Project: San Francisco Towers
Clients: PCL Construction (general contractor) and Episcopal Homes Foundation (owner)
Location: San Francisco
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Challenge
The owner of a high-rise senior housing and skilled nursing facility believed its new building had life-safety and construction defects, including fire-separation walls with unprotected duct and pipe penetrations and drywall in duct shafts that did not meet code requirements. In response to those complaints, the building’s general contractor hired IMA to determine whether the owner’s claims were valid, as well as whether the built conditions conformed to contract documents and whether the construction met industry standards for a senior residential community that provides personal and skilled nursing care.

The building, constructed in 1995, featured a complex architectural design that was subject to approvals by multiple jurisdictions, including the city of San Francisco and California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.

Solution
IMA investigated the plaintiff’s (owner’s) claims and as-built conditions and found fire-safety problems such as unsealed pipe penetrations through fire-rated walls, nonoperational fire alarm systems, and at least one fire damper that did not close properly. As a result, IMA developed a defense-for-claim resolution that limited the claim to defects affecting life safety, included methods for remedying those defects, and estimated reasonable repair costs.

In the case of other defect claims, which involved wood finishes, sink counters, and kitchen cabinets, IMA demonstrated that in most cases the elements cited either met or exceeded industry standards. In the few cases where they did not, the parties either dropped the issue or reached an equitable settlement through mediation.

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