Common Documentation Problems
James M. McKay, AIA, P.E.
Former MDC Systems® Project Manager
Construction is, to a great extent, a paper business. In addition to a completed building project, an end result of the construction process is reams of documents. From initial project concept through completion, an extensive paper trail is generated.
Meet the Expert-Peter Vander Heide, AIA, LEED AP
Prior to working with MDC, Peter worked for 10 years for a manufacturing company that supplied structural systems for buildings. He also managed a multi-discipline professional services firm in Philadelphia for 10 years. Peter then started his own practice featuring...
Water Treatment & Distribution
Donald R. Keer, P.E., Esq. MDCSystems® Consulting Engineer Clean water is necessary in almost every aspect of an industrialized society. Ironically; the greater the industrialization, the harder and more expensive it is to treat water to ensure its purity. Moreover;...
Inoculate Your Project Team to Prevent Construction Failures
Robert C. McCue, P.E.
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer
If you are seeing a rise in problem projects and difficult work-outs, take steps now to inoculate your project team for success and profitability. Basic PMBOK training is certainly necessary but not entirely sufficient to ensure success in today’s fast-paced project environment.
Solar Analysis Report
Amal Kabalan
MDC Systems®
Consulting Engineer
Today there is a lot of dialogue about ‘being green’, ‘energy efficiency’, and ‘carbon footprints’. One of the main promises of campaigning politicians is investing in renewable energy technology. Every other commercial on TV or in a magazine speaks about green energy. Solar power is a major component of the renewable energy mix. By now, most people know that solar energy is a pollution free technology; it has the potential to reduce your carbon footprint and provide clean energy for future generations. In 2010 state imposed rate caps on electricity are set to expire, and utilities are positioning themselves for massive rate increases in Pennsylvania.
Fukushima – The Rest of the Story
Fukushima - The Rest of the Story[1] ( AKA Paul Harvey ) By Robert C. McCue, P.E. The complete Japanese investigation of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant disaster of 2011 was recently released in a 641 page report ( the “Official Report”) with the conclusion that...
Construction Defect Inspector Protected Against Contractor Defamation Suit
Where homeowners retained an inspection firm to investigate the cause of their leaky roof, the inspector issued a report stating that the roof had been installed years earlier over fiberboard roof insulation that was soaking wet, thereby causing the later leakage. When the homeowners then sued the contractor for construction defects, the contractor brought a third party defamation action against the inspector, asserting that the statement about the roof being installed over wet insulation was false and defamatory. Summary judgment was granted for the inspector by the trial judge, and this was appealed by the contractor. On appeal, the court found that the statement by the inspector could indeed be actionable as defamation, but that a conditional privilege existed to publish the statement to the homeowner to serve the purposes of the contract between the homeowner and inspector. There are several lessons to be learned from this decision as explained herein. Downey v. Chutehall Construction, 86 Mass.App.Ct. 660, 19 N.E. 3d 470 (2014).
Building Envelope Investigations
MDCSystems® has performed building exterior envelope investigations for over forty years on all types of residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Some of these investigations have included unique aspects of work concerning:
Understanding and Surviving Project Complexity
The article Complexity is Often the Culprit in Cost Overruns and Delays was published last year in the MDCAdvisor® (March, 2014) and garnered much feedback. In today’s article we will revisit the Complexity and Systems Thinking topics and foster additional discussion of how andwhy project failures are driven by complexity. Complexity often arises to frustrate even the best efforts of Architects, Engineers and Contractors working to complete projects on time and budget.
Risk, Risk Management and Reward in Project Execution
Robert C. McCue, P.E. MDCSystems® Consulting Engineer Risk and risk sharing means different things to different people. It may not be possible to eliminate all risk in undertaking capital projects. Owners will attempt to shift risk onto contractors through contract...