Cowley Engineering

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Description

We provide forensic engineering, structural design, and expert witness testimony for the restoration of buildings and parking structures. We are proud of our ability to provide individual attention, simplify what may appear to be a complex issue, then deliver a focused solution that best fits our client's needs. To finally close the door on those persistent, nagging issues, contact us.

Our first step was to look into the reason the brackets failed in the first place. After cataloging the conditions in the field, we conducted a review of the surviving construction documents. To our amazement, the documents indicated a one size fits all column bracket. Meanwhile, we had identified 5 different sized column brackets in the field. I returned to the site and conducted rebar scans (like magnetic ultrasounds) in order to determine the extent and location of reinforcement in the brackets.

The garage consists of 36,000 sf of parking and a 18,000 sf. roof deck. The framing system consists of 2 way concrete joists (aka waffles) supported by round concrete columns.

A Forensic engineer is a Professional Engineer who is utilized 'after the fact' and has experience in reverse engineering or recreating an event. Forensic engineers determine whether a failure or occurance was event related and, if not, what caused it. We are also used to determine why things happened, given a set of initial conditions, and what, if anything should have been done to prevent the occurance.

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