Allana Buick & Bers, Inc. (ABBAE) was retained to provide forensic investigation, construction defect litigation support and design services for a commercial office building in Pleasanton, California.
5050 Hopyard is a four story, steel frame building construction with aluminum frame window assemblies and exterior insulation finishing system (EIFS) at exterior floor levels, rooftop parapets, and glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels at the ground floor.
Due to significant leaks through the EIFS, ABBAE was retained to provide forensic investigation and leak testing during construction defect litigation. Our firm generated design documents and specifications for repairs to the structural support systems for EIFS and to other building envelope systems. Using these documents, accurate construction cost estimates were prepared, and the litigation was settled in favor of the plaintiff, for whom we were providing our services. One of the key features of our services was preparation of sophisticated engineering models that displayed the thermal movements of the building that were contributory to the failed systems.