Employee Spotlight

Tim Spangler, PE, CPC, Director of Building Diagnostics, recently earned the Certified Professional Constructor administered by the American Institute of Constructors (AIC).  Final certification followed an eight-hour written examination based on construction knowledge recall and demonstration of ability to quickly locate key information from representative construction documents.  This certification recognizes the skills and knowledge acquired by education and experience to manage the execution of all or a substantial portion of construction works. HICAPS has long supported the education and certification efforts of AIC and is pleased to add Tim to our list of employees with the CPC designation.

Building Diagnostics

Our Building Diagnostics group (HFACT Collaborative) has recently posted a website. Below is the link:

http://hfact.vpweb.com/default.html


Please visit this website to see more about our collaborative group. We are often asked "who is H/FACT"? H/FACT is comprised of a team of four partners. HICAPS, Inc., FCG (Facility Consulting Group), West & Stem Architects and Stalling Engineering.
We have partnered with FCG Roofing Consultants of Asheboro, NC, Stallings Engineering of Winston-Salem, NC and West & Stem Architects of Winston-Salem, NC to provide a One Stop Shop approach to building assessments.

Please feel free to call us with any questions you may have and visit www.hicaps.com to learn more about building diagnostics!

Building Diagnostics gets new look, new logo and new partner

Building Diagnostics recently adopted a new logo to fit the partnership that comprises the the group. Our new logo is:


The logo represents HICAPS/Facility Assessment Cooperative Team.



Our New Partner:

Jeff Stallings is a Mechanical Engineer based in Winston-Salem, NC and is registered in NC and SC. Jeff is the principal of Stallings Engineering, P.C. He brings thirty years of various engineering and consulting expertise to the partnership, including projects encompassing energy efficient HVAC design, Indoor Air Quality testing and problem solving, Commercial Building Energy Modeling, Commissioning, and DDC control upgrades. In addition he is an Instructor for Industrial Ventilation and Facility Energy Management courses and a LEED AP. Jeff is a great addition to the team.

Meet the Partners Building Diagnostics Part IV

The cornerstone of HICAPS for the past 25 years has been CPM Scheduling and Project Controls. It is our firm belief that with good information, controls and planning, every project has an equal chance of success. Along with the scheduling and project controls as our foundation, we are also well known for our engineering, estimating, construction and claims resolution experience. Now we have added another service as a natural out growth of the our area of expertise.

HICAPS Building Diagnostic Services was conceived out of a need expressed by our clients. HICAPS has performed Building Diagnostic Services as part of the claims resolution service and performed a number of condition assessments for our clients in the past. To perform these services we tapped into our own knowledge base of the envelope and reached out to the known experts that we had worked with in the past for roofing, Infrared Theromography, Nuclear Moisture Surveys, HVAC and Electrical Analysis and Architectural services.

Because of his experience and credentials, Tom Smithey, who has been with HICAPS since 1999, was chosen as the Program Director for the Building Diagnostics Division. To is a graduate of the Building Construction Program at Virginia Tech and is a Certified Professional Constructor. Tom holds GC licenses in several states and is a LEED AP. We are proud of our team and happy to be able to offer such an important service.

Meet the Partners Building Diagnostics Part III

West and Stem Architects bring a vast amount of knowledge regarding design services to the partnership. West & Stem Architects, PLLC is a new design firm born out of a strong desire to practice Architecture and build lasting relationships with clients and professional associates. The firm's principals. P. Michael West, AIA and James C. Stem, AIA have a successful working relationship dating nearly ten years as an owner and former employee of Calloway Johnson Moore and West, P.A. respectively. Michael and James bring collectively over 35 years of experience providing and coordinating a vast arrary of design services on all project types and scales.

The firm provides pre-design consulting services such as feasibility studies, master planning and programing, as well as a full range of Architectural services.

West & Stem, PLLC's main office is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Currently P. Michael West, AIA and James C. Stem, AIA are licensed to provide services in North Carolina and Virginia.

We are happy to introduce West and Stem as our newest partner member to the Building Diagnostics team. As such they comprise an important part of our team and we are proud to be assoicated with them.

Meet the Partners Part II

Hummer Construction Resources (HCR)

HCR is based in Roanoke, VA. HCR brings 25+ years of hands on mechanical, electrical and plumbing experience to the table. Like the rest of the team, our approach to building diagnostics is more of a practical evaluation that starts by employing technicians who were "raised in the field" and know their MEP systems inside and out. Whether you need electrical evaluation, mechanical commissioning or have indoor air quality issues, HCR can diagnose your problem and give you options on how to best remedy your situation. We help our clients get the most of their facilities and we call that value!

Meet the Partners of HICAPS Building Diagnostics

The cornerstone of HICAPS (Hood Information Control and Planning Systems) for the past 25 years has been CPM Scheduling and Project Controls. It is still our firm belief that good information, controls and planning give every project the highest chance of success. In 2007 we added another service as a natural outgrowth of our other areas of expertise. Building Diagnostics is something HICAPS’ has done as part of our claims resolution services and was a natural fit. As part of the best value concept we wanted to offer a one stop shopping approach. When we made the commitment to make Building Diagnostics a mainstay service, we reached out to the known experts that we had worked with in the past and invited them to become partners in a cooperative effort. We are proud of our association with FCG (Facility Consulting Group), HCR (Hummer Construction Resources) and West and Stem Architects.

We wanted to introduce you to our partners and decided that we would post a bio on each of our partners. We will focus our next three blogs on our partners, beginning with Facility Consulting Group (FCG). FCG has been in business since 1993. Their role in HICAPS Building Diagnostic Services is primarily the roof areas. Using thermographic imaging equipment to locate faulty electrical panels and equipment within the building. Infrared Thermography is an important aspect of building diagnostic services. Using this technique deteriorating components can be indentified prior to failure. Moisture is one of the major factors to be considered in building diagnostic surveys. Once moisture makes its way into building materials, structural integrity deteriorates and becomes a breeding ground for mold. Our goal is to help preserve buildings and equipment through preventive maintenance. This is accomplished through a dedicated staff of trained, experienced professionals with the ability to assess and evaluate entire facilities using state of the art methods and equipment.

FCG decided to become a partner based on the strength that each of the companies brings to the group.

The dark area indicates a moisture issue.

Building Diagnostics Harrahs Cherokee Casino

HICAPS and its BD partnership with FCG, HCR, & West & Stem were recently awarded a contract to do building system construction monitoring and quality assurance on the $250million Harrah’s Cherokee Casino by the Yates Rentenbach partnership. Services include: •Constructability review of contract documents relating to the new Special Events Center building envelope; i.e., roof, EIFS, curtain wall, composite wood panels, composite metal panels, precast wall panels, and natural stone cladding •Review of shop drawing / submittal packages for the above systems •Survey of the existing Casino building envelope including infrared imaging •Roof installation Quality Assurance monitoring including full time observation and monitoring •Final inspection of the roofing using infrared thermography and nuclear scans •Pre-installation meetings and mock up reviews of the various building envelope components •Weekly site visits to review installation of the various building envelope systems paying particular attention to penetration flashings. Doors and windows will be field tested utilizing AAMA 501.2-03 hand held spray nozzle and AAMA 503-3 Spray Rack testing •Final Envelope QA Assurance utilizing infrared thermography to assure that the entire shell is moisture free.