A Tale of Two Clients: Case Studies in Adjacent Construction Risk Management

Structural monitoring can serve as a valuable tool to help manage risk of failure or damage during construction in close proximity to existing buildings and infrastructure. However, the success of monitoring solutions can depend heavily on the relationship between the client and the specialty engineer engaged for system design and implementation. This paper explores the challenges and successes experienced during two adjacent construction structural monitoring projects in the Chicagoland area that occurred concurrently. In one case, the client was the project owner who had a vested interest in avoiding potential loss and litigation. In the other case, the client was a contractor who was required to conduct monitoring to meet a specification. The cases will highlight differences between the engaged stakeholder with a performance requirement and the client meeting a prescriptive requirement. Therefore, the authors will discuss the importance of understanding the engagement level of the client in order to calibrate the value proposition. On one end of the spectrum, the specialty engineer becomes a partner and trusted advisor of the client in implementing a risk management solution. On the other end of the spectrum, the specialty engineer must focus on being a provider of the most economical, practical, and technically correct solution, without gold-plating. Tools and techniques applied in each case will be discussed and lessons learned will be explored.