Why Buildings Fail During Earthquakes: Engineering Lessons from Venezuela

By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng. Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT) CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd (CEAL) The devastation witnessed following the recent Venezuela earthquake was...

When You Skip the Engineer, the Cracks Spread Far Beyond the Wall

By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng. Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT) CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd (CEAL) In construction and infrastructure delivery, we often talk about “cracks...

Understanding the Seismic Risk of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean Region

By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng. Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT) CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd (CEAL) The Caribbean is one of the world’s most seismically active...

The Myth of the “Building Code”: Why Trinidad and Tobago Needs a True National Building Code This is a Matters for Public Safety, Disaster Resilience and National Development

By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng.Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT)CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd. (CEAL) Introduction Whenever a building collapses, a roof blown off, a hillside...

The Impact of Imbalance and Onerous Finance and Payment Terms in State Construction Contracts

By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng. Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT) CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd (CEAL) Finance and Payment Conditions Notwithstanding all that the construction...

The Crisis of Wind-Resistant Roof Construction in Trinidad and Tobago

By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng. Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT) CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd (CEAL) Trinidad and Tobago is no stranger to nature’s fury. Over the past...