New inspections and maintenance laws have recently been passed and they are already in effect. Implementing mandatory inspections for condos and co-ops. Our team is here to help you be prepared for these first-of-its-kind inspections.
Karins has been nominated!
FLCAJ Readers' Choice Awards in the Construction, Engineering, Building Services Category! Thanks to all our clients, supporters, and team!
Click the link below to vote:
Florida Building Codes implemented in the last couple of cycles were one of the reasons why some structures survived the hurricane Ian. Photographs from the aftermath show most houses built before 1981 were completely wiped away while one house, built in 2020 with an elevated first floor and walls made out of concrete blocks, allowed for the surge to just push through, was left unharmed.
Can you imagine drones building structures? There are now drones capable of 3D printing structures while flying. Trying to mimic the construction approach of natural builders like bees and wasps, researchers were able to get drones to act like a team of builders. Using new methods, the drones were able to perform task allocation, spatial collision awareness, and make decisions about how to work effectively.
Structural engineering grows as new technological advances develop making future structures better and stronger than their predecessors. There are incredible innovations that are happening in this ever-changing industry, a lot of them heavily focused on safety, sustainability, and intricate structural design techniques.
Conserving water is important especially in the recent years of record high temperatures. Large structures and buildings can contribute to a portion of the local water consumption, this can become costly and is not good for the environment. Architects and engineers around the world are working hard to combat this issue by creating new innovative and environmentally friendly solutions.
2022 is predicted to be an above-average season with characteristics being similar to years that had above average activity. There are about 14-20 predicted storms for this year with 3-9 becoming major hurricanes. It is important to take safety measures now to ensure that you’re prepared for what’s coming.
The tragedy of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, resulted in Florida engineers calling on lawmakers to implement mandatory building inspections of condominiums, offices, and other buildings that are larger than 2,000 square feet.
In May 2022, lawmakers gave their approval that condominium and maintenance laws have been passed.
Almost a year after the tragedy of Champlain Tower South in Surfside, Florida, lawmakers have given their final approval on a new condo inspections and maintenance law that will help maintain their structural integrity.
We continually track the latest advancements in structural maintenance and repair technology. Preparing for hurricane season is an essential part of ensuring a properties longevity.
Climate change scientist argue that more intense storms are coming our way; the need to collect more data, improve building conditions and plan for future disasters is becoming an urgent.
We are this years 2022 FLCAJ Readers’ Choice Diamond Winner in Construction and Engineering.
A big thank you to our clients, supporters, and team! You are the reason for this accomplishment!
Congratulations to all the other winners!
We enjoy engineering solutions to achieve your vision and are constantly looking at past structures to tackle complex challenges. Ancient architecture has some of the most impressive construction that still stands today and we love to have that influence in our work.
We are honored to be included in part of the Florida Community Associations and we want to say a big thank you to our clients, supporters, and team! We couldn’t have done it without you!
This is a win for our clients who trust us with their construction and restoration needs.
As a GCBX board member, our CEO David Karins was part of a discussion on The Avenue Podcast about the tragedy in Surfside and revisiting when the Dolphin Towers in downtown Sarasota went through a similar went through similar structural damage.
Here at Karins we like to stay up to date on the latest innovations in engineering technology which is constantly evolving at a quick pace. It is an exciting time to be an engineer as industrial science continues to advance, bringing improvements to the engineering and construction industries.
The Patriot Plaza is a 2,800-seat ceremonial amphitheater that provides a timeless setting for the community to honor veterans and their families. With the help of many organizations, The Patterson Foundation was able to build the Patriot Plaza to serve as an educational space where visitors can learn about our country's patriotic history and reflect on the sacrifices made to earn and protect our freedom.
Here at Karins we enjoy sharing the latest research on innovations in structural maintenance and repair technology, from self-aware metamaterial systems to marine sponges that suppress vortex shedding to self-healing concrete. These scientific developments have the potential to update and even reshape how the architectural engineering community thinks about standard techniques and processes.
Thanks to all our clients, supporters, and team! Click on the link below and vote for Karins Engineering as the Readers' Choice in Construction and Engineering! You can vote for us here: https://bit.ly/3wEgqDb
Excerpt from an Article by Karins St. Pete Branch Manager, Tom Buffington.
Florida is home to more condominium units than any other state in the country. Whether your condominium is newer or older, maintenance and proper inspections are necessary to prolong the life of the building and minimize the need for major repairs.
Come join our team of passionate and expert employees! We’re all about achieving ambitious visions and creating custom solutions. Karins was founded on trust, integrity and creativity and we strive to embody these traits everyday to better serve our clients.
Seven of the state’s leading engineering and architecture associations formed a task force to prevent structures from further collapse. They are recommending that tall buildings have required inspections within their first 30 years, with follow-ups every 10 years.
Using the human body as inspiration, scientists have created a new self-healing concrete prototype that “fixes” cracks while they’re still small, avoiding any compromise to the cracked structure's strength.
Corrosion is one of the major threats for buildings along the Florida coast that can be caused by the salty air and tidal flooding. While high-rises are constructed with tougher codes and improved waterproofing methods than than what was standard decades ago, some research engineers believe that there are better ways to build more durable concrete structures with new developments in technology.
A team of researchers from Harvard University have found an alternative way to protect structures from the damages of vortex shedding, which is a periodic swirling flow pattern that can form behind a blunt object as fluid moves past it. A deep water marine sponge, Euplectella aspergillum, has a complex skeletal structure that can suppress vortex shedding better than most current technologies.
Thanks to all our clients, supporters, and team!
Click on the link below and vote for Karins as the FLCAJ Readers' Choice in Construction and Engineering!
You can vote for us here: https://bit.ly/2XagH3a
Building safety organizations and experts from around the country gathered in Florida to examine the safety of existing buildings, guidance for building owners and how future disasters can be prevented. The event was held in the wake of the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse focusing on topics on frequency of inspections, structural safety, maintenance and the application of current building codes.
Our Vice President of Engineering John Bonacci has spent his career absorbing knowledge in the practice, research and teaching of structural design and engineering. As a technical leader he has contributed to over 30 publications, sharing his expertise with others to expand the current thinking within the industry.
The shocking collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, FL has brought up the conversation of concrete, safety issues and how important it is to stay up to date with building codes. Check out what our CEO David Karins had to say.
In the aftermath of the Miami building collapse, condo boards and property managers everywhere are getting a wake-up call. The Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association (DSCA) is planning a discussion of what requirements for inspections currently exist or should be considered.
The Story Behind Dolphin Tower’s Near-Collapse.
In 2010, Sarasota’s Dolphin Tower Condominium showed its first signs of falling down as the floors on the fourth floor began to crack. That’s when a retired resident of the condominium Charlotte Ryan took on the job of Board President and she was given the duty of dealing with the building's needs.
Here at Karins we like to keep track of the latest innovations in structural maintenance and repair technology. Looking to the future, structures may be able to monitor and power themselves and react to stimuli thanks to research outlining a new metamaterial system.
Here at Karins we like to stay up to date on the latest and greatest in innovative engineering technology. 3D printing is on the rise and proving to be a major contender in the construction industry by providing quick and effective results.
May 25th is this year's Community Association Day! Come see us at Booth #611 to hear about our cost-effective restoration and maintenance solutions.Admission is free for home, condo and co-op owners, managers and board members.
As structural design evolves, the challenges engineers face intensify, especially in bridge design which mostly depends on drawings. Many structural engineers are using parametric design and BIM-based processes to address these roadblocks. Karins Engineering uses BIM on many of its products.
As the future of architecture is ever-changing, evolving and continuing to shape our environment, we’re eager to absorb and exchange information about projects other companies are working on that inspire us for a stronger, structured future.
Construction technology is growing- and shrinking. New research and innovations in engineering, like carbon nanotubes and 3-D printed houses, are making a sizable impact. These are two of the new techniques being explored in our industry that we’ve been keeping an eye on for what they could mean for the future of our engineering practice.
The Ancient Romans believed they’d found magic when they discovered that volcanic ash, also known as Pozzolana, forms a hard compound when mixed with water. This marks the beginning of a crucial compound we know as concrete, which continues to yield great structures and sturdy materials in communities worldwide.
After the devastating blast in the Lebanese capital in August 2020, Beirut was left to rebuild much of the area around the port. SARAID, a UK-based volunteer force, took charge to work with local engineering teams in this effort. A team was set up to specifically research country construction methods and collate information from previous structural assessment responses.
At Karins, we’re always trying to stay at the forefront of the innovations that are happening in our own industry and adjacent industries within the world of engineering and construction, like this new bridge-building method.
Karins Engineering recently upgraded four large roof terraces and numerous balconies at The Valencia Condominium. The Karins team used 20-year Sikalastic-624 RoofPro to give a seamless finish, matching the exterior’s elegance. Karins chose the product as it is liquid-applied, fully reinforced waterproofing which readily conforms around difficult and elaborate details.
Many of those opportunities have been realized throughout the course of the Karins Way Program by engineers like Ramon Hernandez-Ron, a CAD Draftsman in the Sarasota office, with unique experiences as an architect.
We Recently spoke with a core team member Ramon about the similarities between design thinking and architecture and the centrality of shared ideas in the program.
Our program’s testers collaborated with team members to provide important feedback necessary for refining innovative ideas into implementable solutions. We recently spoke with program tester Hector Velazquez from the Daytona office about the ethical considerations he took into account while testing prototypes.
Meet Cyndy Jackson, Administrative Assistant at our Ft. Myers office. We recently spoke with her about how three heads are better than one and how she intends on giving clients a voice through her team’s innovations in the program.
We gave staff across offices the opportunity to lead innovations together, creating shared ownership and diversity in ideas. We recently spoke with core team member Julia Fabrizi from the St. Pete office about the meaning of team synergy, friendly competition, and the benefits of collaborating at a distance.
With three teams assembled across our six offices, the Karins Way Program was led by Paula Barros from the Sarasota office. We spoke with her about the holistic impact of the program on the company and the role of client empathy in Karins' growing innovation culture.
A key area of how we deliver Engineering Integrity is in the quality and consistency of our documents. We tasked a diverse team from across the company’s six offices to explore how we create, manage and deliver documents to clients.
We spoke about team facilitator Alvaro Castaneda from the Ft. Lauderdale office about the importance of document innovation in delivering a great client experience at Karins.
We spoke with team facilitator Alan Siscoe from the Tampa office about the mindset and process, innovating client education processes and what engineering integrity and innovation inside the company means to him.
Innovation is in the DNA of our engineering practice and our vision for the future. We are happy to announce the successful launch of a new initiative created in collaboration with branding and strategy firm, Studio BC/C called The Karins Way Program.
We’re always looking for ways to bring the magic of engineering home to our friends and families. We know that getting kids interested in science requires good story telling and DREAM BIG: Engineering Our World does just that in a mesmerizing way.
The Portmore Residence is on its way to being completed! We’ve designed the structural elements of the home including foundations, columns, walls and beams. We’ve also provided preliminary planning and design, final design, construction documents and construction administration.
“Everyday Engineering,” put out by American Society of Civil Engineers, created a treasure trove of science-based content to engage with in a creative, exploratory way. This includes fun videos and supplemental educational materials of experiments ranging from chemistry to engineering.
While our industry is being called on to be adaptable and accountable to the important role we play in the communities we serve, many of our professional organizations are stepping up to provide useful resources and discussions.
While most of us have canceled our summer vacations and are planning fun family staycations, we can still travel overseas to great destinations. Take some virtual tours of the world’s most fascinating monuments and buildings with this list from Redshift. On the list are the Parthenon, the Taj Mahal, the "Lost City" of Petra, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater!
For design professionals taking on the challenge of designing for a safer world, here is a helpful resource.
The AIA has built a tool to help professionals share design innovations in response to COVID-19. It’s called the COVID-19 ArchMap.
We’re proud to be involved in realizing the Benoit Monument, set to be completed in August.
Joan Karins, wife of Karins founder Bud Karins, sits on the board of Flight 2014, an aviation organization set out to bring wide-spread public recognition to the story of the First Airline and St. Petersburg’s and Tampa Bay’s unique association with it.
The Karins Engineering team has been working from home, in the field, and in the office, adhering to social distancing and safety protocols to keep ourselves, our families and communities safe.
As the country slowly returns to the office, here’s a great resource to help you and your team transition safely and prepare for the future.
We're just a few short weeks away from completing and installing the Benoist Monument on the south side of the new St. Pete Pier!
This project celebrates the plane flown by pilot Tony Jannus on Jan. 1, 1914 from St. Petersburg to Tampa, and St. Pete's Mayor, Abe Pheil, who was the first passenger in that historic flight. The monument tells the untold story of St. Pete as the birthplace of today’s commercial aviation industry.
John Bonacci, who has been a director at Karins since 2004, has recently been promoted to Vice President of Engineering. Thomas Hagood Jr. has been hired to focus on business development as the Vice President of Design, and Jerome DiMercurio has been hired as an Engineering Manager for the Sarasota branch.
Point Brittney 6 is a 30+ year old Florida condominium that needed major repairs on its 30,000 square feet of balconies. The guardrails on the balconies were constructed of pre-cast reinforced concrete elements and were a significant architectural element of the building.
Karins Engineering was selected as a GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch Honoree in 2016. As an entrepreneur, David Karins has taken advantage of the programs GrowFL offers, gaining insights he needed for his business.
This was the first time the underground parking structure at 440 West Condominium had ever undergone a concrete restoration since being built in 1975. The exposure to the coastal environment and inadequate coverage over the steel reinforcements caused large-scale corrosion damage throughout the structure.
Karins provided services to the Pass-A-Grill condominium that needed major concrete restoration on its balconies, walkways, and stairwells. Due to marine shore breezes the concrete became chloride contaminated, causing corrosion of the reinforcing steel.
Our founder Carter Karins cowrote a paper for FDOT on grouting unbonded PT cables in bridges. This research shows a project can move faster if the workers place more segments at once before grouting.
The boardwalk of the St. Petersburg Pier now displays a full-scale replica of the Benoist Airboat, honoring the birthplace of the world’s first scheduled airline using winged aircraft. The completed 16,000-pound stainless steel monument marks almost exactly 106 years since its original takeoff on January 1st, 1914.
Engineers and architects are artists who work in the medium of buildings. Architect, structural engineer and artist Bradford Russell elaborates on the connection between those three roles, using the Hoover Dam as an example.
Renovating extensive structures can take many months to complete. Though it is no easy task, the results are especially rewarding. When practicing business integrity and renovation go hand in hand, it fulfills a commitment and dedication to protect the longevity, history and purpose of a building.
Engineering has a long history of figuring out what works and, more specifically, how to make something work better. Our practice reminds us that better technology and materials are providing solutions for an architecturally efficient and sound future in our ever-evolving world.
