Fairfield Connecticut Building Expert Directory

Augmenting BIM Classifications – Interview with Eveliina Vesalainen of Granlund

July 19, 2017 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
BuildingSMART Finland is supplementing building information modeling (BIM) guidelines in a national standardization project, as a part of the KIRA-digi program. In her Master’s thesis, Eveliina Vesalainen, of Granlund, has compared European BIM classifications for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) design. Her study is the groundwork for the upcoming Finnish norms. “I’m a 26-year-old, soon to be Master of Science, and I come from Mäntsälä. I live in Helsinki and work at Granlund, a leading Finnish MEP consultancy,” Eveliina explains. She has a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering, but became interested in MEP by chance. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business
Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at info@aepartners.fi

Pushing the Edge: Crews Carve Dam Out of Remote Turkish Mountains

July 04, 2023 — Pam McFarland - Engineering News-Record
Rugged Construction | Part Two of an ENR Series On a cold, gray day in late March, the mountains on the drive to the Yusufeli hydroelectric dam project site in northeastern Turkey seem ominous. With the highest of these rising more than 3,000 meters above sea level—some of them snow-capped—the jagged rock formations look stark and imposing, the type only a trained professional should attempt to cross. Reprinted courtesy of Pam McFarland, Engineering News-Record Ms. McFarland may be contacted at mcfarlandp@enr.com Read the full story... Read the court decision
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Foreclosing Junior Lienholders and Recording A Lis Pendens

July 13, 2020 — David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal Updates
When you foreclose on a construction lien, there are a couple of pointers to remember. First, you want to make sure you include junior lienholders or interests you are looking to foreclose (or you want to be in a position to amend the foreclosure lawsuit to identify later). The reason being is you want to foreclose their interests to the property. “[J]unior interest holders are a narrow class of mortgagees whose interest in the underlying property is recorded after the foreclosing contractor’s claim of lien is filed. This class is routinely joined to the construction lien enforcement action under section 713.26 to allow the construction lienor to foreclose out the junior lienholder’s interest in the property encumbered by the construction lien.” See Decks N Sunch Marine, infra. Second, you want to record a lis pendens with the lien foreclosure lawsuit. Failure to do so could be problematic because Florida Statute s. 713.22(1) provides in part, “A lien that has been continued beyond the 1-year period by the commencement of an action is not enforceable against creditors or subsequent purchasers for a valuable consideration and without notice, unless a notice of lis pendens is recorded.” Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of David Adelstein, Kirwin Norris, P.A.
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dma@kirwinnorris.com

Limiting Services Can Lead to Increased Liability

December 16, 2019 — Christopher G. Hill - Construction Law Musings
For this week’s Guest Post Friday Musings, we welcome Nick Pacella. Nick is an architect licensed in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. His practice has spanned several economic swings and he has been able to reposition the eggs in his basket to make the most of each recovery. He is currently focusing on adapting existing commercial buildings to take advantage of materials and processes that promote improved energy efficiency for both the owner and the tenants. For a more colorful rendition of projects you can visit his company’s website. I remember as a kid when the attendant at gas stations would not only clean your windows but also check the oil level of your vehicle as it was filling up with $0.25 per gallon gas. (I did say that I have seen several economic swings) These services have mostly disappeared, and to no great effect to your car since most cars go much longer between oil changes. Other than a slightly dirtier windshield it hasn’t affected your ability to drive and maintain your car. This is not so with professional services. Architects used to include many services that are now sourced to others. Project Management, Owner’s Representatives and Program Managers now populate the landscape. In many cases they came to be because architects either did not provide the service their client’s were looking for or they allowed themselves to be put into an adversarial relationship with their clients. They were likened to foxes watching the chicken coop, especially for project management and owners representative services. Client’s have had others buzzing in their ears “are architects really going to look out for my interests above theirs?’” Of course the clients never ask if the new wave will do any better at rallying behind their interests. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of The Law Office of Christopher G. Hill
Mr. Hill may be contacted at chrisghill@constructionlawva.com

The One New Year’s Resolution You’ll Want to Keep if You’re Involved in Public Works Projects

January 07, 2015 — Garret Murai- California Construction Law Blog
New Year’s resolutions are hard to keep. In fact, studies (which I have a sneaking suspicion may have been paid for by the tobacco, donut and vacation timeshare lobbies) have found that only 8% of New Year’s resolutions are kept. But, here’s one you’ll want to make sure you keep. Mandatory Registration and Notice Requirements If you’re a public works contractor or subcontractor you only have until March 1, 2015 to register through the California Department of Industrial Relations (“DIR”) to bid and enter into public works contracts on state and local public works projects. And if you’re a state or local public agency you must provide notice of the DIR’s new registration requirements in all call for bids and contract documents beginning January 1, 2015. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Garret Murai, Wendel Rosen Black & Dean LLP
Mr. Murai may be contacted at gmurai@wendel.com

A Reminder to Get Your Contractor’s License in Virginia

April 25, 2023 — Christopher G. Hill - Construction Law Musings
How are ducks and contractors alike? A question I get often, particularly from construction contractors outside of Virginia is whether they need to get a Virginia contractor’s license. The answer is almost invariably “yes.” The next question is why? The answer is almost always “Because state law says so.” With some minor exceptions for material suppliers and the like, Virginia law requires that all of those that perform construction for others carry the proper license and specialization for the work performed. There is no exception for the proverbial “paper contractor” that takes money from an owner and subcontracts all of the actual physical work. It does not matter if you use a different term for what you do for the owner. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck. . .its a duck. If you take money to perform construction, you’re a contractor. Some of the consequences of contracting without a license (aside from possible criminal charges) include among other things, the inability to perfect a mechanic’s lien under Va. Code 43-3(D) and, with minor exceptions, the ability to enforce a contract (meaning it really hurts your ability to get paid). Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of The Law Office of Christopher G. Hill
Mr. Hill may be contacted at chrisghill@constructionlawva.com

Employee Handbooks—Your First Line of Defense

April 15, 2015 — Craig Martin – Construction Contractor Advisor
This spring has been busy with questions about employee handbooks. Perhaps it is because the NLRB just issued a directive on the legality of various clauses usually contained in handbooks. Or perhaps it’s because employers, including construction companies, are realizing the importance that handbooks play in defending against claims of harassment. Employee Handbooks Are Important Employee handbooks are an employer’s first line of defense in claims of harassment. A key provision to any employee handbook is an anti-harassment provision that includes:

A definition of harassment;
The process to complain about harassment;
A commitment to investigate all claims of harassment; and
An assurance that no one will be retaliated against for reporting harassment.

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Reprinted courtesy of Craig Martin, Lamson, Dugan and Murray, LLP
Mr. Martin may be contacted at cmartin@ldmlaw.com

White and Williams Earns Tier 1 Rankings from U.S. News "Best Law Firms" 2019

November 14, 2018 — White and Williams LLP
White and Williams has achieved national recognition from U.S. News and World Report as a "Best Law Firm" in the practice areas of Insurance Law, Media Law and Tax Law. Our Boston, New York and Philadelphia offices have also been recognized in their respective metropolitan regions in several practice areas. Firms included in the “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal experience. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of White and Williams LLP

FAIRFIELD CONNECTICUT BUILDING EXPERT DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES