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Media coverage featuring Scott Chen, alongside his own writing on engineering, construction and the built environment.
Reporting & interviews
Reporting and interviews published by media organisations, featuring Scott Chen’s engineering expertise.
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.
Written by Scott Chen
Scott’s own analysis, professional commentary and observations from practice. Full text, figures and videos are available here.
In civil engineering and flood risk management, we often deal with Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) on a daily basis. However, both the public — and even many professionals — still frequently misunderstand what AEP truly…
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A structural engineer’s perspective on slender towers, lateral stiffness and building movement. This article led to an interview with The New York Times.
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Introduction
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Jordan Springs East in Western Sydney is a serious warning about the consequences of developing housing on ground whose behaviour has not been adequately established. Reports of cracked homes, settlement, buy-backs and…
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In Australian engineering circles, few terms are thrown around as casually—or as carelessly—as "reactive clay." For many structural engineers, builders, and project managers, it's become the all-purpose scapegoat for…
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In Australia, particularly in Victoria and New South Wales, many post-war homes have timber frames, brick veneer walls and suspended timber floors. A common arrangement combines internal stumps on pad footings with external…
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Last week during a business trip to New Zealand, I took time to visit a lesser-known but engineering-significant landmark in Auckland — the Union Building at 2 Commerce Street.
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How efflorescence and concrete cancer form, how they differ and connect, and how evidence-based investigation guides effective repair.
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In the Australian deep excavation field, selecting the appropriate shoring system is crucial to ensure safety, stability, and cost efficiency. Based on industry practice, deep excavation shoring systems can be classified into…
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In Australia’s construction industry, Project Manager (PM) and Superintendent are theoretically two distinct roles. The PM oversees the entire project lifecycle, ensuring that budgets, schedules, and stakeholders are aligned.…
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In Australia’s construction industry, whether you're a professional, a client, or just an outsider looking in, there seems to be an almost universal sense of pride in Australian Standards. Hiring managers, HR personnel, and…
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