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Selected media coverage and articles by Scott Chen, North Star’s Director and Principal Engineer.
Media coverage
Selected reporting, interviews and expert commentary featuring Scott Chen on structural engineering, building safety and landslide risk.
Media feature
The New York Times
432 Park Avenue · New York
Scott Chen was interviewed and quoted in The New York Times’ reporting on the structural issues at 432 Park Avenue.
Read in The New York TimesExpert commentary
ABC News
McCrae landslide · Victoria
ABC News quoted Scott Chen on landslide risk on the Mornington Peninsula, including drainage, slope stabilisation and monitoring.
“Mornington Peninsula has a well-documented history of landslides.”
Scott Chen · Civil Engineer
Radio interviews
Conversations with Scott Chen on building safety, structural failures and construction.English summaries · Original interviews in Mandarin
Scott discusses factors behind the rapid spread of the Hong Kong fire and the Australian approach to building safety.
An interview on potential causes of building collapse in the Türkiye earthquake and seismic provisions in Australian building standards.
Scott joins a talkback discussion on the skills and practical preparation needed to take on an owner-builder project.
Scott explains the preliminary engineering findings on cracking at Sydney’s Opal Tower and their implications for building quality.
A discussion of delays, extended waiting periods and the additional costs that can arise in house-and-land packages.
Scott outlines contract issues to consider before paying a deposit or committing to a house-and-land package.
Professional commentary
Original analysis by Scott Chen on structural failures, building defects, forensic engineering and infrastructure.
Scott examines recurring gaps in residential structural calculations, from settlement and load paths to whole-building models, and makes the case for independent peer review.
Read on LinkedIn
A Structural Reflection On This Spaghetti-like Luxury Residential Tower
A structural engineer’s perspective on slender towers, lateral stiffness and building movement. This article led to an interview with The New York Times.
Read on LinkedInLandslide riskLinkedIn ·
Scott revisits his ABC News comments and considers the subsequent planning response, with a focus on hazard mapping, geotechnical evidence and the cost of slope stabilisation.
Read on LinkedInVideo commentaryLinkedIn
Scott’s analysis of earthquake footage examines a possible soft-storey mechanism, discontinuous load paths and the vulnerability of transfer structures.
Read the commentary