- Pat Moore
Expert Witness Testimony
McKay/Moore Now
Offering
ADA Compliance Testing and Review
Introducing Adela Santisteban, ADA Consultant
New Construction: Initial building design review for building code and ADA compliance. Will rework design when appropriate. Provide field construction offices with answers to code questions. Coordinate with building department officials if needed. Provide design review interpretation documents for client.
Retrofits: Adjustments and add-ons for buildings found not to be in compliance with the ADA.
International: Use ADA compliance guidelines to industrial and office building. When appropriate incorporate multi-cultural social standards into office layout and design.
Building Code Review: Provide code reviews using appropriate code. Experience with the following codes: UBC, SBCC, New York State Building Code, Canadian Building Codes.
Adela's technical skills also include AutoCAD R11, R13 & R14. 3-D Modeling ( R13 & R14), AutoLisp, and Rebis AutoPlant.From 1991 to November 1998, Adela worked as a Civil/Structural Designer at NEPCO, Redmond, WA, where she was responsible for design and coordination of all architectural with other engineering disciplines. She performed building code studies, reviewed plant design for permitting purposes and code compliance, and was responsible for ensuring ADA compliance in building design. She coordinated all work with mechanical installations for industrial & commercial settings, maintained architectural products files, and developed and revised as necessary building specifications in coordination with statements of work. For Adela's complete resume, please click here, or call the office to have a copy mailed to you.When I approached Adela about consulting for McKay/Moore, she responded, "you are asking about something I enjoy doing. I have felt for awhile that there is (or must be) an unrecognized need for ADA and code specialists. I would be very interested in doing work specifically in this area... providing code review (general and ADA compliance) services. Documenting the exact interpretation of code compliance is particularly useful to firms when questions arise months after building design decisions have been made, especially when project staffing has changed. I am very comfortable with this and have a couple of forms I developed to do this with, so that a client would have a ready, easy to refer to, document for reference." In discussing ways in which Adela's services might benefit our clients, she suggested the following: " a client could run a design through for ADA compliance, I could review, make the changes, and return the drawings. I am well aware of space and design changes that would have to be reviewed with varying disciplines regarding this as well. I always look for the simplest, most economical way to rework spaces that are not in compliance."United States Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board)
[Source:http://www.access-board.gov/pubs/laws.htm - aba]Over the years, all of the Access Board's activities have had a single goal: to enable persons with disabilities to live and work in society. If persons with disabilities are to be able to live and work alongside their peers without disabilities, then the built environment must be designed and constructed to accommodate the needs of everyone. The Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA) requires buildings or other facilities financed with certain Federal funds to be accessible to persons with disabilities. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Section 502 establishes and sets out the functions of the Access Board and Section 508 requires electronic and information technology purchased by the Federal government to be accessible. A section of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) significantly expanded the role of the Access Board. Under the ADA, the Access Board is responsible for developing accessibility guidelines for entities covered by the Act and for providing technical assistance to individuals and organizations on the removal of architectural, transportation, and communication barriers. Finally, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires the Board to develop and maintain accessibility guidelines for telecommunications and customer premises equipment. These laws form the basis for building an accessible environment for all people. The Access Board remains committed to achieving this goal, as reflected in the agency's mission statement: "Enhance the quality of life by ensuring accessibility and broadening public awareness that access makes economic and practical sense for all."COMPUTER and WWW Hints:
E-mail Virus Protection-A
Simple Plan from the Webmaster of Strabo.com
"Be careful about running attachments. In other words, don't.
If you get a word doc, or an excel spreadsheet, don't open it unless you were expecting it. [If there is any doubt, pick up the telephone and CALL the sender for verification.] If you have to open it, and it says that there are macros, don't open it... keep in mind that some of these macro viri will disable macro checking in your programs, so you may not get warned at all.
Basically, don't put yourself at risk, and you are unlikely to get a virus..."
One of the more interesting projects we have worked on recently was a materials take-off for the Palau Neco Center, a 25,000 sf, two-story shopping center, located in Koror. Venne Beauchamp, who has twenty years' experience with pre-engineered buildings, did the take-off on architectural and structural, and Angeline consultants Frank Frisbie (electrical) and John Morgan (mechanical) provided quantities on those systems.
Our client was responsible for shipping all materials to Guam and from there to Palau and, since the closest supplier to the site would be somewhere in Indonesia, it was essential that they have a very detailed and accurate quantity takeoff. As drawings were not yet at construction documents level, it was incumbent upon our estimators to draw on their expertise and experience to project what should be on the drawings, ferret out conflicting information between drawings and specifications, and point out unfeasible construction types given the locale and site circumstances. The client was very pleased with McKay/Moore's consultants' ability to find a number of potential pitfalls and to suggest appropriate remedies. [For my part, I am also very pleased to have such experienced and knowledgeable consultant support.]Every so often, we get e-mail humor worth passing along. I couldn't resist sharing the following:
How Specs Live Forever
The US Standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and the US railroads were built by English expatriates.
Why did the English people build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.
Why did "they" use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Okay! Why did the wagons use that odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing the wagons would break on some of the old, long distance roads, because that's the spacing of the old wheel ruts. So who built these old rutted roads? The first long distance roads in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been used ever since. And the ruts? The initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagons, were first made by Roman war chariots. Since the chariots were made for or by Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.
Thus, we have the answer to the original questions. The United State standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches derives from the original specification for an Imperial Roman army war chariot.
Specs and Bureaucracies live forever. So, the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse's
- - - came up with it, you may be exactly right. Because the Imperial Roman chariots were made to be just wide enough to accommodate the back-ends of two war horses.Our Web Site
Some recent additions to our Industry Links Pages:HUD http://www.hud.gov/search.html
Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board
http://www.access-board.gov/
ADA Accessibility Guidelines Frequently Asked
Questions
http://www.access-board.gov/bfdg/adaagfaq.htm
Special Report: ADA Manufacturer Perspectives
[Products and information to help facilities provide access]
http://www.facilitiesnet.com/NS/NS3mk6h.html -
internet
Accessibility Resources
http://www.facilitiesnet.com/LI/LI2disab.html
ADA Technical Assistance Program
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/NIDRR/adatap.html
Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and
Facilities Company Links:
[This document contains scoping and technical requirements for accessibility
to buildings and facilities by individuals with disabilities under the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. These scoping and technical
requirements are to be applied during the design, construction, and alteration
of buildings and facilities covered by titles II and III of the ADA to the
extent required by regulations issued by Federal agencies, including the
Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation, under the ADA]
http://www.access-board.gov/bfdg/adaag.htm
Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz http://www.kmd-arch.com/index.htm
Anas Design Associates, Inc. http://www.djc.com/ae/csdb/listings/ana35se0.htm
DLR Group http://www.dlrgroup.com/html/intro.html>
Go back to beginning of newsletter or to home page .