Gregory L. Kelly, PE, SE, NAFE

ith more than 25 years of experience in structural design, preservation, and restoration, Mr. Kelly brings a unique perspective to the field. Specializing in areas such as forensic engineering, coastal design, historic preservation, and blast engineering, he actively engages with the community through teaching, speaking engagements, and collaboration with government agencies such as Mayor Bloomberg’s Green Codes Task Force to shape policy and effect change. His work has been showcased in National Geographic, Scientific American, and various architecture, construction, and engineering (ACE) industry publications. Mr. Kelly’s portfolio includes structural engineering projects totaling 8 billion dollars in construction costs and over 20 million sq. ft. of floor area.

Litigation Support for Large Hospital Construction

This construction delay claim was two- pronged. The first aspect related to the inspector’s evaluation and rejection of concrete frame construction based on weak cores and honeycombing. We found that the inspector and engineer of record (EOR) did not allow the contractor to fully exercise their rights to remediate the work, and that the EOR ultimately required the unnecessary removal and replacement of elements. The second aspect of this claim related to actions of the owner, which limited use of the site, thus prohibiting the storage of critical materials, which delayed the work substantially.

Expansive Fill Investigations

In southern Virginia, fly ash from coal power was used for structural fill under many building projects because it was cheap and compacted easily, providing what appeared to be an excellent building pad. Some types of fly ash were found to be expansive when moisture was introduced, and many buildings were severely damaged by the “uplifting” effects of the fill. The largest project Mr. Kelly evaluated was a newly constructed multi-story public school. The expanding fill had destroyed the concrete slabs on the ground floor, and extensive shoring of the masonry-bearing walls and remedial work was required.