PLANO, TX – November 19, 2019 – Chris Landau, PE, a civil engineer with extensive geotechnical expertise, has joined Partner Engineering and Science Inc. (Partner), an international due diligence, design and construction risk management firm headquartered in Torrance, California, as a Project Geotechnical Engineer. Based out of Partner’s Plano, TX office, Mr. Landau brings extensive experience in the geotechnical consulting industry and enhances Partner’s geotechnical presence in the Gulf Coast.
“We are thrilled to welcome Chris to our burgeoning practice,” says Partner’s Technical Director of Geotechnical Services Matthew Marcus, PE, PG. “The addition of Chris’s local knowledge and engineering expertise allows us to provide even more boots on the ground client service in one of the nation’s largest markets.”
Mr. Landau has worked on a diverse array of property types across the real estate industry, including government-run infrastructure, industrial facilities, commercial and hospitality developments, disposition and acquisition properties, as well as public institutions. Mr. Landau and his teams were tasked with evaluating safety considerations, providing cost-effective engineering solutions, counseling on engineering and construction feasibility, and, especially for infrastructure and industrial facilities that might be located next to public waterways or sources of water, controlling wastewater output.
When Cabot Canal, the largest manufacturer of carbon black dye that is found in everything from rubber tires to printer ink, wanted to build a new 1 million gallon waste water tank project at the Cabot Canal Facility in Franklin, LA, Mr. Landau and his team drove borings to figure out what type of foundation would support the tank adequately, whether the soil would allow for the project specifications and safety guidelines, as well as the cost and feasibility of the engineering plans. As part of a facility upgrade renovation, Texas wastewater facility First Step Tank wanted to replace and fill in the detention ponds they’d historically been using with a 1 million gallon wastewater tank. Mr. Landau’s geotechnical team performed a broad field exploration study to outline challenges of the project, how to limit settlement of the tank within strict tolerances, and how to prevent the weight of the tanks and related piping from structural shift in the ground.
Mr. Landau also recently provided construction oversight for the installation of drilled shafts for several new buildings within the Trinity River Authority wastewater treatment facility in Dallas, TX. He and his team advised on the demolition of existing buildings, and the subsequent construction of a new support facility with an underground basement level. In addition to overseeing field reports, day-to-day engineering, and construction of deep foundations, Mr. Landau’s team responded to request for information and provided documentation of installation conformance.
In addition to managing, training and coordinating geotechnical engineering teams, Mr. Landau’s expertise includes organizing geotechnical subsurface exploration programs, developing subsurface profiles, interpreting and presenting geotechnical laboratory results in advising clients, performing design calculations, implementing geotechnical design recommendations and construction considerations in final reports, and develops proposals and contract documents. Mr. Landau will lead Partner’s Geotechnical practice in the Dallas area, including the development of an additional geotechnical laboratory. He will also oversee services to neighboring States.
“At Partner, I have the opportunity to work with clients and skilled engineering professionals all over the country on interesting and diverse multi-disciplinary projects,” says Landau. “I am excited to apply my Geotechnical experience in such a dynamic and collaborative environment.”
Prior to joining Partner, Mr. Landau provided geotechnical engineering services as both a consultant and staff engineer at several top tier national geotechnical firms. In addition to attaining hands-on experience on hundreds of diverse projects, he was responsible for managing junior staff, reviewing site visit reports and overseeing project budgets, attending professional development meetings and conferences, and maintaining communications with clients throughout the course of project investigation and completion.
Mr. Landau is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Texas and Oregon and is working towards attaining registrations in multiple states across the Midwest. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Portland State University, and a Masters degree in civil engineering from Oregon State University.