Real-Time Monitoring for Coastal High-Rise Safety in Miami

Overview

In 2024, a study by the University of Miami raised concerns across Florida’s coastal communities. It revealed that 35 buildings along the Miami Beach to Sunny Isles Beach coastline are experiencing subsidence. For the residents and management of one of the condo-hotels, the news was unsettling, especially with the nearby construction of other high-rises just beginning.

Under the guidance of their structural engineers, the condo had already installed a real-time structural health monitoring system due to the adjacent construction activity. As highlighted in the Miami Herald interview and segment, this proactive step provided a tangible example of “peace of mind”: the presence of the monitoring system provided reassurance and peace of mind to owners and investors, avoiding a rush-sale scenario that could have negatively impacted property values.

For further details, see:

• Miami Herald
• University of Miami

Rather than waiting for visible damage or relying on assumptions, the condominium board chose a proactive approach. In collaboration with SmartCore Systems, a Miami-based structural monitoring company, and with structural engineering support from Pistorino and Alam Engineering, a renowned engineering firm specializing in structural and forensic engineering services, they installed a real-time wireless sensor network powered by Move Solutions technology.

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Project Objectives

The monitoring initiative had the following goals:

• Monitor vibrations and structural behavior during adjacent construction.
• Detect potential differential settlement under dynamic loads.
• Provide real-time updates to engineers and building management.
• Collect technical data for legal, insurance, and long-term structural monitoring purposes, building a strong dataset to support the 25–30 year milestone inspections.

Installing the monitoring system was a strategic decision — a concrete step toward resilience in an area exposed to geotechnical and climate-related risks.

The Monitoring System

Installed in August 2024, the system features an array of Move Solutions wireless battery powered sensors, managed and maintained by SmartCore Systems. The setup enables:

• High-precision measurements of vibrations and tilt.
  
• Continuous real-time data flow.
  
• Remote real-time diagnostics via the MyMove platform.
  

The installed sensors and devices include:

• Tiltmeters
  
• Vibrometers
  
• Gateway – a single LoRaWAN gateway was sufficient to ensure full coverage of the entire sensor network across the building, highlighting the system’s long-range communication capability and robust signal penetration, even through dense structural elements.
  

The system was deployed in parallel with the start of deep foundation work on the nearby building, allowing engineers to correlate vibration data with construction activity.

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Results and Reliability

Since activation, the system has provided 24/7 monitoring of high-rise structural behavior. Residents now benefit from live data that confirms the building’s stability.

A notable incident occurred over the Christmas holiday: during routine maintenance and sensor battery replacement, a technician forgot to disable the alert system, triggering a Critical vibration alarm. Although the cause was harmless, the system operated flawlessly — detecting the anomaly and instantly alerting the team.

This episode demonstrated the platform’s effectiveness in both emergency detection and historical analysis, as well as its readiness for legal preparedness.

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A Model for Urban Resilience

The project underscores the strategic value of implementing wireless structural health monitoring systems in high-rise buildings located in geotechnically sensitive environments. In areas like Miami — characterized by porous soils, tidal fluctuations, and continuous vertical urban development — the availability of high-resolution, real-time structural data is no longer a luxury, but rather necessity.

Beyond supporting daily operational safety and resilience, continuous monitoring provides a critical foundation for complying with regulatory requirements such as Florida’s milestone inspection program. Under current legislation, structural inspections are mandated at the 25- or 30-year mark, depending on the building’s distance from the coastline, and at regular intervals thereafter.

A continuously updated dataset — encompassing tilt, vibration, and settlement parameters — offers engineers objective, time-stamped evidence of a building’s structural behavior over an extended period. This not only enhances the accuracy and efficiency of the milestone assessment but can also streamline decision-making processes, support defensible maintenance strategies, and contribute to preserving asset value.

This collaboration between SmartCore Systems and Move Solutions represents a replicable model for:

• Proactive mitigation of structural risks through continuous monitoring.
  
• Strengthening resident confidence by providing verifiable data and fostering peace of mind.
  
• Enabling data-driven infrastructure management strategies based on real-time performance insights.
  
• Supporting insurance and legal processes with objective, time-stamped records, while also contributing to insurance optimization by offering a transparent and quantifiable assessment of structural integrity.

As SmartCore CEO Mario Verciani notes:

“While we recognize the remarkable work of architects and engineers in designing high-rise structures, geotechnical uncertainties—especially in complex coastal environments—can challenge even the best planning. Continuous real-time monitoring offers data-driven reassurance that a structure is performing as expected.”

— Mario Verciani, CEO, SmartCore Systems