FOREIGN COUNTRY PROJECTs

Projects constructed in foreign countries need to be designed according to local customs using local labor materials as much as possible in order to be economically constructed.  Maintenance of locally obtained building materials is also more readily available and is usually less expensive.  We always comply with local codes the same way that we expect Foreign Government facilities to comply with our local building codes in this country, including their local municipal city building and planning codes.  Less developed countries like to have US designers employed to take advantage of the latest state of the art technological designs for various building systems.  In conflict with this we believe that less sophisticated systems that are factory packaged are more easily commissioned into service are actually more desirable (where sophisticated installation and service technicians are not available in remote areas).  Less sophistication is required to install ductwork than to install refrigerant piping, even though refrigerant piping might be less expensive than ductwork initially.  We always design systems that can be services and maintained by the local tradesmen and contractors.  We believe that an inoperative system that has to wait for a technician from outside of the country to repair the system is not desirable.  We have always obtained local consultants that we have utilized for advice during design and during construction.  This advice will be sought to educate ourselves concerning the local construction methods, constructability, locally available materials, local prices of materials, local labor prices, and other relevant information for the project.  We have found that municipal utility departments and utility corporations in foreign countries are very easy to work with, and are very helpful.

Gerald Spencer, P.E. is accustomed to traveling to and working in Europe, South America, the Caribbean Basin, plus Primitive Countries.  We have our own Digital Cameras, Camcorders, Mechanical Performance measurement instruments, Pressure and flow instruments, Electrical field measurement instruments, and Lighting measurement instruments. 

Gerald Spencer, P.E. is particularly adept at working in and around existing buildings.  The design and construction of remodeling projects requires a more painstaking approach than is required for new construction projects.  More thought and planning is required to properly phase the construction so that minimum disruption of the occupied portion of the project will occur.  Our staff of architects and engineers are particularly well acquainted in building operations and communicate very well with operating and maintenance personnel.  You will find that our staff is at home with tools and instruments, as compared to the clean hands ivory tower type of engineer or architect.  This attitude generally shows through and makes our personnel more compatible with your operating and maintenance personnel.  We always take the time to explain any changes in operating and maintenance procedures to your personnel so that they will fully understand and believe in any procedures that we recommend.  Operating and maintenance personnel generally resent outside consultants looking over their shoulder and will not follow any procedures that they do not fully understand, or do not fully believe in.  We want your operating personnel to know that we are on their side, and only want to help them make their operating procedure decisions.

1.    Gerald Spencer, P.E. is the Engineer of Record for the design and the construction of the following Department of State Projects:

1.1.    U. S. Information Service Building Fire Safety Systems Up-Grade - Mumbai, India 1997

1.2.    U. S. Consulate Building Emergency Power Systems Up-Grade - Mumbai, India 1997 & 2000

1.3.    U. S. Embassy Electrical System Repairs - Bridgetown, Barbados 1997 & 2000

1.4.    U. S. Embassy Exterior Repairs - Nassau, Bahamas 1998

1.5.    U. S. Embassy Mission Residence Repairs - Nassau, Bahamas 1998

1.6.    U. S. Embassy Electrical System Repairs - Copenhagen, Denmark 1998

1.7.         U. S. Washington House Consular Residence Electrical renovations - Mumbai, India 1998

1.8.         U. S. Consulate Building Consular Services Revovation - Mumbai, India 1997

1.9.         U. S. Information Service Building Chilled Water Plant replacement - Mumbai, India 1998

1.10.     U. S. Consulate Building HVAC system replacement - Mumbai, India 1998

2.     Gerald Spencer, P.E. is the mechanical and electrical EOR for the design and the construction of the following foreign country projects:

2.1.            King Abdulaziz Military Academy - Auditorium - Saudi Arabia 1980

2.2.            King Abdulaziz Military Academy - Agronomy Building - Saudi Arabia 1980

2.3.            Girls College at Jeddah - Saudi Arabia 1981

2.4.            Officers Club - Bahrain, Bahrain 1982

2.5.            Voice of America - Commonwealth of Northern Marianias 1995

3.      John L. Elam, PE is the structural EOR for the design and the construction of the following foreign country projects:

3.1.            Lido Hotel, Beijing, China

3.2.            Chilean Naval Hospital, Punto Arenas, Chile

3.3.            Prefabricated Concrete Office Building, Bahrain

3.4.            Prefabricated Oil Field Crew Quarters, Abu Dabhi, Iran, Nigeria

3.5.            Prefabricated Construction Crew Quarters, Saudi Arabia

3.6.            Prefabricated Offshore Oil Crew Quarters, Saudi Arabia

4.     TOTALLY METRIC PROJECT DESIGNS:  Gerald Spencer, P.E. has extensive Hard and Soft Metric project design and construction experience.  Spencer Engineers, Inc. (SEI) was first employed as the AE for foreign U. S. Army (Middle East Division) construction projects in 1983.  Gerald Spencer, P.E. has completed several "Hard Metric" projects during the past few years. 

4.1.            SEI was selected by NASA in 1994 to to be the AE of Record for the design their first NASA prototype set of "Hard Metric" construction contract documents.  This was a model project to be used as a pattern for future "Hard Metric" projects.  Gerald Spencer, P.E. has completed this design and construction of the new Building 260 and the addition to Building 343 project for NASA where all of the documentation for the bidding and construction of the project is in "Hard Metric".  All of the building Structural, Civil, HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical engineering calculations are in "Hard Metric" units.  All of the building Architectural dimensions and calculations are in "Hard Metric" (SI) units.  Materials and Equipment with published metric units were specified as a part of the building to the extent that these items were available.  The construction of this building is complete.  The contractor claimed to have made a profit on the project. 

4.2.            Gerald Spencer, P.E. has accomplished other metric projects for construction in the Middle Eastern countries, but these projects were not entirely metric, but a mixture of English and metric units which is the local custom. 

4.3.            Gerald Spencer, P.E. has completed the two day Metric Design Course at NASA-Johnson Space Center.  

4.4.            Gerald Spencer, P.E. is the EOR for the design and the construction of completed projects in India, Nassau, Barbados, and Denmark using the Local Metric system of measurement and calculations.  The Electrical Wire Designations vary from country to country, but these are becoming standardized more and more with the creation of the European Common Union (ECU).  Non-ECU nations are gravitating to the ECU standards in our opinion.