How architects can better manage the risk associated with California’s increased code requirements

Although the pandemic has had the greatest impact on humanity in quite some time, in the building industry, we were already facing numerous challenges before the quarantine started. 2020 has also been a year for some rather stringent code changes in both residential and nonresidential construction, particularly in California. With new code requirements, including the … Continue reading How architects can better manage the risk associated with California’s increased code requirements →

It ain’t any easier being green, especially at enterprise scale

Since the pandemic began wreaking havoc on the global economy, sustainability and concerns over global climate change have understandably taken a back seat. I mean if humanity gets wiped out by some virus, presumably over time the planet will recover... In the meantime, how do we align the still very real needs for addressing climate … Continue reading It ain’t any easier being green, especially at enterprise scale →

Do we really need more new buildings?

A radical concept that I think deserves further consideration: There was nothing all that special about the generic campus of low-slung boxy offices and parking garages that Google first leased and then acquired in 2006. It was renovated and adapted with stimulating new interiors by Clive Wilkinson, alongside office landscape specialists DEGW, that reflected what was then an unusually … Continue reading Do we really need more new buildings? →

Report: Natural disasters and smart home risks on the rise, insurance coverage on the decline

For 26 years, West Coast Casualty has been hosting the biggest (and best) gathering of professionals in the construction defect litigation industry. The 2019 seminar was held in May at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, and once again, my colleagues and I from Xpera Group were on hand as sponsors. As I've done many times … Continue reading Report: Natural disasters and smart home risks on the rise, insurance coverage on the decline →

Another new building trend to watch: Tall Wood

For a long time in our nation's history, buildings were primarily framed with and often clad with wood harvested from the trees found in once plentiful forests. Except for a brief renaissance during the Craftsman era, as the country prospered, building aesthetics moved away from exposed timber. But, as I noted in a recent article … Continue reading Another new building trend to watch: Tall Wood →