A hospital owner experienced a large loss due to a structural steel design error. Due to design negligence, part of the new hospital tower was rendered unusable. The result was approximately $20,000,000 in direct damages to the building, and another $5,000,000 in consequential damages. The Owner’s architect had a policy with a $1,000,000 limit. However, […]

Source: http://www.latimes.com, April 17, 2017 By: Ralph Vartabedian Design flaws, construction shortcomings and maintenance errors caused the Oroville Dam spillway to break apart in February, according to an independent analysis by Robert Bea for the Center for Catastrophic Risk Management at UC Berkeley. Bea, a co-founder of the center and retired civil engineering professor, found […]

Source: https://therealdeal.com, April 17, 2017 By: Francisco Alvarado An Aventura-based architecture firm allegedly left McKafka Development Group hanging, delaying construction on its 90-unit high-rise called the Crimson in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood, according to a lawsuit. McKafka, through its limited liability company Alpine Estates, accuses International Design Engineering and Architecture, or I.D.E.A. for short, of breaching […]

Single prime design delivery system for the renovation and expansion of a public medical center facility. Due to multiple conflicts between the structural, MEP and architectural drawings, and the submission of several hundred requests for information (“RFIs”) by the contractor, the project was delayed more than one year and experienced substantial budgetary overruns. Owner claim […]

Multiple prime design delivery system for the renovation of a physician’s private office space to accommodate MRI equipment and a “clean room” for lab analysis. Structural plans failed to account for the load presented by the MRI equipment, resulting in overstress of floor joints and deflection of walls on lower floors. “Clean Room” was not […]

Single prime design delivery system for construction of a new dental school facility associated with a University. University made claim against the architect alleging design errors relating to structural steel; Life Safety Code violations; non-insulated pipe failures;  failure to properly staff project; failure to perform contract administration duties; lost value engineering opportunities; and project delay. […]

Design-Build delivery system for new state-of-the-art medical diagnostic and treatment center project. Project experienced significant cost overruns and delay due to design errors in the HVAC, MEP and structural steel plans and failure to coordinate design with original owner-specified equipment. Claim amount exceeded the available design professional insurance.  

Multiple prime design delivery system for a private hospital expansion project. Plans called for separate HVAC units for each hospital room, rather than a centralized HVAC system. The compartmentalized cooling system led to inconsistent humidity levels, and the development of mold in certain HVAC units due to condensation. Owner claim against the design team for […]

Single prime delivery system for a public hospital renovation and expansion project. MEP engineer failed to specify correct type of piping to carry “clean steam” through the hospital, resulting in system-wide pipe failure and risk of pressure combustion. Remedial plan consisted of complete removal and replacement of piping. Owner claim against the design team for […]

Source: USA Today, November 29, 2012 By: Peter Eisler, USA Today Deadly bacteria that defy drugs of last resort A new family of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, known as CRE, is raising concerns across the medical community because of its ability to cause infections that defy even the strongest antibiotics. The antibiotic resistance is spread by mobile […]