John C. Fairchild, P.E.
Principal Engineer/President
Education
M.S., Architectural Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1990
B.S., Architectural Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1984
BURSI, Denver, Colorado, April 1993
Registration, Certification and Memberships
Professional Engineer, State of Texas Registration No. 68313
Roof Consultants Institute (RCI)
Gulf Coast Roof Management Institute (GCRMI), Former Officer
American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Experience
AESTIMO, Inc., Houston, Texas (12/95 - Present). Founder and president of AESTIMO, Inc. a facilities engineering consulting firm established in December 1995. Mr. Fairchild is responsible for technical and business oversight of the company as well as the performance of consulting services. Typical projects include building condition assessments, structural engineering related to existing buildings, roofing, waterproofing and other materials engineering issues.
KEI Consultants, Inc., Houston, Texas (9/94 - 11/95). Senior Engineer and Department Manager of Engineering and Construction. Also responsible for the development and technical oversight of the Facilities Engineering Group. Provided consulting and internal staff review on projects related to structural engineering, roofing, waterproofing, and other materials engineering issues. Typical services include building condition assessments, failure investigations, remedial design, and construction administration and monitoring.
Law Engineering, Inc., Houston, Texas (1/89 - 9/94). Entry-level position as a staff-engineer, progressing to project engineer status within approximately 8 months. From 6/92 through 9/94, served as Manager of the Buildings and Facilities Department and in 3/94, achieved status of Principal Materials Engineer. Specialized in building condition surveys, failure investigations and remedial design related to buildings and building-component related failures, particularly in structures, building materials, roofing, and waterproofing. Management responsibilities included: personnel review, training, mentoring, and evaluations; client management, invoicing, and collections; and overall Facilities Engineering business development.
Wayne Popham and Associates, Lago Vista, Texas (6/84 - 1/89). Served as a project engineer on a wide variety of civil and structural engineering projects. Typical projects included residential and commercial foundation and structural design, on-site waste treatment facilities, and drainage and runoff detention facilities. Other projects included a road extension and a subdivision water distribution system.
Representative Experience and Projects
Property Condition Assessments
Mr. Fairchild has extensive experience in performing property condition assessments on a wide range of building types, including single and multi-family residential, mid- and low-rise commercial office, industrial warehouse, and retail center buildings. Typical building systems and issues assessed include civil and site development, building and parking garage structures, exteriors, roofing, pavements, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and ADA reviews.
With his experience in performing condition assessments, Mr. Fairchild also has been active in developing proprietary in-house building condition assessment standards and formats for engineering firms with which he has been associated.
The following are representative property condition assessments completed by Mr. Fairchild:
Surrey Row Apartments
Dallas, Texas; multi-family residential
401 Studewood Office Building
Houston, Texas; 3-story commercial office building; 25,000 SF
Pier 19 – Galveston Wharves
Galveston, Texas
Memorial 6 Office Building
Houston, Texas; 11-story commercial office building; 161,000 SF
4800 Sugar Grove Building
Stafford, Texas; 6-story commercial office building; 123,000 SF
Fair Plaza Shopping Center
Albuquerque, New Mexico; commercial retail center; 105,000 SF
Atrium Office Center
Louisville, Kentucky; 3-story commercial office building; 112,900 SF
Structural Engineering
Having an extensive educational background in structural engineering, Mr. Fairchild is experienced in solving structural and foundation-related problems related to existing buildings. Services he routinely provides includes surveys, investigations, analysis and remedial design involving materials ranging from wood, concrete, and steel to aluminum, plaster and masonry. Mr. Fairchild’s familiarity with general construction techniques, material and product testing, and computer-based analytical methods has enhanced his ability to analyze and understand the behavior of construction materials and systems.
Representative structural and foundation projects completed by Mr. Fairchild include the following:
Northborough Tower Parking Garage, Houston, Texas: Extensive cracks were observed in the parking garage’s concrete deck, particularly around column locations, and the Owner was concerned about the structure’s integrity. Mr. Fairchild investigated the cause of the distress, provided recommendations for corrective action, and developed an innovative procedure to install remedial column capitals throughout the garage to address the observed distress. The specified repairs were successful.
Suniland Furniture, Houston, Texas. The Showroom of the former Suniland Furniture Company is a wood-framed structure enclosing approximately 80,000 square feet of retail space. The roof of this structure exhibited excessive local deflections. Mr. Fairchild investigated the cause of the distress by reviewing construction and the distressed areas. He determined that the distress was primarily related to a combination of joist overloading, long-term creep, and random joist failure due to knot defects on the joists' extreme fiber in tension. Based on the findings, innovative procedures were developed to allow for in-place repairs within the existing confined working spaces. The repairs successfully corrected the roof distress.
Texas State Hotel, Houston, Texas. Mr. Fairchild evaluated the existing structural condition of the historic structure in downtown Houston and developed drawings and specifications for the repair of damaged structural members as well as structural modifications for the rehabilitation of the previously abandoned building. Construction for the project and associated engineering consulting services are ongoing.
Hermann Hospital, Houston, Texas. Mr. Fairchild was designated as an expert witness by Hermann Hospital’s legal counsel for a lawsuit related to an accident that resulted in the death of two people. While attempting to restrain an aggressive patient in 1991, three Hermann Hospital employees, along with the patient, struck and dislodged a wall-mounted louver located in a fire stair foyer on the facility’s fifth floor. Following impact, two of the employees, the patient, and the louver assembly fell through the wall opening and down an airshaft, landing two floors below. Mr. Fairchild directed investigative materials testing, performed structural analysis and provided expert testimony regarding the cause of the failure and the load capacity of the failed louver assembly.
Rice University, Houston, Texas. Mr. Fairchild has provided engineering consulting services related to numerous building rehabilitation projects for Rice University. For each project, he has conducted investigations to determine the extent and cause(s) of the noted distress or concern and developed remedial repair solutions or recommended alternatives to address the issue. Most projects completed to date have been associated with damage or deterioration related to soil/structure interaction and/or water infiltration.
Roofing/Waterproofing
Mr. Fairchild has extensive experience investigating a wide variety of distress related to water infiltration. His experience with roofing and waterproofing has included numerous water infiltration studies, condition surveys, remedial and replacement design services, and construction monitoring and administration. His knowledge encompasses materials and systems such as deck coatings, liquid-applied and sheet membranes, sealants, built-up and single-ply roofs, metal roof systems and curtain wall components.
Representative roofing/waterproofing projects have included the following:
Harris County Engineering Department. Mr. Fairchild has served and continues to serve as Project Principal and Manager for a number of projects related to building envelope systems, including roof membranes and exterior walls. He performed engineering consulting services, including investigations of reported distress and deficiencies; development of remedial solutions; and preparation of drawings, specifications, and contract documents, to address identified deficiencies. Specific projects included Annex 18 Roof Replacement, Annex 35 Exterior Wall Rehabilitation, Annex 4 Roof Replacement, Annex 21 Roof Replacement, Bayland Community Center Roof Replacement, Peckham Pool Roof Replacement, Hardy Street Senior Citizen’s Center Roof Repairs, the Harris County Inmate Processing Center Bridge Roof Replacement and Deussen Park Senior Citizen’s Center.
City of Houston. Project Principal and Manager for five roof replacement projects involving two fire stations, two community centers and one library. Consulting services included roof condition surveys, repair/replacement cost analyses, development of repair/replacement drawings, specifications, and contract documents, and construction monitoring.
1600 Smith – Level 48 Roof Replacement, Houston, Texas. Consulting services included a roof condition survey, repair/replacement cost analyses, development of repair/replacement drawings, specifications, and contract documents, construction monitoring.
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas. Services have included roof and exterior wall condition assessments, repair/replacement cost analyses, development of repair/replacement drawings, specifications, contract documents, and construction monitoring. Facilities include Rebecca Sealy Hospital, John Sealy Hospital, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Hospital, the Allied Health Sciences Building, Graves Building, the Administration Building, Emergency Room/Trauma Center, and Parking Garage No. 6.
Civil Engineering
In addition to structural engineering and roofing/waterproofing consulting, Mr. Fairchild has performed civil engineering services on numerous occasions. The majority of his civil engineering experience has been with regard to pavement and drainage issues.
The following are examples of civil engineering projects with which Mr. Fairchild has been involved:
Rice Stadium Drainage Improvements, Houston, Texas. Consulting and design services to redirect the podium-level drainage from collapsed existing drain lines to new ones.
St. Cloud Apartments, Houston, Texas. Pavement, Sewer, Supply Water, and Drainage Rehabilitation. As part of an overall apartment rehabilitation project, Mr. Fairchild acted as the Senior Engineer for overseeing the evaluation, design and construction of civil engineering improvements.
Buffalo Bayou Bank Erosion Control – CRSS Building, Houston, Texas. Acted a project manager for the design and construction monitoring of erosion control measures along the bank of Buffalo Bayou. Erosion Control efforts included the stabilization of an existing concrete structure at the base of the bayou bank as well as the installation of rock rip rap for additional bank erosion control.
Publications/Public Speaking
"A Feasibility Study of the Implementation of NONFLO on the Fire Endurance of Unprotected Wood-Joist Floor Systems,” Thesis, The University of Texas at Austin, August, 1989.
"Roof Structural Failure: A Case Study,” Paper presented to Texas Section of ASCE, El Paso, Texas, Fall, 1990.
“Failure Investigation Case Study,” presented to University of Texas at Austin, Timber Design Class, Fall, 1990.
“Standardization,” Presented to Facilities Engineering Division of Law Engineering, June 1991.
“Guide Specifications,” presented to the Facilities Engineering Division of Law Engineering, Summer, 1992.
“Roofing Systems History,” presented to the Facilities Engineering Division of Law Engineering, August, 1993.
“Guide Specifications,” presented to the Law Companies Group Contract Documents Seminar, Atlanta, Georgia, August 1992 and 1993.
"Soil/Structure Interaction,” presented at a Law Engineering sponsored seminar on Structures: Problems and Solutions, Houston, Texas, April 27, 1994.
"The Role of Roof Consultants," presented with Karl Schaack to the Gulf Coast Roof Management Institute, Houston, Texas, July, 1994.
"Roofing and Roofing System Standards," presented to the Gulf Coast Roof Management Institute, Houston, Texas, January, 1996.
“Foundation Remediation,” presented to the Gulf Coast Maintenance & Operations Association, Houston, Texas, January, 1998.
“Are Your Driveways and Walkways Safe,” an article discussing the slip resistance of drive and walkway surfaces, published in Chamberlin Roofing and Waterproofing’s News Magazine, Fall 2004.
Civic Recognitions
Certificate of Appreciation for the Houston Independent School District for Outstanding Service in Volunteers in Public Schools, 1991-92.
Landscaping Award for “Improving the visual environment and enriching our community in the City of Houston” for volunteer engineering services associated with the Sherwood Elementary SPARK Park, 1994.
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