Published Monday 20 July 2026 · By the JustEng team
Monday’s forensic round-up spans a high-profile structural investigation in Manhattan, two significant UK cladding judgments and new court guidance for building safety litigation — developments that all feed directly into forensic engineer recruitment and hiring demand across the disputes market.
New York investigators probe buckled columns at former Pfizer tower
New York City’s Department of Investigation has opened an inquiry after two structural columns buckled on the 21st floor of the 37-storey former Pfizer headquarters on East 42nd Street, one of the largest office-to-residential conversions in the city’s history, forcing evacuations earlier this month, CNN reports. Engineers are examining added conversion loads, construction sequencing and temporary support conditions.
Hiring angle: Office-to-residential conversions are multiplying on both sides of the Atlantic, and investigations like this one drive sustained candidate demand for forensic structural engineers with load-path and remediation expertise. Consultancies building out failure investigation teams can speak to our forensic engineering recruitment desk.
Scottish ruling tightens the time bar on cladding claims
In Ogilvie Construction v M1 RE Glasgow and Ogilvie v Leach Rhodes Walker [2026] CSOH 44, the Court of Session held that claims over allegedly defective cladding and cavity barrier design on Glasgow’s Motel One hotel had prescribed under Scotland’s five-year rule, in the first detailed examination of the new statutory discoverability test, according to analysis by DAC Beachcroft.
Hiring angle: Tighter limitation rules mean parties must investigate defects earlier, increasing demand for expert witnesses and façade specialists who can assess cladding systems at speed — a talent shortage our clients in the disputes sector feel acutely when hiring for expert witness and fire engineering roles.
Ibis Wembley judgment keeps landlords on the hook for ACM cladding
Commentary continues to build on Essendi UK Hotels 2 Ltd v London Property Company Ltd [2026] EWHC 1354 (TCC), the judgment handed down on 5 June ordering a landlord to strip Grenfell-type ACM panels from the 16-storey ibis London Wembley within six months and complete recladding within 18, with damages to follow for the hotel’s closure, as reported by 4 Pump Court.
Hiring angle: Rulings like this push commercial landlords into urgent façade surveys and remediation programmes, sustaining hiring for façade engineer jobs, fire assessors and clerks of works. Salary benchmarks for these disputes-adjacent roles are covered in our forensic engineering salary guide.
New TCC Guide brings Building Safety Act disputes into focus
The fourth edition of the Technology and Construction Court Guide, published on 1 July, includes first-time guidance on proceedings under the Building Safety Act 2022 alongside rewritten procurement provisions, as summarised by Civil Litigation Brief. The changes signal a growing pipeline of building safety litigation reaching the courts.
Hiring angle: As BSA cases formalise, law firms and consultancies alike are engaging a specialist recruitment agency to secure engineers who can act as party-appointed experts — forensic engineering vacancies with courtroom exposure remain among the most competitive searches in UK engineering recruitment.
JustEng is a specialist engineering recruitment agency headhunting hard-to-find forensic, fire and façade engineers for investigations and disputes work across the UK and internationally. Available for expert work? Submit your CV. Building a team? Register your vacancy.