Technology & Sustainability
Cost and downtime: Investigations of technological damage sites are usually knowledge-based in that the buildings and equipment are very sophisticated. There is often a balance between the value of the building and the equipment. Either or both may dominate the repair cost and duration. Repair costs usually involve state-of-the-art processes. Repair expediting concepts are similar to heavy commercial and manufacturing situations.
The focus of sustainability in repairs is much broader than the scope of typical building codes and ordinances. It includes diverting debris from landfills, recycled and renewable content of replacement materials, reusing existing building materials and buying used building material and fixtures, environmentally friendly replacement material and equipment, buying regionally, maintaining good air quality during repairs, and flushing the building air before occupancy.
Cause: Cause investigations usually benefit from the extensive recording of the environmental conditions and operations.
Anything, any way:
Technological sites we have investigated for cause, determined scope of damage, estimated and monitored repair costs, and dealt with downtime issues have involved fire, explosions, electrical incidents, weather-related incidents, inadequate design and poor workmanship, hazardous material contamination, clean room intrusions, etc.
Examples:
- Research and university facilities...
- Hospitals and medical research facilities...
- Clean room manufacturing: pharmaceueticals, computers...
- Green buildings and sustainable repairs...
- Agribusiness, processing plants, and commodity storage...
- Robotic assembly lines
- Plasma cutting equipment
Sustainability is encountered in certified buildings and sustainable repairs to conventional buildings amd building equipment. There are a variety of our damage engineers whom you can draw upon:
- Building envelope: energy loss through roofing, glazing, walls
- Electrical: light fixtures and their use-based controls
- Plumbing: frequent repetitive users--toilets, urinals, faucets
- Mechanical/HVAC equipment: improving energy efficiency and dealing with the technological obsolescence of a lot of older, very functional HVAC equipment caused by the widespread adoption and evolution of energy codes
- Construction: monitoring repair costs and minimizing downtime, and dealing with the logistics associated with sustainability
- LEED AP: the certification process engaged by the owner/developer and the commissioning authority's actions
Douglas G. Peterson & Associates, Inc., is a member of the United States Green Building Council.