The federal building and fire safety investigation of the World Trade Center disaster

A major scientifically-based investigation of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster was completed recently by the National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST 2005 ). This study was carried out under the mandate of the National Construction Safety Team Act of 2002, which authorizes NIST to investigate major U.S. building failures. The purpose of such investigations is to establish the technical causes of building failures and evaluate the technical aspects of emergency response and evacuation procedures. Since NIST is not a regulatory agency and does not issue building standards or codes, the Institute is viewed as a neutral investigator.