Understanding Professional Insurance for Architects

Insurance coverage for architects is key to protecting a firm against risk.  It transfers risks from the architect to an insurance company.  The most critical professional risks for architects are those from litigation alleging negligence in professional work.  Negligence can cause damages to the Owner, Contractor or other party involved; and the architecture firm may be liable for such damages.  Professional Liability Insurance, also called errors-and-omissions insurance covers some of the claim in exchange for premiums paid to the insurance company.

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Images from Sao Paulo

I recently visited Sao Paulo, Brazil for a project I'm working on.  We found time amongst meetings to visit several parts of the city.  Here are a few photos, including Oscar Neimeyer's Edificio Copan and Lina Bo Bardi's Sao Paulo Museum of Art.

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Ray C. Anderson

On Monday August 8, 2011, a great leader in business and sustainability was lost.  Ray Anderson, the founder and chairman of Interface, Inc. passed away at age 77.  Today, Interface is the world’s largest manufacturer of modular carpet tiles.  Anderson spoke and wrote on the importance of a reduced environmental footprint years before sustainability was a major movement in manufacturing and construction.  Growing up, my father worked under Ray Anderson at interface, and as I trained to be an architect, I continued to learn about his influential thinking in the rising movement of sustainability. Anderson published three books.  His first, Mid-Course Correction: Toward a Sustainable Enterprise: The Interface Model, shares Anderson's belief that businesses must embrace the principles of sustainability.  Ray's message also lives on in a number of speeches, including his TED talk.  Interface's message on his importance and legacy can be found here.

Aerogel Innovation

For years, Aerogel has been a mystical sustainable building material I have heard of, but never quite encountered.  The all knowing wikipedia says it's

"the lowest bulk density of any known porous solid."

As a result, this smoky looking material is an incredibly effective thermal insulator.  It's produced by extracting the liquid portion of a gel and replacing it with a gas.  The process requires tremendous and heat and pressure and has subsequently been extremely expensive to produce.  However, a Swedish company has developed a new process that allows aerogel to be produced at normal temperature and pressure.  In a recent post, Sean McGuire discovered this innovation may reduce pricing by 90 percent.  Find McGuire's full article at Neon Tommy, a site sponsored by the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

Cartagena

I recently had a chance to visit Cartagena, Colombia for a few days.  This is a beautifully preserved Spanish colonial city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia.  The photos below are of the old city and a few surrounding sites, including Islas del Rosario and Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas.  Also, the quick sketch is of Universidad de Cartagena.

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CMU Top of Partition Detailing

When designing with CMU wall assemblies, lateral restraint is required at the top of full height partitions.  This anchorage can be provided a few different ways.  The unique conditions of each project can raise questions as to what is the most appropriate detail.  CMU top of partition details should consider the following criteria.

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Thermal Bridging

Heat transfer follows the path of least resistance; i.e. if a conductive metal is placed in the same plane as insulation in a wall assembly, heat transfer will occur at the metal as it is less resistant to heat flow.  This undesirable transfer is known as thermal bridging.  One common problem occurs in metal stud walls when batt insulation is placed in between the studs, creating a thermal bridge at the studs. 

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Curtain Wall Design Considerations

Over at Construction Specifier, there’s an article, this month, on the basics of curtain walls.  I’ve discussed curtain wall previously in A Few Notes on Glass Curtain Wall and Curtain Wall Installation.   Here are some points from this read; which is available in digital form here.

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Stone Veneer Anchorage

Most stone exterior facades of the last several decades are no longer heavy load bearing stone construction, but rather thin veneers of stone applied in a method similar to a curtain.  This stone is often cut to thicknesses from ¾” to 2”.  The long term performance of these systems rests both on the method of attachment and the stone itself.

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Intumescent Coatings

In commercial construction, intumescent coatings are commonly discussed when a solution more unique than standard fire-rated floor or wall assemblies is required to maintain fire-rating continuity.  Intumescent paints and mastics are coating technologies that utilize char formation to prevent fire spread.  Intumescent coatings can swell up to 100 times their initial thickness upon exposure to fire heat.  These coatings are activated between 300°F and 400°F.  Intumescent coatings often allow architects to expose building structure when fire protection of the structure is required by building code.

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