L. Carolina Alfonso, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, RID Architecture, Construction & Premises Safety Expert

Areas of Expertise

Professional Practice: Owner-Architect and Owner-Contractor agreements, contract negotiations and management, development and management in all phases; starting with programming and continuing through construction administration including bidding, permitting, and procurement in the public and private sector. Development of specifications including general conditions, supplemental or special conditions. Contract and construction close out, punch list and final inspections, certificate of occupancy, 40-year re-certification, change order and claim analysis, submittal review, contract performance, code compliance, quality control review, unforeseen conditions, estimates, schedules, as-builts and errors and omissions.

Types of Projects: Multi-million dollar public and private projects, for new construction, additions, and renovations. Projects include but are not limited to civic institutions, educational, commercial, retail, high-rises, financial institutions, animal shelters, clinics, multi-family housing, single family houses, offices, warehouses, storages, community buildings, theaters, black box theater, historic buildings, park and recreation spaces, water parks, boat racks, restaurants, hangars, seawall, mixed use tenant improvements, parking lots and structures, building integrated works of art, and stand-alone art installations.

Contract and Construction Management: Professional Service Agreement (PSA), low-bid, design-build, and Construction Manager at Risk Contracts, Guarantee Maximum Price, multiple prime construction, prevailing wages, value engineering, project management and administration for public buildings and private buildings. Delays, claims analysis, sub-contractor disputes, Critical Path Method (CPM) scheduling, cost analysis, quantity takeoffs, estimating, coordination, design errors and omissions, unforeseen or changed conditions.

Premises Safety: Stair tread and landing design, guardrails, handrails, ramps, grading, entrances, access, emergency exists, emergency path of means of egress, area of refuge, signage, emergency lighting and required illumination, coastal design and requirements, warning signs, walkway safety, flooring performance and material selections including slip resistance, and elements of human factors relating to the built environment.

Building Design and Construction: Zoning, Building, Fire, and Energy code and regulations, individual municipalities special codes or standards, accessibility requirements per the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), means of egress, change of use, modifications of existing buildings, mixed use occupancies, zoning and building code calculations, and fire separations, , failures in design, installation, material, performance, and maintenance, building envelope systems, waterproof and vapor barriers, stucco, wind-load code compliance doors, windows, curtain walls, and storefronts, water intrusion through the exterior envelope or interior plumbing systems, gutters and exterior flashing systems, sealants expansion joints, and dissimilar materials failure, flooring and roofing systems, asbestos abatement process, signage, sounds attenuation systems and theater acoustics, information and security technology integration, Audio/Visual equipment, theatrical systems such as lighting integration, Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FFE), rigging; coordination of structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and other requirements; steel, concrete, wood, timber, earthwork, utilities.

Workplace Safety: Site specific and companywide safety plans; temporary facilities, jobsite access, ladders, temporary railings, hoists, scaffolds, fall protection, hurricane preparedness and protection, OSHA requirements.

Professional Experience

Provide technical investigations, analysis, reports, and testimony toward the resolution of commercial and personal injury litigation involving workplace safety, maintenance, premises liability, construction defects and claims in progress and completed, workmanship, construction materials and component failures, code compliance, water intrusion, slip, trip and fall injuries, time and economic claims, and professional liability claims.

Responsible for the development of architectural design drawings and specifications from schematic design to construction documents and permit set, in accordance with applicable zoning, building, energy, and fire codes, as well as coordination of engineering disciplines such as civil, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, landscape, sustainability, information technology systems, life safety, scheduling, and estimating. Construction Administration, site visits and progress assessment for payment requisitions and construction quality control.

Active participant of the county-wide master plan for cultural facility’s needs, lead the design requirements and intent from the Owner and ensure compliance with program scope, contract requirements, and budget allocations. Procuring, negotiating, contracting and managing architectural and construction firms for the development of projects, managing budget, project deliverables, time frames, process, and scope of the work.

Assist project manager in the management of the project, responsible to process and obtain permits, review sub-contractors’ submittals for quality control, create Request for Information (RFI) for clarifications or missing scope, manage sub-contractor’s contract for scope and budget, coordinate all required information and material ordering and delivery to the project site and coordinate with the superintendent. Maintain and update project construction schedules and budgets.

Manage operations of the shop with over 150 person staff for the fabrication, material ordering, inventory, packaging and delivery. Created and implemented office policies and procedures, schedule fabrication sequence of curtain wall systems, training of personnel on programming systems, quality control, coordination with installers for material delivery.

Drafting of architectural drawings on AutoCAD for the different phases, from schematic design to construction permit drawings. Coordinate all other engineering disciplines such as civil, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structural engineering and address review comments from Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

Professional Credentials

• Registered Architect: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
• State of Florida Registered Interior Designer (R.I.D.)
• Certified Architect by the National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB)
• Accredited Professional on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design in Building Design and Construction (LEED AP BD+C)
• Certified XL Tribometrist (CXLT) Certification, Slip Testing
• Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI)
• Florida International University (FIU) College of Business in Project Management Certification
• Miami-Dade County Phase 1 and 2 of Construction Management Training

Professional Memberships

• American Institute of Architects (AIA)
• National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)
• American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
  • D-08 Roofing and Waterproofing Committee
  • E-06 Performance and Building Committee
  • F-13 Pedestrian Walkway Safety Footwear Committee

Education

M.S., Construction Management, Florida International University

B.A., Architecture, Florida Atlantic University

B.Des., Architectural Studies, Florida International University

A.A., Architecture, Miami Dade College

Continuing Education

• 2010 ADA Accessibility Standards Chapter 3 and 4, Titan CE, December 2024
• 2023 Advanced Florida Building Code, 8th Edition, Accessibility FBC#970.1, Titan CE, December 2024
• 2010 ADA - A Primer for State and Local Governments, Titan CE, December 2024
• 2010 ADA - A Primer for Small Business, Titan CE, December 2024
• 2010 ADA - Accessibility Standards - Chapters 5-10, Titan CE, December 2024
• 2010 ADA - Accessibility Standards - Chapters 1-2, Titan CE, December 2024
• ADA Paths - Part 2 - Communication and Recreation, Titan CE, December 2024
• ADA Paths - Part 1 - No One Left Behind, Titan CE, December 2024
• Structural Fire Design, Titan CE, December 2022
• Aging in Place - Eliminating Traps, Titan CE, December 2022
• 2010 ADA - Title II & Title III, Titan CE, December 2022
• ADA Paths - Part 1 - No One Left Behind, Titan CE, December 2022
• 2010 ADA - Accessibility Standards - Chapters 5-10, Titan CE, December 2022
• 2010 ADA – A Primer for Small Business, Titan CE December 2022
• 2010 ADA - A Primer for State and Local Governments, Titan CE, December 2022
• ADA Paths - Part 2 - Communication and Recreation, Titan CE, December 2022
• 2020 Advanced Florida Building Code, 7th Edition, Accessibility FBC#970.0, Titan CE, December 2022
• Supervisory Leadership Development Workshops Series, Florida International University, July 2018
• Phases One and Two of Construction Management Training, Miami Dade County, September 2011

v. 08/12/26