Crane Engineering, one of the nation’s leading forensic engineering companies, has announced the formation of a subsidiary company dedicated to the architectural and engineering issues of building science. Crane Engineering Building Science will provide legal firms, insurance companies, real estate professionals and building owners with the diagnostic and analytical capabilities required to define, verify, prevent and resolve large loss incidents. Crane’s new division concentrates the resources needed to address built environment failures and claims.
“We’re focused on the four key areas of large loss cases,” says Stefan D. Helgeson, AIA, ASLA, President and Principal Architect of the new company, “design, materials, codes and contracts. Other than damages from violent acts of nature, a large loss involving a building is very similar to a product failure. Our job is to provide the property owners, attorneys and insurance companies with the most definitive identification of cause. Basically, we uncover what really went wrong.”
Often the largest losses result from failures of materials to perform as specified, either due to fault in the material itself, installation, or maintenance. It is also often the case that the issues are complex. The interaction of materials can produce compound results that are not properties of the native material. The increase in cases involving imported drywall material is a good example. Given the right amount of temperature and humidity, nearby copper components, such as wiring, can experience catastrophic failure that would not ordinarily be expected of that material.
Our experts understand the regional differences in building codes, design and construction regulations. What is acceptable in Atlanta may not be compliant in Minneapolis where serious winters require differences in buildings and materials.
“Contracts are increasingly important in understanding large losses,” says Helgeson. “The basics are obvious – who was supposed to do what during the design and building process – but the resulting assignment of fault requires intricate analysis. Issues such as “fitness for purpose” and “standard of care” come into play. It is no longer enough to design a solid building; new structures are often required to meet goals for energy conservation, maintenance costs, and life cycle durability that are as important to the owner as the design itself.”
Thomas R. Crane, P.E., the founder of Crane Engineering, is excited by the new venture. “Its new, and it’s not,” he expounds. “We have professionals with years of experience in almost every field of building science. We can meet, and exceed, the demands of the 21st century problems that attend to buildings. What we’ve done that’s new is concentrate all the resources necessary and put a practicing architect at the head of the organization whose vast experience ensures the very highest level of service to our clients.”
“The separate organization is an indication of the serious impact of large losses on our economy. Fire, flood, explosion, collapse, and every other form of disaster are impacting insurance companies and building owners as never before. What’s needed is an understanding of the underlying cause, and a definitive placement of responsibility. I think this is one of the most important things we’ve done in our organization in a long time.”
Crane Engineering Building Science is located within the Crane Engineering office in Plymouth, MN, and can be reached during business hours through the company’s telephone numbers at 800-538-2797 or 763-557-9090. For more information on Crane Engineering and Crane Engineering Building Science, please visitwww.craneengineering.com.
