JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Paul Brussow is new senior vice president at construction consulting firm Rider Hunt Levett & Bailey. Above, he posed on Wednesday by his office window in the American Savings Building on Bishop Street.

Brussow hopes lessons were learned

The consultant says he thinks construction quality has improved in the past 10 years

Question: What got you into construction?

Answer: I basically enjoyed doing carpentry as a child. I enjoyed rough framing and building things, and did that every school holiday, and that led me to university and the construction industry.

A: I did a lot of work leading up to the 2000 Olympics. I was involved in the Velodrome, and I did a lot of work for the banking industry, including National Australia Bank.

Q: What are some notable projects in Hawaii?

A: I was involved in the project management of the rebuild of Kalia Tower, widening the Farrington Highway at Kapolei and various improvement projects in the late 1990s.

Q: Is there potential for increased construction litigation with the Hawaii construction boom?

A: I hope not. I'd like to think people have learned their lessons in the past 10 years and the level of construction has improved so it doesn't go down that road. I'd certainly hope that's the case.

Having associations and having so many people involved in a new residential tower means people go looking around for defects. Again, hopefully ... we don't go down those roads again.

Q: Rider Hunt also worked on fixing the damage from the Interstate Building fire in 2000?

A: The top few floors were a complete gut associated with the fire floors. But below that was remediation based on where the water path of the fire was, and then, of course, full remediation of the air-conditioning ducts that had been affected by smoke damage and replacement of roof associated with the fire.

Q: What brought you here in 1996?

A: I wanted to travel the world and experience different things and wanted to come to Hawaii for a while -- and I spent the last nine years here.

Q: Why have you stayed here?

A: The work and living here in Hawaii. In the last few years I have gotten married and had a child. I've got no immediate plans to return. This is home.