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“The project will revitalize this critical piece of our downtown… and make significant safety, mobility and accessibility improvements so all people can enjoy the 16th Street Mall for many decades to come.”
- Mayor Michael B. Hancock
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In alignment with Mayor Michael B. Hancock’s vision to revitalize downtown Denver, the city embarked on a transformative initiative to enhance the iconic 16th Street Mall. Charles Taylor has been selected to play a pivotal role in ensuring mobility and accessibility compliance throughout the revitalization project. Charles Taylor is committed to inclusivity and accessibility, reflecting a dedication to ADA compliance and a broader mission to enhance accessibility and foster a more equitable urban environment.
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| The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 12 % of U.S. adults face mobility disabilities, underscoring the magnitude of the accessibility challenge. The project’s goal is to bolster safety and infrastructure, enhance overall user experience, and establish an inclusive environment where everyone can partake in the mall’s offerings. | Led by Elizabeth Ruggles, Senior ADA & Accessibility Consultant, the Engineering Technical Services Team will collaborate closely with developers to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Drawing on their extensive experience and expertise, they conduct peer reviews of product submittals and identify non-conformances during construction, focusing on accessibility compliance. |
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Neighborhood playgrounds are a common amenity that are designed to provide children a place to play while building their motor skills, dexterity, strength, and creativity. However, deferred maintenance and non-compliant equipment can pose a potential for disabling injuries or, in rare cases, death. One Denver, Colorado neighborhood governing board engaged the services of Charles Taylor Engineering Technical Services (CTETS) to conduct a playground safety assessment assess its playground and found that the as-constructed facilities put the HOA in a vulnerable position regarding liabilities.
CTETS’ Certified Playground Safety Inspector, Ryan Jessop, performed a playground safety inspection with the goal of documenting and informing the neighborhood board of directors regarding the observed conditions and potential hazards. After observations, CTETS was able to provide a list of violations, potential hazards, and recommendations for remediation to protect the community’s children from potential harm and the HOA from future liability.
For more information on CTETS’ playground safety inspections and associated common element assessments, including complete community reserve studies, contact Justin Foy, Senior Vice President – Repair and Rehabilitation, at justin.foy@charlestaylor.com.
Charles Taylor Engineering Technical Services (CTETS) is a leading provider of multidisciplinary expertise in design, construction, and property services. With a strong foothold in construction, legal, and insurance, our team of 50+ professionals specialize in forensic engineering, construction management, and property planning and redesign. Together, we offer a comprehensive suite of professional services that cover the entire spectrum of a building’s life cycle, from its conceptualization to rehabilitation.
Since 1983, the 13-story Towers of Town Lake Condominium building in Austin, Texas has been home to many residents. But the years took a toll on the exterior of the structure, necessitating repair of damaged areas and revitalization to give the façade a fresh look and renewed performance. Community management and the board of directors entrusted Charles Taylor Engineering Technical Services (CTETS) to provide Construction Repair and Rehabilitation for the building exterior makeover project.
To aid community management, CTETS outlined the project tasks, which included using infrared photography to identify areas for intrusive examination of the exterior wall assembly to locate damaged underlying materials. The project also included collaboration with the general contractor to develop protocols for observing and evaluating the integrity of the structural components of the building exposed during demolition of the existing wall. Rehabilitation design of the new exterior insulation and finish system, which boasts a self-cleaning protective coating, was provided by Senior Design Architect, Richard M. Sidoroff, with the goals of repairing damaged areas, improving building aesthetics, and increasing the appraised value of owner units.
In addition to sporting an updated look, the building has experienced an increase in energy performance since the construction of the new façade. Throughout the entire exterior recladding project, CTETS has provided responsible oversight to achieve a successful outcome.
For more information on CTETS’ Construction Repair & Rehabilitation, contact Justin Foy , Senior Vice President – Repair and Rehabilitation, at Justin.Foy@charlestaylor.com
Charles Taylor Engineering Technical Services (CTETS) is a leading provider of multidisciplinary expertise in design, construction, and property services. With a strong foothold in construction, legal, and insurance, our team of 50+ professionals specialize in forensic engineering, construction management, and property planning and redesign. Together, we offer a comprehensive suite of professional services that cover the entire spectrum of a building’s life cycle, from its conceptualization to rehabilitation.
Situated in Longmont, Colorado, Recovery Café serves as a sanctuary for individuals in recovery from addiction and other life challenges. It provides them with the stability required to support their journey towards long-term recovery. This expansion project is geared towards offering meals, counseling, job assistance, education, and a sense of community, creating a safe and welcoming environment for residents as they heal and reintegrate into society.
At Charles Taylor Engineering Technical Services (CTETS), it is essential for us to use our work to contribute to the communities in which we live and help individuals find spaces where they can thrive. One project that aligns perfectly with this mission is the expansion of Recovery Café, in which our Accessibility Team, a subdivision of our Building Envelope and Architectural Consulting group, has been actively involved.
Our team is collaborating with Lightwell Architects, a female-led architectural firm, to review the building’s schematic design and ensure it complies with accessibility standards and ADA codes. While the project is currently in its initial phase, CTETS is committed to being a valuable team member, helping propel the project towards successful completion.
The Recovery Café project carries particular significance for the Senior ADA and Accessibility Consultant leading this effort, Elizabeth A. Ruggles, due to the positive impact it will have. “It’s truly gratifying to work on a project that is centered around community outreach,” she expressed.
For more information on this project, contact Elizabeth A. Ruggles at elizabeth.ruggles@charlestaylor.com
Charles Taylor Engineering Technical Services (CTETS) is a leading provider of multidisciplinary expertise in design, construction, and property services. With a strong foothold in construction, legal, and insurance, our team of 50+ professionals specialize in forensic engineering, construction management, and property planning and redesign. Together, we offer a comprehensive suite of professional services that cover the entire spectrum of a building’s life cycle, from its conceptualization to rehabilitation.
When ConocoPhillips needed to remove four massive, 5,500 ton concrete structures that had been part of an exploratory drilling platform in harsh arctic conditions, it turned to Charles Taylor for our industry leading marine surveying capabilities.
The four caissons were watertight concrete structures, which had been used to reinforce the drilling platform. When the platform was decommissioned in 1984 the caissons were towed to Herschel Island in Canada’s Yukon province, where they remained resting on the seabed, protruding above the surface.
The challenge was to remove the caissons intact and transport them to Mexico for decommissioning. This had to be achieved in harsh arctic conditions in one of the most remote locations in the world. At the same time, the team needed to protect the fragile environment, while respecting the needs of the local Inuvialuit people.
ConocoPhillips retained Charles Taylor Adjusting’s Houston Marine team for our marine consultancy and marine surveying expertise during both the planning and execution phases. We were involved in every step of this complex and world class project.
The project was a complete success. After 30 years of sitting in the Beaufort Sea serving only as an eyesore to the indigenous people, the four caissons were safely refloated and transported to Mexico for “green” breaking and recycling without harm to the environment or any injuries to any of the team involved in the project.
“We had the best team imaginable. Everyone was engaged and took ownership of their role in the project. I couldn’t have been prouder to work with them.”
– Kim Clarke, ConocoPhillips Canada’s Arctic Project Integration Manager
ConocoPhillips is an American multinational energy corporation, with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States.
One of the perks of being a resident of one Broomfield, Colorado neighborhood is access to its 45,000-square-foot resort-style community center. But when the exterior appearance of the expansive community center didn’t quite live up to the upscale fitness offerings inside, management turned to Charles Taylor Engineering Technical Services (CTETS) to provide rehabilitation design and construction administration services for the much-needed building exterior facelift.
With CTETS’s help, community management outlined the project needs to include building envelope intrusive testing, repair design, cladding contractor selection, and construction phase support, all of which are specialties of CTETS. Under the direction of Senior Design Architect, Rich Sidoroff, rehabilitation design was recently completed, and the torch has been passed to Senior Vice President – Repair and Rehabilitation Justin Foy to oversee the construction phase. Throughout the project’s lifecycle, from intrusive testing to contractor selection to generation of the certificate of substantial completion, CTETS provides responsible oversight to achieve a successful outcome.
For more information on CTETS’s rehabilitation design and construction administration services, contact Justin Foy, Senior Vice President – Repair and Rehabilitation, at justin.foy@charlestaylor.com
In the early morning hours of October 19, 2021, a fire spread through a condominium community in Boulder, Colorado. Although all tenants were able to safely exit the structures, the fire destroyed the 81 units in the six buildings that served as home to so many. Declared a complete loss, the community needed a trusted partner to oversee the entire rebuild project.
An expert in owner’s representation services, Charles Taylor Engineering Technical Services (CTETS), under the direction of Senior Vice President – Repair and Rehabilitation Justin Foy, was able to quickly outline the requisite scope of work to rebuild the community from the ground up. Having a centralized point of contact with respect to insurance(s), schedules, budgets, and action plans took some of the weight of the monumental rebuild project off the shoulders of the volunteer board members. The board was able to work closely with CTETS to formalize project goals, objectives, budgets, deadlines, and communication protocols, leaving CTETS to manage all project components.
With the demolition complete, including asbestos abatement, the community is now on the cusp of the rebuilding stage, which is scheduled to commence later this year, and the tenants are scheduled to return to their newly refurbished homes in 2025.
The project team recently finished the asbestos abatement and superstructure demolition for the 81 condominium units that were lost in a large fire on October 19, 2021, in Boulder Colorado. See Images Below:
For more information on CTETS’s owner’s representation services, contact Justin Foy, Senior Vice President – Repair and Rehabilitation, at justin.foy@charlestaylor.com
Sector: Construction and Transport
Type: Ransomware
A ransomware attack on a shared server at the insured,
a SME in construction and transport, encrypted all the
shared files. Staff at the insured were unable to access
files or emails which meant the company was effectively
unable to trade. The insured’s own IT support was able
to restore the encrypted files using the latest daily
back-ups but, they were unable to prevent further attacks
being attempted.
An IT forensics team was appointed to review the situation
and prevent further attacks. They quickly identified
the issues and made recommendations to secure the
system and prevent further attacks. Our internal forensic
accountants assisted in determining the insured’s Business
Interruption loss.
Sector: Financial Services
Type: Email Compromise
A fraudulent email containing a malicious link to a Request
for Proposal document was sent from an Executive VP at
the insured, an insurance broker, to their contact list. The
link led to a Microsoft OneNote login/password request
page. A number of staff clicked on the link, and one
entered their credentials. The email was determined to be
suspicious, and it was confirmed that the VP wasn’t the
author. Staff were advised to delete the email and not to
click on the link.
Our IT forensics team confirmed that no data privacy
breach or third-party loss exposure had occurred.
A communication to all policy holders was issued
on the same day to ensure customer retention. On
recommendation the insured appointed an independent
forensic investigator to review their system to ensure
there was no longer access to the system.