From the notebook
Practice notes, regulation, and the occasional argument with the industry.
Signed pieces on sealed engineering work, regulatory literacy, and what AI assistance does — and does not — change about the profession.
Field practice
Anatomy of a defensible sealed review under OBC 1.2.2.2
A field review report that merely records what the engineer saw is not defensible. A defensible review connects observation to standard, standard to finding, and finding to recommendation — with photo evidence anchoring every link in the chain.
May 22, 2026ReadWorkflow economics
The real cost of a field review — a time-and-motion breakdown from a twelve-engineer firm
A structural engineering firm in the GTA tracked every hour that goes into a field review report — from the drive to site through the sealed PDF leaving the office. The numbers explain why senior engineers spend their evenings drafting instead of reviewing.
May 15, 2026ReadRegulatory literacy
What every Ontario sealed engineering document has in common
Field reviews, reserve fund studies, condition assessments, Phase I ESAs — they look different on paper. Underneath, they share a seven-part structure that determines whether the document holds up under scrutiny or falls apart in a dispute.
May 8, 2026ReadAI responsibility
The attestation boundary: why every AI drafting tool for licensed professionals needs an explicit signing moment
When a physician signs an Abridge note, the 'sign' moment is a button in Epic. When an attorney files a Spellbook draft, the 'file' moment is their hand. The professions that have gotten AI drafting right share one UX pattern — and it tells AEC exactly what to build.
May 1, 2026Read