Building Performance Practice

Building Performance Practice

Building failures range from the everyday to the cataclysmic—from gradual deterioration that erodes function and value, to sudden and catastrophic collapse. Our Building Performance practice covers these extremes and everything in between.

Inadequate building performance can stem from the envelope’s failure to control moisture or the degradation of mechanical systems that lead to occupant discomfort. Or it can result from design shortcomings or emerging priorities such as protective design, energy effi ciency, and sustainability.

Our multidisciplinary professionals provide technical support to building owners, managers and other stakeholders through the entire building lifecycle. We specify maintenance regimens, and assist owners with upgrades, repairs, expansions, adaptive reuses, and historic preservation.

We offer a full range of forensic and analytic expertise using state-of-the-art computer analysis, modeling and visualization. We provide expert opinions on structural, architectural,

mechanical and building envelope issues for litigation support. We present fi ndings clearly and concisely and develop practical, cost-effective solutions for buildings of all types, vintages, sizes and complexities.

Our property loss experts evaluate a property’s potential for damage from a variety of natural or manmade hazards and quantify the physical losses that could be incurred. When a property loss does occur, our staff responds quickly to provide a detailed assessment quantifying the damage, and determining cause and origin.

Our fi rm’s global reach enables us to respond rapidly to structural failures, assessing damage and helping to mitigate and stabilize hazardous conditions. We develop appropriate solutions, including temporary stabilization, and engineer deconstruction and repairs to prevent an adverse situation from becoming worse.

From left: building envelope consulting, New York City; building assessment & renovation, fl oor defl ection modeling

ForensicsStructuralMEPArchitecturalLitigation SupportDeconstruction Engineering

Emergency Response Structural StabilizationDemolition Engineering

Building EnvelopeFaçade & Roof RehabilitationSkin Design ConsultingCondition AssessmentDue DiligenceFeasibility Studies

Building Assessment & RenovationAlteration & RehabilitationSeismic RehabilitationCondition AssessmentDue DiligenceFeasibility StudiesPeer Review

Historic PreservationTechnical ArchitecturePreservation Engineering

Property Loss Consulting Multihazard Risk AssessmentScope of Damage DeterminationCause & Origin InvestigationBuilding Code ConsultingGreen Claims Consulting

SustainabilityLEED ConsultingBuilding SimulationRenewable Energy ConsultingLife-Cycle AssessmentBuilding Systems Audits & UpgradesBuilding Commissioning

Images from top:• Testing for structural alteration & rehabilitation• Sustainability & MEP services• Historic preservation, Chrysler Building• Forensic information modeling, I-35 bridge collapse• Property loss consulting, Hurricane Ike