Case Studies
J.S. Held Acquires GLI Advisors, Strengthening Our Construction Project Support Services in the Western US and Hawaii
Read MoreIn 2011, a balcony railing was reportedly displaced from its concrete slab, ultimately falling to the lower floors. This raised concerns about the safety of all the balconies in a multi-story condominium which led the condo board to seal off all the balconies in the tower. It was found that a large portion of the balcony railings were prematurely deteriorating, and this resulted in the replacement of all the railings in 2013. This situation led to the filing of a class action lawsuit by the unit owners against those involved in the construction of the railings.
J.S. Held’s Forensic Architecture & Engineering division was retained to opine on the cause of the railing failure and to evaluate the standard of care of all parties involved in the construction of the railings. The company provided a detailed engineering report to help the client understand the cause of the premature instability of the balcony railings. We also assessed the standard of care of the architect, the general contractor, the subcontractors, the project manager, and the condo board in relation to the design, installation, and maintenance of the incident railing system.
After a review of the project specifications, agreements, and contracts made during the construction of the condominium buildings, J.S. Held concluded that there were significant deficiencies in the design, installation, and construction review of the railing system, which all contributed to the failure. The lack of detailed shop drawings signed and sealed by a professional engineer, improper document review, design coordination, and insufficient construction review, among other things, were found to be the root causes of the failure where multiple parties contributed.
Ben Daee, PhD, P.Eng, PE
Vice President
Forensic Architecture & Engineering
+1 289 812 5116
[email protected]
> Premises Liability Evaluations
Our premises liability investigative team has extensive experience evaluating sites in accordance with local, state, and national requirements. J.S. Held premises liability experts include architects, engineers, and building code professionals who provide clients with a comprehensive claim analysis.
> Construction Defect Investigations
J.S. Held is globally recognized for industry-leading construction defect investigations. We provide clients with extensive site assessments and document review, followed by pertinent project reports, graphics, animations, and repair recommendations on a variety of matters involving property and infrastructure.