Schinnerer Blogs

A Scientific Ghost Town

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:26:00 GMT

A $1 billion city without residents is to be built in southeastern New Mexico to help researchers test everything from intelligent traffic systems to next-generation wireless networks. The “ghost” city will have all of the infrastructure that a normal city would have; including highways, houses, and commercial buildings. There will be no residents, and researchers will be able to test new technologies in the empty city against real infrastructure without worrying about bothering real people. Pegasus Holdings and its New Mexico subsidiary CITE Development selected Hobbs, NM as the site for this ghost town and said that the city will be modeled after Rock Hill, SC.

Cyber Liability- A Growing Threat to Healthcare

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:50:49 GMT

Health systems and healthcare facilities carry an exposure to cyber attacks given the large amount of personal/patient data held within their systems, and yet many are reluctant to purchase the coverage. Just one incident can leave companies regretting their decision to go bare - don’t allow your insured to remain unprotected.

Efficient Experimental Construction

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:56:00 GMT

Out of Denmark we have more news in green construction: Danish architects built an experimental house using just a computer, a printer, and 820 sheets of plywood. First, a 3D model was created and translated into a manufacturing template which was then sent to a computerized milling machine (the “printer”) that cuts the pieces of plywood. The home was built as part of a project intended to experiment with mass-customizing houses in an efficient manner with minimal environmental impact. Some of the environmentally friendly features of the house include the fact that the project uses no concrete, wood is the only wall material used with the exception of glass windows, only a small amount of steel is used, and the structure only touches the ground at the screw pile foundations. This manner of producing homes is attractive due to the transportability of the digital techniques. As long as the raw materials are available, the digital file could be delivered to an area and homes could be produced rather quickly, which might come in handy to a region that has been struck by natural disaster.

Words About the Woods

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:56:00 GMT

Being aware of the varied risks in the forest industry can help to avoid disastrous mistakes.

Record Low Mortgage Rates and the U.S. Housing Market

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:30:00 GMT

Despite historically record low mortgage rates, the United States Housing Market continues to struggle.

Gazing into the Future

Tue, 01 May 2012 12:39:00 GMT

“It’s alive, it’s ALIVE.” No, we’re not talking about Frankenstein monsters. We’re talking about the possible next generation of buildings. The SmartPlanet blog recently ran a piece on the future life of buildings and how these buildings will be loaded with sensors that automatically adjust to the environment around them. The Media-ITC building will use “a nitrogen based fog and smart temperature sensors that collect information about the outside environment." The sensors will cause cushions to "adjust, inflate, deflate, and become opaque.” These sensors are only part of a network that monitors the entire building, making it function like it has a living skin. This particular building is only one of many new designs using cutting-edge technology and construction techniques to bring buildings into a modern urban environment.

Quality vs. Price

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:49:00 GMT

Consider the risks before you choose a D&O policy solely on price.

Parking Garage Claims

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:21:00 GMT

From 2001 through 2010, claims in the Schinnerer and CNA professional liability program involving parking garages were most often brought against architects (42%), civil engineers (20%), and structural engineers (19%). The following is an example of a parking garage claim:

An architect entered into an oral agreement to provide architectural and engineering services for an office structure and garage. The architect retained a structural engineer as a subconsultant, and the structural engineer in turn retained a post-tension design subconsultant. During construction, a number of tendons placed within the poured concrete slabs were prematurely cut by the contractor. To repair the decreased ability to provide tension to the tendons, a coupler was secured to the end of the tensions and detensioning chair was used to draw the tendons taut during the tensioning process. During this process, one of the cables pulled free, instantly killing the worker in the detensioning chair. The architect only had vicarious liability for the subconsultants; there was no direct liability. Also, the architect did not have construction site responsibilities when the plaintiff was killed. The architect was able to obtain a dismissal of the claim brought by the employee’s family, but expenses totaled $92,000.

For more information including risk management advice, please see our entire parking garages claims study (access limited to current policyholders and brokers). This study was updated with current statistics in September, 2011.