadership to improve the quality of repair, restoration and protection/preservation of concrete and other material systems.

Among its many initiatives, ICRI members develop technical guidelines and certification programs and provide educational information to the public regarding all aspects of concrete repair. Further, ICRI is committed to advancing the American Concrete Institute (ACI) 562, “Code Requirements for Assessment, Repair, and Rehabilitation of Existing Concrete Structures.” The code was developed to provide design professionals involved in the assessment of concrete structures a code for the evaluation of the damage and deterioration, and the design of appropriate repair and rehabilitation strategies. The code provides minimum requirements for assessment, repair, and rehabilitation of existing structural concrete buildings, members, systems and where applicable, nonbuilding structures.

ICRI awaits the results of the full investigation into this terrible tragedy and stands committed to promoting the lessons learned to help maintain the integrity and resilience of concrete structures and make the built world safer and last longer. In the coming weeks, ICRI will be launching a series of free on-demand educational content and video presentations to provide general information about common concrete repair practices.

For more information about ICRI, visit our website at www.icri.org.

For more information on ACI and ACI 562, visit their website at www.concrete.org.