Hard Lessons Learned

AIA|LA Building Performance & Regulations Committee presents…

Hard Lessons Learned: no it’s not a blues song but it could be…

A presentation of hard-won wisdom from the trenches of the construction profession.  Several practitioners share their collective wisdom and painful learning experiences for the general edification of the masses interested in not experiencing the same pain.

Speakers:

Jerome Scott, AIA, CSI, ICC, LEED-AP – dir. construction admin. | sr. associate, togawa smith martin, inc.
Mark Savel, AIA, NCARB – Principal, Mark H Savel Architects

BIOS OF SPEAKERS:

Jerome Scott, AIA, CSI, ICC, LEED-AP – dir. construction admin. | sr. associate, togawa smith martin, inc.

Currently Director of Construction Administration at Togawa Smith Martin Inc. (an AC Martin Group company) in which capacity he monitors the progress of multiple multi-family jobs ranging from less than 50 to more than 600 units. Over the last nearly 30 years in the LA area, he has had more than a few run-ins with multiple Authorities Having Jurisdiction. There have been wins, a few losses and some prisoners taken.

Originally from ‘back East’ – he got his Bachelors degrees in Environmental Studies and Architecture at the University of Waterloo in Ontario Canada and got his first license in New York State. Currently, he is licensed in New York, California and Maryland.

Always more interested in the technical side of Architecture and how it impacted the design and construction process, he became one of the first of his class to become proficient with computers and while in LA helped run the AIA Technology in Architectural Practice Committee, introducing members to new technology and processes. His interest in the process resulted in membership in the International Code Council, the Construction Specification Institute and the USGBC (LEED) programs. His interest in social justice let to a stint with Abode Housing and SCANPH and a short-lived foray into the food industry with a partnership in a social justice-oriented café (Manifesto Café) now defunct. Variously an Architect, a Project Manager, Quality Control Specialist with a strong emphasis on hands-on multi-tasking approaches to design and construction to develop maximum amenities on challenging sites, he has a well-rounded view (and opinions) on most subjects.

Mark Savel, AIA, NCARB – Principal, Mark H Savel Architects

Mark Savel is a licensed architect in the states of California, Nevada, and Utah, and a licensed General Contractor in the state of California. He received his Bachelor of Architecture in 1978 from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI/Arch). Mr. Savel is the founding principal of Mark H. Savel Architects, Inc. Prior to establishing the firm, Mr. Savel was affiliated with a number of nationally recognized architectural and real estate development firms. While associated with these organizations, Mr. Savel was primarily involved with site selection and analysis, architectural design, project management, contract negotiation, and construction administration and supervision. In addition to Mr. Savel’s architectural and construction background, he has experience with the design-build and the development processes. He sustains involvement in business and professional organizations, including the Building Performance and Regulation Committee of the Los Angeles Chapter of the AIA, the LADBS-AIA|LA Code Interpretation Committee, as well as a local business group. In 1997, Mr. Savel became a member of the Board of Directors of a not-for-profit Real Estate Development organization known as Neighborhood Partners. In addition to the architectural practice, he has been designated as an expert witness on the subjects of architects’ standard of care, general contractors’ standard of care, construction means, and methods, construction costs, building performance, and land use.

Resource Links:

Construction Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned: Taking it to the Next Level

Lessons learned practices in the engineering, procurement and construction sector

Lessons Learned Report for Building Design & Construction

Major Projects:  Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned Template

Photo Credit:  Jerome Scott, AIA