The structural engineer who designed a Langford highrise where tenants were forced to move out for safety reasons made a “critical error in judgment” in believing he was qualified to design the 11-storey concrete tower, according to investigators with the province’s professional engineering body.
Langford revoked the occupancy permit of Danbrook One at 2766 Claude Rd. in mid-December 2019 and urged tenants to move out after an engineering report for the municipality confirmed serious safety concerns. At the time, 86 of 90 units were rented.
An ongoing investigation by Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia has found the structural engineer on the project, Brian McClure, was not qualified to carry out structural engineering services for the building and “did not make even the minimum effort to rectify his shortcomings” before beginning work on the building.
“Failure to have proper design checks and field reviews put the public at risk and, if not reported, could have resulted in a catastrophic event,” the report says.
McClure’s experience prior to Danbrook One consisted of designing wood-frame residential buildings up to five storeys and concrete residential buildings up to two storeys. He regularly reviewed structural designs for highrise concrete buildings, but had never designed a building like Danbrook One, and “erroneously” believed his prior experience qualified him to work on the building, the report says.
The body found McClure did not meet the industry standard of between 45 to 55 field reviews, with only 17 in this case. Field reviews are those done at the building site, and at locations where building components are fabricated, it says. Danbrook One did not meet building code requirements, and the structural design includes many potential deficiencies, the report says.
No independent reviews of any part of the building’s design were done before construction of Danbrook One, it says.
In an interview with investigators, McClure said that at the time he was preparing the design, there was only one other person at the firm Sorensen Trilogy Structural Engineering Solutions, and despite knowing the reviews were necessary, they “just never happened.”
The investigating committee of the engineering association has placed a restriction on McClure’s work, requiring that documented reviews of his structural engineering work be conducted by someone outside the firm where he works.
The order took effect at the start of October and will last until the investigation is complete.
McClure declined to comment.
Langford Mayor Stew Young said Langford accepts no blame for the situation, and the city now requires two engineers to sign off on designs before giving approval.
“It has to be signed off by an engineer and not by the City of Langford when they design the building,” he said.
The building owner, Toronto-based Centurion Property Associates, has sued McClure, Sorensen Trilogy, Langford and the seller and builder for damages relating to remediation work needed to bring the building up to code and address safety concerns, estimated at more than $1 million, as well as lost rental income estimated to be about $200,000 per month.
Work is underway to upgrade the building to ensure it’s safe for occupancy.
