Architecture • Engineering • Planning • Forensic Services

I see no more than you, but I have trained myself to notice what I see.
Sherlock Holmes, "The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier"

If the law has made you a witness, remain a man of science; you have no victim to avenge or guilty or innocent person to ruin or save. You must bear testimony within the limits of science.
Paul H. Broussard, Chair of Forensics Medicine, Sorbonne, 1897

I keep six honest serving men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who
Rudyard Kipling, "Just So Stories"

Often building failures, require, not only remediation, repair or restoration, but may also give rise to claims, disputes and litigation. In some instances, collapse or damage is restricted to a breakdown of materials, systems or assemblies, but at other times, the result may be a personal injury or loss of life. Identifying the causes of such failures is critical, by not only aiding in resolving disputes and assessing the degree or extent of responsibility, but also in preventing the recurrence of such incidents and any future damage or injury.

Our experiences with a variety of structures and buildings, with multiple building codes and standards, and with different failure mechanisms have proven valuable to the forensic services we provide. Drawing upon a knowledge-base resulting from designing and analyzing many historic and contemporary buildings, from on-site inspections and observations, as well as from our own research, publication and teaching history, we provide thorough investigation and analyses of each event. Our experience in researching and developing building codes and construction requirements further enhances our findings.

We provide this level of expertise in the preparation of all our evaluations, reports, and opinions. We prepare drawings, models or other exhibits to supplement our analyses. Our ability, drawn from years of teaching and lecturing, facilitates conveying and explaining technical issues and complex concepts when called upon to testify. Consequently, we have been called upon to act as experts in cases ranging from building and zoning code compliance to construction failures and safety or code violations that resulted in lost lives and personal injuries, as well as extensive property damage.