Specialties

Forensic architect; Expert witness; Construction defects; Code compliance; Slips and falls; Remedial construction documents/construction administration; Life safety issues; Guardrail/handrail/stairway design; Water intrusion; plan defects; Architecture standards of care, ADA.

Degrees/Licenses

Licensed Architect C-7096 (CA); Licensed Contractor B-402418 (CA); BS Architecture.

Formal Education

BS, Architecture, Catholic University, 1967; Graduate studies in City Planning and Urban Design, 1968.

Previous/Current Position

Principal Architect.

Honors/Awards

National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) "Remmies" awards: 1st Place: Design/Residential Interior; 1st Place: Contractor Residential Exterior; 1st Place: Design/Residential Exterior; 2nd Place: Design/Residential Interior; Merit Award: Design Residential/Exterior; Ford Foundation Grant.

Prof. Affiliations

AIA (American Institute of Architects); CSI (Construction Specification Institute); FEWA (Forensic Expert Witness Association)

Publications

Technical Reviewer, "Home Remodeling for Dummies"; Design project featured in Taunton Press book titled "At Work, At Home."

Prior Expert

Depositions/court testimony -- approximately 85+ cases over 35 years (30+ depositions, 8 courtroom testimonies) involving: Slips and falls (stairs, handrails, guardrails); construction defects; water intrusion; building code and maintenance issues; defective architectural plans, construction assemblies, injury involving life safety elements as stairs, guardrails and handrails. Court appointed expert in a case involving a neighbor's dispute, consulted to the DOJ (Dept. of Justice) in a matter involving the VA (Veterans Administration); and
ADA codes as applied to a HOA (Home Owners Association) case.

Specialties

Failure analysis and accident reconstruction of industrial accidents, automobile accidents, personal injuries, building fires, industrial fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, and industrial explosions. Design evaluations of products and buildings at the system and component level. Safety evaluation of construction sites and industrial facilities. Products evaluated include chairs, ladders, rolling-scaffolds and barricades, medical tables, water heaters, space heaters, furnaces, file cabinets windows. Vehicles evaluated include cars, forklifts, bicycle, pedestrian, golf cart and cranes. Fires & explosions include houses & commercial kitchen fires, methamphetamine lab explosion, ammonium perchorate factory explosion, synthetic crude oil refinery fire, natural gas explosions, urban-wildland fire and print-shop fire. Construction defects & failures evaluated include structural collapse, mold infestations, EIFS failures, slab failures, pipe leaks and breaks, retaining wall failures, sub-sea level sewer tunneling failure, foundation failures, neighborhood flooding, roof and window leakage. Earthquake damage evaluation of residential, light commercial and high-rise buildings.

Degrees/Licenses

MS, BS, PE, (Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Materials Engineering, Fire Science & Engineering and Construction Management).