An engineer who admitted to designing a structurally deficient residential rental tower in Langford is no longer allowed to practice professional engineering in British Columbia.
Brian McClure, the engineer who designed Danbrook One — now called RidgeView Place — on Claude Road in Langford, had his licence revoked by the Engineers and Geoscientists BC, the regulatory and licensing body for the professions of engineering and geoscience in the province. He is required to pay a $25,000 fine plus $32,000 in legal costs associated with the matter.
Danbrook One had its occupancy permit revoked in December 2019 — forcing tenants to move out right before Christmas — after an independent review conducted by the City of Langford found that the building was not in compliance with the provincial building code at the time and presented several safety concerns. Langford’s review came after Engineers and Geoscientists BC informed them that they were conducting their own investigation into the conduct of McClure.
On May 9, McClure admitted that structural design drawings for Danbrook One were deficient and that some aspects of the seismic design and gravity load resisting system did not comply with the building code, according to Engineers and Geoscientists BC. He also admitted that he failed to undertake an adequate design process, did not perform a sufficient number of field reviews or properly document those reviews, and failed to take adequate steps to address serious concerns about the building’s design that were brought to his attention during construction.
“We expect our registrants to apply the appropriate standards, codes and technical expertise to every project they work on,” said Heidi Yang, P.Eng., Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s chief executive officer said in a press release, adding. “The public deserves to have confidence that their homes are being designed to rigorous standards, and this case represents a serious breach of that trust. As a result, the individual involved can no longer practise professional engineering in British Columbia.”
The building is owned by Centurion Property Associates, who purchased it after was completed.
The City of Langford can recover any cost to the city incurred, which Mayor Stew Young says is around $200,000.
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