Building Code and Project Management Forensic Investigation
Buildings and other structures are critical to our safety and everyday life, and their construction, maintenance, and even demolition are therefore regulated by law. These regulations are codified in adopted Building Codes. In the United States, the majority of states and municipalities have adopted versions of codes produced by the International Code Council (ICC). The most common building code referenced is the International Building Code (IBC), which regulates building construction and safety. When questions arise regarding whether a structure was properly designed or constructed, the answer often lies in determining whether the structure was designed or constructed according to the IBC. A Forensic Building Code Investigator is consulted to help make that determination. For example, Marcor acted as a building code expert witness for 27 alleged code violations in a 20-unit apartment complex. He studied multiple building codes, including the IBC, IEBC, NEC, IFC, IFGC, and IMC and provided an expert report reporting on whether each violation was supported by the building code. He is currently pursuing certification from the ICC as a Certified Building Official (CBO).
A critical part of efficiently constructing and maintaining our built environment is proper project management. In the civil/structural engineering realm, a project is a temporary endeavor to improve either a physical entity or a process. A project requires resources to complete, including time and money, and operates within multiple constraints. Budget (funds to do the work), schedule (time to complete the work), and scope (definition of the work) are a few constraints in which projects operate. Best practices and—in some instances—regulations guide projects to be completed within these constraints. Authorities such as the Project Management Body of Knowledge provide guidelines. When projects are mismanaged, it is often because they are executed outside of these guidelines. Mismanaged projects can negatively impact financial resources, reputation, and efficiency and can even cause physical damage or death in extreme instances. A forensic project management investigator evaluates the management of a proposed or executed project and compares it with best practices and guidelines to discover failures, identify root causes, and provide expert opinion. For example, Marcor acted as a project management expert witness at a three-day trial regarding the feasibility of constructing an underground 230 kV power line through Jurupa Valley, California.
Marcor has been certified as a Project Management Professional and has offered trial expert testimony as such. Give him a call to learn more about this critical and interesting forensic investigation service.
In addition to building code interpretation and project management forensic investigation, Marcor provides investigation in the following areas: