Forensic Engineering Archives – Page 2 of 6

Francois Spies

Francois Spies is a construction project management professional with over 25 years of experience. He has assisted the named technical expert on several occasions.

Francois acts as a dispute adjudicator, arbitrator, and mediator. He is a certified expert witness with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. He has supported experts at international mediations and arbitrations in mining and engineering disputes relating to execution phase design and construction, mining operational matters, and business case risk transfer and liabilities, with values of up to $300 million.

Francois has a background as an employer, contractor, and consultant in EPC and EPCM project models and has led heavy engineering projects through all construction phases. His hands-on project experience covers multi-disciplinary engineering and design, project planning, estimating, budgeting, cost control, procurement and contract management, construction, and commissioning. He has been involved with international greenfield, brownfield, and live site projects, including operational readiness planning, de-bottlenecking, and performance ramp-up of operations.

Francois specialises in forensic investigations of engineering and design issues, including risk, commercial, contract, claims, and dispute management. He is knowledgeable and trained in international arbitration rules such as LCIA, UNCITRAL, AFSA, and AoA.

Francois is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Association of Arbitrators, and the Institute of Construction Claims Practitioners. He has completed the advanced professional award in expert witness evidence training, and is a registered and accredited project manager, certified contracts manager, accredited risk management professional, and a BSi lead auditor. He is also an accomplished presenter and ICE-approved NEC3 and NEC4 tutor, having presented multiple training courses.

Magdalena Prus

Magdalena Prus is a Chartered Architect with nearly 15 years of experience. She has been appointed as a technical expert on 19 occasions.

Magdalena has prepared expert reports and undertaken technical reviews and forensic analyses of documentation for submission in adjudication, litigation, and arbitration proceedings.  She has acted on behalf of building owners, housing association clients, developers, contractors, and the architect’s insurers on disputes with values of up to £2.6 million.

Magdalena has architectural experience in the design and development of new-build and refurbishment projects across all delivery stages, including in historic and sensitive contexts such as listed buildings, green belts, and conservation areas.  She has analysed various technical issues relating to residential and commercial buildings, schools, hotels, hospitals, and car park structures across the UK, and as an architectural team leader on high-value disputes across the Middle East. 

Magdalena specialises in disputes concerning water ingress via external envelope. She has been engaged in various investigations and analyses of evidence relating to matters of design and building defects, water ingress, fire safety, building fabric degradation, and professional negligence.  As part of her investigations, she has carried out site inspections, including on post-fire sites, and coordinated water testing and intrusive opening-up works. 

Magdalena is a Chartered Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and is registered with the Architects Registration Board. She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a member of the Society of Construction Law, the King’s College Construction Law Association, the Adjudication Society, ArbitralWomen, and the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation. She serves on the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators London Branch Committee and acts as a visiting professional examiner at the University of Westminster on their architectural professional practice course (RIBA Part III). 

Carsten Orlowski

Carsten Orlowski is a civil engineer with over 25 years of experience. He has assisted the named expert on several occasions.

Carsten has supported on national and international arbitration disputes regarding delay, quantum, and planning issues. He has acted as an appointed member of a dispute committee before the dispute adjudication board for an energy project.

Carsten has experience working with large multicultural and interdisciplinary project teams on turnkey schemes, fossil fuel, and nuclear energy projects. He has also acted as an interim manager for tender management and is knowledgeable in various contract models.

Carsten specialises in planning and project management deficiencies caused by delays and overrunning costs. His expertise covers project execution, pre-dispute negotiations, project management strategy, and claims negotiations.

Carsten holds a degree in civil engineering and an advanced professional award in expert witness evidence. He is a member of the German Arbitration Institute and is bilingual in German and English.

Stephen Neilson

Stephen Neilson (Steve) is a construction professional with over 30 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert on several occasions.

Steve has been cross-examined in litigation regarding a domestic interior refurbishment project. He has prepared expert reports for construction disputes with project values of up to £150 million.

Steve has experience in large construction, interior refurbishments, and fit-out projects across healthcare, education, financial services, police and fire services, security and custody, airports, rail and public transportation, commercial office, industrial, manufacturing, hotels and leisure, high-rise residential, retail, and nuclear power station. He has worked in principal contracting roles which covered procurement, estimating, construction management, and project management.

Steve specialises in construction, engineering, technical, programming, and quantum matters. He has provided expert services to the Scottish Government, which included two major college campus disputes and the college infrastructure estate strategy covering 26 college campuses. He has also provided advice to experts on fire engineering and fire safety for regulatory compliance and minimising legislative risk for clients, including dispute resolution, negotiation, and strategy.

Steve has a degree in quantity surveying and holds fire safety accreditations. He has supported the UK Finishes and Interior Sector (FIS), having been on the committee and senior judge for the Scottish awards, a committee member for the construction working groups, and an inspector for contractors site vetting and auditing.

Behrang Sarrafi

Dr Behrang Sarrafi is a Chartered Professional Engineer with over 20 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert or assisted the named expert on multiple occasions.

Behrang has produced expert witness reports for legal proceedings in the Supreme Court of New South Wales and assisted the named expert in international arbitrations. He investigates structural failures and supports clients with dispute resolution in construction projects across Australasia.

Behrang has hands-on experience in reinforced concrete and steel structure design within the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. He also possesses significant experience in the design and research of seismic design and earthquake engineering.

Behrang specialises in the failure root cause analysis of concrete and steel structures. He is proficient in using finite element analysis (FEA) and modelling of reinforced concrete and steel structures to investigate the causes of failure and collapses. He has conducted failure investigations in long-span steel roofs, cable structures, residential units, apartment blocks, carpark buildings, shopping center buildings, steel racking structures, and retaining walls.

Behrang holds a doctorate in civil engineering. He is a member of the Institute of Engineers Australia, the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, the Society of Construction Law Australia, a committee member of the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, and listed in the National Engineering Register of the Engineers Australia. He is currently pursuing a master of laws in construction law and arbitration.

Alan Bowey

Alan Bowey is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 25 years of experience. He has been appointed as an expert on more than 10 occasions.

Alan has been cross-examined at litigation, arbitration, and public planning inquiries. He has authored expert reports and assisted legal teams working for a diverse range of clients including developers, consulting engineers, and stakeholders on both technical and regulatory matters.

Alan is widely experienced in the design and construction of large civil engineering projects, including infrastructure, regulated and non-regulated water, ports and harbours, power and renewable energy, and regeneration. He has led the preparation of material specifications, outlined and detailed drainage strategies for mixed-use developments, and prepared front-end engineering design (FEED) for various infrastructure, power and renewables, and regeneration projects.  This FEED experience includes environmental risk assessment and environmental planning, as well as the preparation of environmental impact assessments and environment statements to inform regulator and stakeholder consenting applications for onshore and offshore facilities.

Alan specialises in the assessment and investigation of geotechnical engineering design, and has been engaged regarding design and construction risk associated with the procurement, construction, operation, and decommissioning of a wide range of assets. His expertise includes specialist geotechnical design, in-ground construction, earthworks, dams, tunnels, water resources (hydrology and hydrogeology), environmental consenting and permitting, and land quality and regeneration. 

Alan holds a master’s in civil engineering and a doctorate in soil mechanics. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a practicing member of the Academy of Experts, and has completed accredited Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors expert witness training.

Carlos Turizo

Carlos Turizo is a Professional Engineer with more than 20 years of experience. He has been appointed as an engineering expert on multiple occasions.

Carlos has been cross-examined in arbitration and depositions for complex civil and structural engineering issues and has served as an expert witness in litigation. He has prepared numerous expert reports for projects with disputed values of up to $100 million.

Carlos has assisted clients in evaluating infrastructure and buildings, reviewing and preparing structural drawings, conducting site condition assessments, recertifying buildings, and performing due diligence studies. He has delivered projects across the infrastructure, energy, utility, manufacturing, commercial, and residential sectors.  

Carlos specializes in forensic structural analysis of infrastructure and buildings damaged by wind, earthquakes, fire, floods, storm surges, tree impacts, vehicle impacts, hail, moisture intrusion, and construction defects. He has evaluated exterior and interior building envelopes systems for defective construction, weather related damage, and impact damage which include roof coverings, exterior wall claddings, interior ceiling finishes, interior and exterior wall finishes, and interior floor finishes.

Carlos holds a master’s in structural engineering and business administration and is bi-lingual in English and Spanish. He is a member of the National Council for Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, the American Concrete Institute, the American Institute of Steel Construction, and the Sociedad Colombiana de Ingenieros.

Samuel Spike Riley

Samuel Spike Riley is a Chartered Engineer with 15 years of experience. He has been appointed as an expert and assisted the named expert on more than 30 occasions.

Samuel has provided evidence at mediation and has conducted several expert meetings. He has provided structural advice and assisted in the preparation of expert reports.

Samuel has a background in delivering projects across the educational, residential, commercial, and retail sectors, as well as conservation projects, with project values of up to £100 million. He has extensive experience in the design and construction of complex projects including temporary works, deep basement construction, retaining walls and retained facades, and incorporating all major building materials. 

Samuel specialises in disputes associated to heave and subsidence, retaining wall failures, undue surface irregularity and cracking in industrial floor slabs, undue movement and cracking of concrete framed buildings, defects in steel framed buildings, defects in masonry cladding systems, defects in aluminium cladding systems, and undue water ingress. He provides expert opinion on defects relating to suspected extreme weather events, inadequate temporary works design including to retained facades, and the design and construction of basements below existing buildings.

Sam holds a master’s in civil and architectural engineering. He has completed the legal experience training advanced professional award in expert witness evidence. He is a senior associate member of the Academy of Experts and a member of the Institution of Structural Engineers and the Society of Construction Law.

Rahul Ratakonda

Rahul Ratakonda is a professional engineer with more than 15 years of experience. He has been retained as a forensic technical expert on more than 50 occasions.

Rahul has provided sworn testimony in state court and at deposition. He has acted as the lead expert on matters involving construction defects, design defects, worker injuries, damage from adjacent construction, and structural failures.

Rahul’s structural engineering background has an emphasis on evaluating damages and structural performance. Prior to his work providing expert analysis and investigations, he designed repairs to concrete, steel, cold formed metal structures, and temporary structures (scaffolds and bracing systems).

Rahul’s technical expertise includes forensic engineering, structural engineering, façades, building code analysis, and emergency response. He has provided damage assessments and repair scope recommendations for insurance claims related to natural disasters, fire events, and construction defects.

Rahul was a member of the NYC Department of Buildings Code Committee 2022 NYC Building Code – Chapters 16 (Wind Loads sections) and 33 (Safeguards During Construction). He has been widely published in conference proceedings and trade journals on matters of structural collapse and damage.

Cliff Moser

Cliff Moser is an architect with more than 40 years of experience. He has been appointed as a technical expert on six occasions.

Cliff has acted as a standard of care expert in arbitration and mediation and has participated in depositions. He has been engaged on a variety of projects with disputed values of up to $300 million and has particular expertise in the healthcare sector.

Cliff spent more than 20 years with California’s Office of State-wide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) and has acted as a healthcare representative and led the development of building information modeling (BIM) for multiple architecture, contractor, and owner clients. He has delivered projects across the defence, healthcare, residential, retail, and commercial sectors with values of up to $5 billion.

Cliff specialises in the analysis of standard of care disputes, insurance and construction claims, and design and construction disputes. He undertakes document and code reviews regarding various elements of construction design and delivery including interior acoustic performance, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems providing expert opinion working for clients, insurers, and contractors.

Cliff is a licensed architect (Pennsylvania, Colorado, and California) and a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation. He has authored several publications including the Quality Management chapter in the AIA Handbook of Professional Practice (14th and 15th editions), BIM in Construction chapter in Quality Management in Construction Projects, and Architecture 3.0, the disruptive design practice handbook.

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