Building Expert Witnesses

What is a building expert witness?

Building expert witness candidates have years of experience and expertise in building and are familiar with all phases of building code compliance, construction management, LEED certification, building inspections, fire protection, and/or HVAC/electrical/plumbing experience. Building industry expert witness candidates have expertise related to the rules and regulations that govern construction and occupancy of facilities. Building expert witness candidates will have advanced degrees (PhD, PE) in construction management, architecture, civil engineering, structural engineering, or forensic engineering. Building expert witnesses may be members of professional organizations such as the National Association of House Builders (NAHB), the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), or the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).

What types of cases require a building expert witness?

A building expert witness might also provide testimony in construction defects, ADA compliance, personal injury, premises liability, property damage, insurance claims, cause investigations, or building system failure analysis.

Cases may be civil or criminal and require not only building and/or construction expertise, but the ability to communicate findings to juries for ease of understanding.

Building expert witness case examples

When the need for a building expert arises, top legal professionals call on Cahn Litigation Services. The firm has placed professionals for many matters, including:

• New York fire code consulting,
• apartment fire cause,
• Utah building codes,
• New York apartment complex construction defects
• electrical safety and electrical accident investigations,
• personal injury accident investigation,
• ​emergency management,
• fire sprinkler systems failure causation in a New Jersey factory,
• forensic analysis at a Texas manufacturing facility,
• energy management at a New York facility,
• product liability investigation for California insurance companies,
• a Pennsylvania health care facility’s water heaters installation,
• failure analysis of a ventilating unit in Colorado,
• root cause analysis of industrial HVAC system failures in Florida,
• commercial building fire investigation,
• an explosion investigation in Florida, and
• fire code compliance in Michigan.

What litigation support work might a building expert witness be expected to perform?

Litigation support by a building expert witness could include research and authoring expert reports, providing expert opinions, arbitrations, building and construction consulting, accessibility analyses, forensic engineering analyses, deposition testimony, and expert testimony at a trial. In a high-profile case, or litigation involving a significant financial stake, a law firm may request an expert with prior expert witness experience. In addition, clients may seek a building expert for pre-litigation consulting work.

Cahn Litigation Services has the experience required to turn a search for a building expert witness around quickly, providing the right balance of expertise and testimony experience.

Related Disciplines

Building Expert Witness - Representative Bios

Please Note: All Cahn Litigation expert witness searches are customized to attorneys' precise specifications and preferences. Attorneys are encouraged to discuss search parameters with a Cahn search specialist.

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The below expert witness bios represent a small fraction of those Building experts known by Cahn Litigation Services. These bios are provided to give lawyers a sense of the Building landscape.

• Expert Witness #226340

  This team is a group of seasoned construction professionals providing expert witness services. Their focus is on architectural, building, construction, design and engineering forensics. To ensure proper support, the group maintains an extensive library which includes historical building codes, industry standards, published construction cost estimating guides and a wide array of other necessary resources. Each Associate has real world experience in their respective specialties, and has experience in varied construction methods including traditional, prefab, modular and other processes. All have significant testimony experience in State and Federal Courts.

  
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• Expert Witness #260531

  This expert is an AIA certified Architect with many years of architectural design and construction administration experience with all building types, including educational, medical, R&D, corporate, commercial, custom residential, multi-family housing, military and industrial projects. Emphasizing use of durable, low maintenance materials including stainless, copper, bronze, zinc, cement-fiber, plastics, composites, specialty sealants & industrial paints. This expert heads a building reconstruction and forensic investigation consultancy that provides visual inspection, intrusive testing, defect analysis, repair recommendations and forensic expert services for both plaintiff and defense parties. This expert brings to the table specialized knowledge of construction materials, industry standards, code compliance, waterproofing, vapor transmission, exterior finishes, corrosion, condensation, ventilation, mold, wood rot, suspended ceilings, interior partitions, and structural issues. This expert's experience includes thousands of visual inspections and hundreds of intrusive tests for construction defect cases, including institutional, commercial and retail structures, housing developments and private homes. This expert also provides reconstruction design, details and specifications focused on solving complex construction problems and developing effective repairs for commercial and institutional buildings.

  This expert has served as a third-party neutral construction expert for mediators, arbitrators and courts, and retained jointly by both plaintiff and defense parties. Specializing in complex construction disputes where resolution can be facilitated through clarification of technical issues and extensive case documents. Experience includes complex, multi-party commercial and institutional cases.

  
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• Expert Witness #260948

  This expert's work ranges widely, from providing expert witness testimony to overseeing research and development projects, to writing for industry publications. This expert's work has had an impact on building codes and practices throughout the world. This expert is well-published and is an acclaimed educator who has taught thousands of professionals. This expert holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Building Science. This expert has significant testifying experience.

  
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• Expert Witness #249456

  This expert has many years of experience in building systems design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance. An industry leader in promoting the practice of commissioning and in developing commissioning standards, including serving as a contributing author to the AIA B291-2003 document outlining commissioning services, this expert is also the author of monthly columns in Engineered Systems magazine, and has been frequently invited to lecture at seminars given by such industry organizations as:

  -  Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA)

  -  American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE),

  -  American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)

  This expert is nationally noted for work in the design of energy-efficient building systems. This expert has received twelve energy engineering awards for the design of building systems. The commissioning expertise of this expert and team has been recognized since its inception by their selection to provide commissioning services for some of the largest commissioning efforts underway today. This expert has developed a new process that takes the commissioning process beyond building systems start-up, to protect and optimize the owners' facilities investments throughout the life of their buildings. This process, which encompasses and extends the elements required for the LEEDTM extra credit point, assists owners with the development and implementation of a facility management business plan for new or existing buildings within the commissioning process. It also provides the building owner with proven methods, software, and other tools needed to efficiently and effectively manage the facility.

  
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• Expert Witness #259486

  This expert has many years of experience in engineering, construction, project management, and in cost/schedule analysis in the preparation and evaluation of contract claims on hundreds of projects across all market sectors.

  This expert's project experience spans the building construction, power generation, transportation, industrial, manufacturing, environmental and infrastructure sectors. This expert has provided technical dispute resolution services in mediation, and expert testimony in arbitration, deposition, and court proceedings. This expert has served as an arbitrator in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as an independent, private, and American Arbitration Association arbitrator.

  This expert has given seminar presentations on project management, claims management and CPM scheduling to various industry groups and law firms and has also been a guest lecturer.

  This expert earned Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Master of Civil Engineering degrees, and is a licensed Professional Engineer. This expert is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Construction Management Association of America and an associate member of the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry.

  
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• Expert Witness #261593

  This expert is Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Computer Science, & Technology Entrepreneurship, Faculty Entrepreneurial Fellow, Excellence Faculty Fellow, and the director of a Real-time and Automated Monitoring and Control lab. This expert received a PhD degree in Civil Engineering and MS degree in Computer Science, MASc in Civil Engineering, and MS and BS in Civil Engineering.

  This expert has worked with many national and international construction companies. This expert has several patents and is currently involved with start-up companies which were founded based on the outcomes of this expert's ongoing research projects.

  This expert is CTO and founder of a construction software-as-a-service company that offers a visual command center for managing construction sites. This expert has many years of work experience in construction, virtual design and construction (VDC) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) and also the development of innovative software solutions related to BIM and VDC. This expert has more than 16 patents related to Reality Modeling in combination to BIM solutions.

  
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• Expert Witness #206958

  This expert has many years' experience with 3d modeling software in the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industries in a variety of roles. This expert was a Senior API Software Engineer on a suite of Building Information Modeling products. This expert founded a consulting firm that develops software for AEC firms worldwide using technologies including Revit, Navisworks, and SQL. Although well-schooled in the subject matter, this expert has never served as an expert witness.

  
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• Expert Witness #257419

  This expert owns and runs a busy Construction Engineering firm, with a particular focus on concrete contracting. This expert has many years of continuous experience in the industry and this expert's long-time experience in concrete contracting has led to a successful forensic analysis and testimony practice. This expert has personally performed concrete pours in matt foundations, drilled caissons, suspended slabs, post-tensioning, pre-cast, tilt-up, jump-form, slip-form, and shot-crete. This expert's engineering experience is in site development, parking structures, underground garages, shoring systems (soldier beams with tie-backs and soil nailing), deep excavations, underground utilities, schools, shored excavations, and roads.
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• Expert Witness #283004

  This mechanical engineering/HVAC expert holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Engineering Management and Operations, and specializes in mechanical engineering design and forensic engineering, with a focus on Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (HVAC), plumbing systems, building systems, and energy conservation. This expert has held a founding leadership role at a technical consulting firm providing design, forensic, and construction management technical consulting services, drawing on over 30 years of mechanical engineering experience.

  Project experience includes work at residential, commercial, industrial, municipal, educational, and institutional facilities. Services include forensic investigations, property loss and liability consulting, expert witness testimony, investigations of building system performance issues, repair and replacement cost estimate preparation and review, and building code research and analysis.

  
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• Expert Witness #283093

  This construction defects and inspection expert is an active residential and commercial building inspector with over 25 years of experience and has performed over 40,000 inspections of both new and existing construction. This expert is certified by a prominent building-code organization as a California Commercial Building Inspector and California Residential Building Inspector and by a national home-inspection certification association. This expert is an active municipal building inspector with extensive experience in all phases of residential and commercial construction.

  
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• Expert Witness #283127

  This building inspection expert has over 20 years of experience as a county building inspector and brings extensive experience inspecting residential, commercial, and industrial projects for compliance with applicable codes, ordinances, and specifications.

  This expert is a professor teaching courses including National Electric Code, residential wiring, and commercial wiring, and is an ICC Commercial Combination Inspector, Building Inspector, and MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing) Inspector. This expert is also an experienced expert witness and litigation consultant.

  
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• Expert Witness #284092

  This premises safety expert is a licensed architect with an architectural degree and specializes in ADA issues for commercial spaces.

  This expert has performed several building and space analyses to determine compliance with ADA Guidelines, the Fair Housing Act, and other applicable federal, state, and local building codes, and has served as an expert witness on multiple occasions.

  
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• Expert Witness #284534

  This survey and mapping expert is a CFVT, owns a digital forensics firm, and is well versed in the use of mapping software and aerial photography analysis. This expert earned a B.A. in Architecture with an emphasis in CAD and building-site preparation.

  This expert's forensic video analysis experience often requires identifying location changes and variations over time. This expert is trained in photographic comparison and is familiar with siting buildings, analyzing structures, and reading building plans, plots, maps, and other images.

  
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• Expert Witness #284534

  This survey and mapping expert is a CFVT, owns a digital forensics firm, and is well versed in the use of mapping software and aerial photography analysis. This expert earned a B.A. in Architecture with an emphasis in CAD and building-site preparation.

  This expert's forensic video analysis experience often requires identifying location changes and variations over time. This expert is trained in photographic comparison and is familiar with siting buildings, analyzing structures, and reading building plans, plots, maps, and other images.

  
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• Expert Witness #286788

  This IAQ research and indoor environmental engineering expert has over 30 years of experience as an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) researcher, sick building investigator, mitigation planner, healthy building design consultant, expert witness, technical author, and workshop instructor, and holds an M.S. Mechanical Engineering from a prestigious university, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from a well-regarded technical institute, and Graduate Studies in Air Pollution Monitoring and Control from a public university in California.

  This expert serves as president of an indoor environmental engineering consultancy and directs an interdisciplinary team of environmental scientists, chemists, and mechanical engineers in indoor air quality building investigations and healthy building projects. The team has developed both pro-active and reactive IAQ measurement methods and diagnostic protocols. This expert has been a recipient of state and federal research grants regarding building air quality and ventilation field studies, tracer gas techniques, in situ contaminant emission rate measurements, and the development of indoor air quality measurement instrumentation.

  Prior to starting a consulting firm, this expert was a Staff Scientist with a building ventilation and indoor air quality program within a national laboratory in California. This expert has published extensively and lectured frequently on IAQ, ventilation, air cleaning, and product emission testing, and is both a licensed professional Mechanical Engineer and a Certified Industrial Hygienist.

  This expert has been qualified numerous times in court as an expert in the field of indoor air quality and ventilation for both plaintiffs and defendants, and has been deposed over 150 times in cases involving indoor air quality and ventilation issues in residential, commercial, and institutional buildings.

  
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• Expert Witness #291249

  This property improvements expert holds the AIA credential and has over 30 years of experience in development, design and construction management, and on-site field administration across a broad range of building types, including new construction and renovation in the private and public sectors.

  This expert has testified as an expert witness in over 60 cases relating to architecture, construction, land use, and real estate development, and has broad professional experience across many building types.

  
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• Expert Witness #291628

  This architectural and building materials expert holds AAA and MRAIC credentials and has substantial knowledge of the design profession, building materials, and building regulations.

  This expert has evaluated building components for industry, particularly wall and roof panels, as well as other building components, and has consulted on wind-energy development in Alberta.

  This expert has served on and chaired technical building-code task groups concerning airborne sound transmission, solar collectors, and sheet steel products.

  This expert is a registered architect who continues to design buildings, examine and remediate building envelope issues, and consult on building regulations and standards.

  This expert has been qualified in court as an expert in architecture, building science, building construction, building codes, indoor air quality, and general health.

  
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• Expert Witness #292176

  This structural engineering expert has held a senior role with a highly sought-after consultancy and has over 20 years of experience with forensic investigation, evaluation, and repair design of existing building enclosures, as well as building enclosure consulting and commissioning for new construction projects. In addition to being a Professional Engineer in the State of Texas, this expert is also a Registered Exterior Wall Consultant, Registered Exterior Wall Observer, Certified Construction Specifier, and Certified Construction Contract Administrator. This expert serves on committees and task forces for prominent building enclosure and fenestration industry organizations. During this expert's career, this expert has participated in dozens of building enclosure assessments, including those associated with glass windows and doors, and has designed a number of window and door replacement projects.

  This expert has provided technical consultation, litigation support, and deposition testimony on numerous matters related to building enclosure and structural systems throughout the U.S.

  
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• Expert Witness #292185

  This structural engineering expert has over 35 years of experience specializing in the investigation and repair of distressed and deteriorated structures and the performance of building materials and systems.

  This expert has leading industry knowledge and expertise in major building materials and systems, and is a licensed structural engineer in multiple states.

  This expert has served as an expert witness, providing litigation support and testimony in a range of matters.

  
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• Expert Witness #293073

  This building engineering expert is an experienced engineering consultant who diagnoses and solves problems involving building enclosure and structural systems, materials failures, moisture accumulation, installation problems, and design deficiencies.

  This expert has testified numerous times regarding the causes of these failures, responsible parties, and appropriate courses of repair. This expert has designed and implemented repairs for complex failures and performance problems across a variety of building types, including heritage structures, institutional buildings, and high-rise buildings.

  This expert is also a business leader with over 20 years of experience in forensic investigations, engineering design, construction consulting, industry leadership, team development and leadership, business development, and marketing. As an expert witness, this expert has provided technical consultation, litigation support, and deposition testimony in numerous matters involving building enclosure and structural systems for clients across the United States.

  
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• Expert Witness #295106

  This meteorological instrumentation, decision support systems, and weather algorithms expert is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist and senior executive of a specialized consultancy, with over 30 years of experience in meteorological instrumentation, systems integration, consulting, expert witness testimony, decision support systems, hazardous weather algorithms, numerical weather prediction, and meteorological displays.

  This expert's career has focused on the buildout of software applications for meteorological instrumentation, as well as managing the buildout and delivery of large meteorological system integration projects. This expert understands the research and development effort required for instrumentation and software buildouts, has spent most of this expert's career in private industry, and has experience founding and co-founding private weather companies, including knowledge of the business and competitive landscape in the weather industry.

  This expert's experience includes matters involving the determination of weather conditions related to downed powerlines caused by thunderstorm winds; vehicle accidents involving winter weather, thunderstorm winds, fog, and other hazardous conditions; delayed medical helicopter transfers; hail-related building damage; accidents involving downed trees at a youth camp; skydiving-related injuries; lightning-related building damage; pesticide drift and crop damage; hurricane wind velocity analysis; wildfire-related property and livestock losses; rainfall accumulation and soil saturation analysis related to construction losses; flooding and residential or commercial building damage; icing conditions at drilling sites; significant weather conditions at offshore oil platforms; commercial building roof collapse; wind velocities causing commercial building damage; precipitation-related injury accidents at recreational facilities; roof damage involving rainfall and wind; tree and rollercoaster-track injury analysis involving wind and climatology; and weather-related commercial building damage during construction.

  This expert provides meteorological tools that help front-line forecasters deliver accurate forecasts, nowcasts, and warnings to the public to reduce life and property losses. This expert also has experience managing meteorological support services contracts for remote operational environments.

  
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• Expert Witness #2302114

  This mold origination expert is a senior environmental consulting professional with extensive experience providing indoor environmental consulting services and expertise in mold inspections, indoor air quality assessments, mold testing, building science consulting, mold remediation planning, mold remediation services, thermal imaging surveys, environmental tobacco smoke assessments, and former marijuana grow-op assessments. This expert has worked on over 3000 projects involving indoor environmental assessment or remediation services.

  This expert is a Certified Commercial Building Mold Inspector and Certified Commercial Building Mold Remediator through a U.S.-based certifying body, and also holds Certified Mold Assessor and Certified Mold Inspector credentials through an environmental association. This expert has provided expert witness consulting services related to mold litigation and testified in court and in tribunals as an expert witness for mold-related hearings.

  
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