June | July 2016

New Online Course Demonstrates How to Design and Construct High-Performance, Low-Risk Buildings While Avoiding Catastrophic Mold and Moisture Problems


The mission of designing high-performance buildings that promote sustainable objectives has led to new success stories, but has also revealed vulnerabilities for potential mold and moisture failures.

The interaction between a building's HVAC system and envelope creates an unusually high-risk area. Any deficiency in either system can cause dramatic, building-wide moisture and mold problems. 

Through the emergence of high-performance buildings combined with the use of certain new green products, designers and contractors have inadvertently created high-risk buildings when, in fact, the goal should be to develop high-performance buildings with the lowest possible risk of failure. 

Case Study: Mid-Rise Hotel in Southeast U.S.


CHALLENGE:

A hotel guest accidentally broke through a guest room window and fell to her death at a hotel built in the early 1970s. In addition to the personal tragedy that resulted, the accident also led to allegations of improper window glazing and legal claims against the hotel owner and other parties associated with the property. 

SOLUTION:

An LBFG Senior Forensic Engineer provided a forensic review of the window assembly and applicable code requirements to assess potential code violations related to the window installation, glazing, and hotel renovation.

RESULTS:

LBFG's review concluded that the window configuration and glazing were within the minimum code requirements. In this case, however, the minimum requirements were not sufficient to prevent the tragic accident.

LBFG Publishes "Waking the Dead" Article

LBFG experts George Dubose, CGC and Donald Snell, PE, CIEC published an article in the Spring/Summer 2016 issue of the National Association of Subrogation Professionals' Subrogator magazine.

The article, entitled "Waking the Dead: How to Subrogate a Zombie Defect Building Failure", takes a look at the new edge in risk management concerns for the building industry.

Here's an excerpt:

"Buildings with hidden flaws, known as 'zombie defects', are increasingly experiencing acute, massive failures that lead to extensive moisture and mold damage. This, in turn, results in complex insurance claims and confusing subrogation 
headaches for the industry."

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