Design problems now the primary cause of construction claims and disputes

Design problems are now the primary cause of construction claims and disputes, according to HKA's CRUX Insight 2020 report.

“Design problems are more likely to occur as a result of increasingly tight timescales imposed upon third parties engaged in design” that result in late or incomplete designs and conflict between the parties, the report says. “Failings in the management of third parties across increasingly complex supply chains” also cause major problems.

The consulting firm’s previous report had found that change in project scope was the number one cause for disputes. Projects have also become more prone to deficiencies in workmanship and unforeseen physical conditions, the report found.

The report’s data was primarily compiled before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report examined construction issues in 1,185 projects worldwide with a combined value of $1.8 trillion. HKA expects an increase in arbitration over litigation to settle disputes in the coming years.

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.