Stanley Construction

The UTA Real Estate/ Sustainability crew visited Gary Caulfield with Stanley Construction today. Gary is an active member of the Project Management Insitute. I'm a member of PMI as well. He is a strong advocate for sustainability and he is a handful of people in New Zealand who have managed a project that has attained a Greenstar rating. http://www.stanleygroup.co.nz/page/140-our-people


Gary explained the firm's business unit structure which includes the following: Construction, Eco-Build, Modular, Interiors and Joinery.

Gary informed us of the framing practices during a span of 20 years starting in 1986 which resulted in "leaky buildings" as he so called them. The main issues with these buildings were design and installation.


Plaster cladding systems were installed incorrectly.

The following caused the leaky building syndrome as well: recessed windows,flat roofs with narrow or no eaves,two or more stories,design features such as solid balustrades, complex roof design and envelope shapes where roofs frequently intersect with walls on upper floors,balconies that jut out from the walls, penetrations through the claddings.

Insufficient details in the approved documents also were a problem. Maybe an RFI could have been issued to aid the workers during the installation process.

Lack of technical knowledge and skills when houses are designed, detailed and built -modern systems require a greater level of care and skill which has not always been applied.

Untreated kiln-dried framing timber is susceptible to rot when moisture penetrates the building envelope.


Gary showed us a powerpoint presentation of some modular buildings that Stanley Construction has built. This was the most interesting portion of the meeting for me. Why? Well, because I'm currently working on a 4 & 5 level student housing project in Texas. Stanley Construction is currently building a 14 level student housing project near the University of Auckland. Modular Construction is a growing trend in the U.S. My only regret about this visit was not having the time to visit the actual modular construction project. He did advise that he is working on a progress photo power point presentation, so I'll keep in contact with Gary to learn more about the high-rise modular construction.

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