On the morning of April 22, 2026, Alan Mooney met with Aaron Bennett at the Boise Cascade truss manufacturing facility at 58 Industrial Park Road in Saco for an in-depth look at how modern wood trusses are designed and built. The tour was led by Plant Manager Bill Card, who walked through the facility’s operations….
News
Condos Charging Forward – The Dangers of Li-ion Batteries
As if your docket of condo board issues were not heavy enough, now the potential of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries safety dangers has been surfacing at condo and HOA community gatherings. Li-ion batteries are everywhere and multiplying. Not only are they in your neighbor’s new EV (electric vehicle) in the garage but also his e-bike….
Changes to Refrigerant Regulation Increase HVAC Replacement Costs
Contributed by Ralph Manglass, P.E., Senior Engineer, Criterium Engineers If you own or manage a building with air conditioning or heat pump systems, you may soon notice higher replacement costs, and the reason may not be equipment age alone. Enacted in 2025, new federal refrigerant regulations began reshaping the HVAC industry, with significant cost….
Condo Tech and Design: Future Trends
Addressing the Housing Market The housing data has long been clear: there is not enough affordable housing available. The mix of types of housing (i.e., multi-family, condominiums, HOAs, and SLRs (Single Family Residences) does not adequately match our growing needs. Meanwhile, municipalities and developers are attempting to plan for evolving trends, designs, and technologies needed….
Do You Need a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA)?
There are many reasons a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) might be needed before purchasing a commercial property: The most obvious—oil tanks or chemical storage bins have been dumped on your site or on sites adjacent to yours. Your lender might require it, as many lenders do for larger projects. Your attorney might recommend….
Is Your Façade Leaking?
A building’s exterior façade can experience water infiltration anytime during a its lifetime. The façade is composed of a variety of components including windows / door penetrations; wall cladding; and features such as balconies and other architectural elements. Water infiltration can occur while the building is undergoing transition from developer to a new condominium….
Mega Condos
Typically, this time of year I act like an economist foretelling the future with greater and greater accuracy by presenting the prior year’s history of condonomics. I often address average condo sale prices and days-on-the-market data. Not this year. The past is not the story. Instead, we should focus on 2026 and the mega-condo developments….
Winter Deck Maintenance
With winter approaching and our best days on the deck behind us why should deck maintenance be a concern now? Industry experts recommend decks should be deep cleaned twice a year for both appearance and determination of the repairs needed. Scheduling these bi-annual inspections in fall and spring provides a routine ensuring sufficient time to….
Don Stalnaker, P.E. Receives First Ever Lifetime Achievement Award
Alan Mooney visited Don Stalnaker in Charleston, West Virginia recently to present him with Criterium Engineers’ first ever Lifetime Achievement Award. Don opened his affiliate office in 1970. First, for a bit about who Don is, here is a quote from Robin Tozier. “I had the pleasure to speak with Don a few weeks ago…..
Your Future Roof Surface
Is your community facing resurfacing its flat roof(s) in the near future? This is a generational question as roof surfaces tend to last 25 to 30 years. By ‘flat roof(s)’ I mean a low-slope roof surface having a slope between ¼ and 3-inches per foot. In the Northeast, most existing flat roof surface membranes….