ACEC/CT Update

Attorney General May Go After Engineer in Pool Accident

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has announced that he is investigating why a pool was installed without required safety equipment in spite of an engineer's designs and Greenwich local building official inspections. Read story.

Green Risk

ENR reportsthat insurers are concerned about increased losses attributed to sustainable designs. Here is a case where risks need to be properly allocated by contract, owners need to understand the risks involved and the reliability of new technology, materials and construction methods will increase with time. Insurance companies hate risks that they can't calculate. It's the unknown that causes them loses. But engineers should be aware of the risks and the unknowns and be prepared to mange those risks. A factor that compounds the problem is government which mandates higher risks. For example, Connecticut has passed laws which mandate LEED certification or equivalent for state buildings, school projects and all commercial buildings over $5 million.

Lessons Learned from Museum Failure

An interesting article in the Boston Globe about a 17 year old museum addition at Harvard that is being torn down because of several factors, including the age-old problem of vapor barrier failure.

Structural Issues Investigated in Norwich Fire

Investigators are looking at the design of "fire walls" within the Peachtree Apartments which were destroyed in a huge fire in Norwich last weekend. See article. Check out the photo of the fire progressing along the roof of the complex. From the story, it would seem that the building had a pitched roof added after the original constuction.

False Claims Act passed over

The Judiciary Committee failed to take action on HB 5923, a false claims act, and the bill is dead unless it is brought up as an amendment to another bill later in the session. The bill, sponsored by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, would have increased risk for firms doing business with the state. Chalk up another one for the good guys.

False Claims Act Testimony

ACEC/CT Executive Director Paul Brady testified this week against HB 5923, An Act Concerning Fraud Against the State. If adopted, the false claims act would upset the rights and responsibilities balanced in the construction contract, would discourage firms from working for the state and would encourage more litigation. A link to a copy of the testimony can be found in the right column.

Lessons from Hurricane Katrina

The failures of levees in and around New Orleans resulted in a tragic loss of life and tremendous property damage. We will look at what went wrong from an engineering point of view and what lessons can be applied here in Connecticut where major population areas are subject to major hurricanes and protected by levees.

Our speakers will be:

R. Lee Wooten, PE, Vice President, GEI Consultants, Inc. who served on the ASCE Levee Assessment Team sent to New Orleans immediately after Katrina.

Scott R. Choquette, CRM, Director of Hazard Engineering Services, Dewberry, who is the Program Manager for the FEMA Region I Floodplain Mapping Contract will discuss FEMA’s response to hurricane hazards here in Connecticut.

Attendees will receive 2.0 PDHs good for New York State PE License Renewals.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
7:30 AM to 8:00 AM Registration & Buffet Breakfast
8:00 AM to 10:00 AM Presentations
Courtyard by Marriott
4 Sebethe Drive, Cromwell, CT 06416, I-91, Exit 21.

Registration: $60 per person. Please mail, fax or call in your reservation by Friday, March 21, 2008.

Sponsorships available. Contact the ACEC/CT office at (860) 635-5522.

Click on the Registration form and sponsorship form in the column at right.

Science Center Roof get Fix

If you have an innovative design, you should expect some delays. Read story in Hartford Courant.

AG Sues Engineers, Contractors, Insurers for Problems at York

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has sued 13 state contractors for defective work at the Women's Correctional Institution at York CT. The state is seeking more than $18 million to fix pervasive water leaks and cracked walls. Blumenthal's suit alleges that the companies, including Bacon Construction Co., Inc., Tishman Construction Corporation of New England, HDR Architecture P.C. and Maguire Group, Inc., knew or should have known the work was defective. See news release.

Structural Engineers Being Sued for WTC Clean-up

Immediately after the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11/01, many Engineers rushed to the scene to volunteer their expertise in the rescue work. After a few days, New York City organized the clean-up and contracted with the volunteer structural engineers to help. Their professional services enabled New York to clean up the site without any deaths by workers. However, now thousands of workers have brought lawsuits against everyone "in charge" including the structural engineers for letting them work on the site without adequate air masks. (See this NYT article.)

Apparently operating under the legal theory of "no good dead goes unpunished," the lawyers and their plaintifs are making it less likely that engineers will volunteer or work on such disasters in the future.