Source: Berkley Design Professional, https://www.berkleydp.com/ A surveyor was retained by a contractor to stake the corners of a new single-family house. The surveyor referred to a site plan and utility data that was out of date. An updated site plan, including revised building location and existing utility information, was issued by the architect and civil […]

Source: Berkley Design Professional, https://www.berkleydp.com/ An architect completed the design for a multi-use project which included retail, office and residential components. The project was put on hold prior to construction. Eighteen months later, the developer approached the architect and wanted to put the project out to bid. Unfortunately, in the interim, several local building codes […]

Source: Berkley Design Professional, https://www.berkleydp.com/ A local architect of record (AOR) worked together with an out-of-state design architect on a new university dormitory project. With construction about 50% complete, it was discovered that several bathroom types were not in full compliance with FHA accessibility regulations. The design architect had retained an accessibility consultant, and the […]

Source: Berkley Design Professional, https://www.berkleydp.com/ An architect was hired to renovate a garage and kitchen for a private residence with workspace under the garage. The architect did not confirm site conditions and did not realize the lot sloped considerably in the area of the renovations. As a result, the contractor excavated to the depth defined […]

Source: Berkley Design Professional, https://www.berkleydp.com/ Auto Dealership Drama An architect designed an auto dealership and its scope of services included civil engineering and construction contract administration. Several years later, when the owner entered into negotiations to sell the dealership, the purchaser’s inspector discovered multiple construction defects – some of which caused water intrusion that were […]

Source: Berkley Design Professional, https://www.berkleydp.com/ Defective Administration A small architectural firm provided design and construction contract administration (CCA) services for a two-story addition to a library that was several hours from their office. The contractor was terminated by the owner after numerous construction defects were identified during construction. The owner demanded that the contractor’s bonding […]

Source: Berkley Design Professional, https://www.berkleydp.com/ The Failing Foundation An architect designed a new church building and was also responsible for providing engineering services. There were numerous issues regarding the quality of the construction work—the foundation, in particular. The architect used its standard contract which stated that they would “ensure” contractor performance in accordance with plans […]

Source: https://www.enr.com/, February 25, 2022 By: Richard Korman As the Flint water negligence trial of two engineering firms began Feb. 15 in federal court in Ann Arbor, Mich., the legal proceedings served as another symbol—and perhaps one of the most costly—of lawsuits that may generate big insurance claims and are driving steadily higher liability coverage premiums […]

Source: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/, January 6, 2022 By: Jaxon Van Derbeken The engineer responsible for the troubled fix of the Millennium Tower acknowledged Thursday that the building is continuing to tilt about 3 inches a year since work began. He also revealed that his team did not provide any instructions to the fix contractor on ways to prevent the […]

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/, December22, 2021 By: James Gordon The developer of 432 Park Avenue, the tallest apartment building in New York City that sits on Billionaires’ Row overlooking Central Park, has responded to a $125 million lawsuit that was filed by the condominium’s board earlier this year. The lawsuit alleged that the building suffered from leaks, flooding, creaking walls […]

Source: https://dailyreporter.com/, December 3, 2021 A six-story condominium building has been evacuated in a Milwaukee suburb after engineers found the structure was in imminent danger of collapsing. Police and firefighters cleared the 48-unit Horizon West condominium building in Waukesha on Thursday night after an engineering report said its structural columns were compromised. Read more.

Source: https://www.wbrz.com/, October 13, 2021 By: Paula Jones This week, a structural engineer who helped demolish New Orleans’ partially collapsed Hard Rock Hotel in 2020 provided officials with updated information on the cause of the building’s collapse, according to WWL-TV. The news outlet says Walter Zehner was hired by the owner of the Hard Rock project, […]