Seattle Washington Building Expert Directory

Floating Cities May Be One Answer to Rising Sea Levels

August 07, 2022 — Adam Minter - Bloomberg
Thanks to climate change, sea levels are lapping up against coastal cities and communities. In an ideal world, efforts would have already been made to slow or stop the impact. The reality is that climate mitigation remains difficult, and the 40% of humanity living within 60 miles of a coast will eventually need to adapt. One option is to move inland. A less obvious option is to move offshore, onto a floating city. It sounds like a fantasy, but it could real, later if not sooner. Last year, Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, signed on to host a prototype for the world's first floating city. In April, Oceanix Inc., the company leading the project, unveiled a blueprint. Representatives of SAMOO Architects & Engineers Co., one of the floating city's designers and a subsidiary of the gigantic Samsung Electronics Co., estimate that construction could start in a "year or two," though they concede the schedule might be aggressive. “It's inevitable,” Itai Madamombe, co-founder of Oceanix, told me over tea in Busan. “We will get to a point one day where a lot of people are living on water.” Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Adam Minter, Bloomberg

Ahead of the Storm: Preparing for Irma

September 07, 2017 — Stephen H. Reisman – Peckar & Abramson, P.C.
While Hurricane Irma boils in the Atlantic and seems to be aiming towards Florida, storm preparations are well underway. As contractors are busy organizing efforts to secure their job sites, we at Peckar & Abramson offer some quick reminders that may prove helpful when the dust finally settles:

Review your contracts, particularly the force majeure provisions, and be sure to comply with applicable notice requirements.
Even if not expressly required at this point in time, consider providing written notice to project owners that their projects are being prepared for a potential hurricane or tropical storm and that productivity and the progress of the work will be affected, with the actual time and cost impact to be determined after the event.
Consult your hurricane plan (which is often a contract exhibit) and confirm compliance with all specified safety, security and protection measures.

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Reprinted courtesy of Stephen H. Reisman, Peckar & Abramson, P.C.
Mr. Reisman may be contacted at sreisman@pecklaw.com

Wearable Ways to Work in Extreme Heat

July 15, 2024 — Clare Epstein - Construction Executive
Earth experienced its hottest months yet in summer 2023, and NASA scientists are expecting 2024 to be even hotter. Rising temperatures and high humidity aren’t just uncomfortable for those outside during the summer months: They can cause serious health consequences, including death. While employers are working to find ways to combat the heat, the extreme variability in weather conditions continues to pose threats to employees. Recently, company leaders have turned to new methods and technologies to help their teams stay safe while working both indoors and outdoors. A balance of methods and technology is necessary to keep everyone safe while they work. As summer approaches, is important to remember that the time to review and update current heat-stress safety plans is in the spring—or better yet, year-round—in order to prioritize employee safety and determine both proactive and reactive measures needed to withstand the hottest months of the year. TRIED AND TRUE While we are all navigating new ways of working safely in extreme temperatures, the tried-and-true measures are still extremely useful in preventing heat stress among employees. Employers can support their employees working outdoors by ensuring there are proper amenities available at all times, including shady areas, a water source and electrolyte drinks. Reprinted courtesy of Clare Epstein, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved. Read the court decision
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KB to Spend $43.2 Million on Florida Construction Defects

August 27, 2013 — CDJ STAFF
In their second quarter filing with the SEC, KB Homes estimates that repairing damage caused by defects in framing, stucco, roofs, and sealant will cost it $43.2 million. That estimate includes homes that are yet to be identified. KB had estimated lower costs earlier, but subsequently determined it was necessary to increase the funds by $15.9. As a result, the firm showed a loss in the second quarter. The company hopes to recover some funds in insurance settlements. Read the court decision
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Fed. Judge Blocks Release of Records on FIU Bridge Collapse, Citing NTSB Investigation

October 23, 2018 — Miami Herald - Engineering News-Record
Oct. 05 --A federal judge Friday blocked the release of documents that could shed light on why a busy road outside Miami was not shut down before a brand-new bridge developing severe cracks collapsed and killed six people. Judge William Stafford said the National Transportation Safety Board , the federal agency investigating the Florida International University bridge disaster, "was exercising its valid federal regulatory authority" in keeping the documents confidential from the media. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Engineering News-Record
ENR may be contacted at ENR.com@bnpmedia.com

Employee or Independent Contractor? New Administrator’s Interpretation Issued by Department of Labor Provides Guidance

August 04, 2015 — Tanya Salgado – White and Williams LLP
The question of whether a worker should be classified as an independent contractor or an employee is fraught with confusion and misunderstanding for many businesses. Compounding the problem is the fact that there are a number of different tests used to determine employee status, which vary by jurisdiction and by the particular law in question. For example, the Internal Revenue Service uses the common law rules which focus on the degree of control and independence exercised by the worker. In contrast, the United States Department of Labor uses the “economic realities” test which focuses on whether the worker is economically dependent on the employer. In an effort to help combat the confusion over proper worker classification, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a new Administrator’s Interpretation that provides a detailed explanation of the test used by the DOL to determine if a worker has been misclassified as an independent contractor. The DOL enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which mandates that employees (but not independent contractors) be paid minimum wage and overtime. When a business misclassifies non-exempt workers as independent contractors, and those workers are not paid the minimum hourly wage for their labor, or are not paid overtime when they work more than 40 hours in a workweek, this violates the FLSA. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Tanya Salgado, White and Williams LLP
Ms. Salgado may be contacted at salgadot@whiteandwilliams.com

Engineers Propose 'River' Alternative to Border Wall

May 10, 2017 — Frank K. Johnson - Engineering News-Record
Of all the ideas that have been suggested for the border wall, there is one that may help to bring together Mexico and the U.S., instead of pitting the countries against each another over illegal immigration. I’m part of a group of civil engineers in Massachusetts that has conceived of a program that is based on a recently acquired patent for an advanced concrete construction technology for building large-scale, monolithic concrete structures capable of physically partitioning two countries while serving to promote economic development. This fast and thrifty construction method and our proposed program prove that, as far as creativity is concerned, civil engineering isn’t dead yet. Read the court decision
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Reprinted courtesy of Frank K. Johnson, ENR
ENR may be contacted at ENR.com@bnpmedia.com

Chicago Developer and Trade Group Sue City Over Affordable Housing Requirements

September 03, 2015 — Beverley BevenFlorez-CDJ STAFF
The Chicago Tribune reported that Hoyne Development and Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago are suing the city of Chicago, claiming that the “Affordable Requirements Ordinance is unconstitutional because it involves the taking of private party without ‘just compensation,’ violating the Fifth Amendment.” Shannon Breymaier, spokeswoman for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, however, disputes the claims, and told the Chicago Tribune in an email that the city planned to “defend the ordinance vigorously.” Read the court decision
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