Construction Mgmt, Defects and Safety Expert
Contact this Expert Witness
- Company: Site and Structural Evaluation, Construction Defect and Safety Issues
- Phone: (510) 496-9369
- Cell: (510) 496-9369
- Fax: 510-527-7785
- Website: www.bayareastructural.squarespace.com
Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness
General Specialties:
Construction Engineering and Construction DefectsKeywords/Search Terms:
Construction quality control, safety, defect, contract documents, construction methods, construction materials, site safety, shoring of structures, slope retention, labor skill levelEducation:
Post Doc Arch Engineering, UC Berkeley; PhD, U of Chicago; MA , Columbia University; BS, Cornell UniversityYears in Practice:
40Number of Times Deposed/Testified in Last 4 Yrs:
fourAdditional Information
After completing a POSTDOC in Architectural Engineering at UC Berkeley, I worked for the US Dept of Housing and Urban Development analyzing Native American housing. My findings revealed significant structural defects and lack of habitabilty and inspired me to work with two structural engineers to develop construction methods to reinforce woodframe buildings. I and my colleagues started an engineering construction company that specialized in earthquake reinforcing. In 1989, I completed a book that summarized the important procedures to strengthen buildings particularly in areas prone to earthquakes. Within six months after completing my book, we experienced the Loma Prieta Earthquake. During the forty years I managed construction at the federal, state,and local levels, we focussed on quality control and construction safety. Our efforts were rewarded with no construction accidents or failures. In 1997, we completed the restoration of the Cache Creek Settling Basin for the Federal government one week before El Nino. Our work successfuly protected cities in the area prone to flooding, and we were awarded the "Outstanding Performance Evaluation" document by the Army Corps of Engineers. During that period of time also published an article that detailed how to design and install foundage drainage systems. The article which was published just before the El Nino rainfall and the buildings we provided drainage systems stayed dry. Over my 40-year career, I have inspected and provided reports and evaluations for over three thousand buildings. I have taught housingand urban devleopment as well as public administration at several universities. As an expert witness, I have assisted attorneys representing clients injured due to construction defects, workers in accidents due to contractor management errors, tenants in buildings with environmental habitability issues, and structures that do not comply with basic builidng code requirements.