Water Intrusion: Concrete’s Silent Enemy

Concrete is often considered impervious to the elements. However, water intrusion can pose a significant threat to the long-term integrity of concrete structures. Many water intrusion problems are attributable to human error including detailing, specifications, or installation, so it’s important as a building designer to carefully consider the right system for the conditions, compatible materials, the right prep work and surface preparation, and quality materials.

Building Envelope Inspection: Protecting Your Investment and Limiting Liability

A building’s envelope is its first line of defense against the elements. It encompasses the roof, walls, windows, and foundation, working tirelessly to protect the building’s interior. Regular inspections are essential to maintain property value, energy efficiency, and occupant safety. But beyond these benefits, building envelope inspections also play a crucial role in mitigating liability. … Read more

Field Testing for Reinforced Concrete

Want to know the health of your concrete structure? Want to upgrade your concrete structure but don’t have as-built structural drawings? Non-destructive and minimally invasive concrete field testing can determine the health of your concrete structure and predict its useful remaining life. It can also determine or verify the reinforcement in your concrete structure. Non-destructive … Read more

Best Practices for Concrete Work during Cold Weather

With record cold temperatures sweeping across the United States this winter, cold temperature is at the forefront of most people’s minds. As a building owner or property manager, you’ve likely been thinking about how the weather will be affecting your properties. If you’re in the middle of a construction or repair project, cold weather can … Read more

Surfside Condo Collapse, One Year Later: What We Know

Since the Champlain Towers Collapse in Surfside Florida, we have had numerous requests to perform structural condition assessments. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Construction Safety Team (NCST) is pursuing a dozen failure scenarios and are anticipating a Final Report next year (2023). In 2018 a Condition Assessment Report was issued on … Read more

Blast Design & Physical Security

The job of a blast design engineer is to understand the risk and consequences of an explosive event, and then to develop methods for reducing the potential harm caused to people and critical assets. How can you be sure your building is protected and built with the latest standards in physical security? A prevailing myth … Read more

Advantages of Thermal Imaging During a Building Envelope Inspection

Infrared (IR) thermal imaging is the measurement of surface temperatures. However, to the trained eye it is much more than that. Thermal images, when analyzed by an expert, can provide valuable insight to many problems during a building envelope inspection that would otherwise be difficult to identify or diagnose. Three common types of deficiencies that … Read more

What is Commercial Construction Management?

Commercial construction is a huge industry, and as the economy grows, commercial buildings are necessary for creating more space for more workers as population growth and business cycles also grow. Commercial construction projects are all unique. Every business owner has a different vision of their design and the structure of their building depending on the … Read more

Legionnaires’ Disease: COVID-19 for Buildings?

city skyline legionnaires' disease

In July 1976, the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Legion held its annual state convention at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. About 4,000 members attended. In the days that followed the convention, 221 of the attendees became ill and 34 died from a mystery form of pneumonia. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) immediately began … Read more