Gilbane among firms sued for ‘shoddy’ UConn library work

HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut’s attorney general has sued Rhode Island-based Gilbane Building Co. and 14 other contractors, architects and suppliers for what his office described as the “shoddy construction” of a state university building.
The 26-count action seeks more than $15 million – the estimated cost of repairs – plus damages and other costs for the construction of the University of Connecticut law library. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal this month sued the 15 defendants for construction and design flaws that resulted in persistent water leaks and cracked exterior walls, according to a news release.
Gilbane acted as the construction manager for the project. Among others also named in the suit are: architects SLAM Collaborative of Glastonbury, Conn., and Hartman-Cox of the District of Columbia, general contractor F. B. Mattson Company of Waterbury and masonry contractor Lombardo Mason Contractors of Hartford.
Construction of the $23 million UConn law library, located on the school’s Hartford campus, began in 1994 prior to commencement of the UConn 2000 program and was completed in 1996. The five-story, 125,000-square-foot structure was to be a “landmark” building lasting at least 100 years.
Leaks appeared soon after the building’s opening on Jan. 31, 1996. The leaks worsened over the years, damaging books and interior finishes and forcing relocation of books. Cracks appeared in the building’s façade, necessitating placement of a chain link fence as a precaution. &#8226