Karim Allana

Karim Allana is the founder, CEO, and senior principal of Allana Buick & Bers (ABB), a multistate construction firm that manages several billion dollars in new construction projects and more than $100 million in remedial construction projects each year.

Mr. Allana is responsible for setting the overall direction of ABB, including strategic planning, and providing day-to-day administration of departments with approximately 225 employees in total. Over more than 40 years in the construction industry, he has overseen nearly 19,000 architectural and engineering projects across a wide range of building types.

Mr. Allana and ABB have worked with clients in industries and sectors including:

Local and federal government

K-12 and higher education

Healthcare

Multifamily residential

Industrial

Insurance

As ABB’s day-to-day leader, Mr. Allana is closely involved in new construction and reconstruction. He supervises all major aspects of these projects while leading ABB’s efforts on matters including but not limited to:

Building condition assessments

Energy efficiency and renewable energy system upgrades

Design-build construction

Construction management

Engineering design

Mr. Allana takes pride in providing ABB’s clients with tactical expertise in complex project management, engineering and building systems, and conflict resolution throughout the development process.

Among the dozens of major new and remedial projects Mr. Allana has worked on over the years are:

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California

NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California

Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii

Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas

Cesar Chavez Student Center at San Francisco State University

Allure Condominiums in Las Vegas, Nevada

Sugar Beach Resort in Maui, Hawaii

Sun Microsystems in Menlo Park, California

St. Patrick Catholic Church in Denison, Texas

Travis Airforce Base in Fairfield, California

DFW International Airport in Dallas, Texas

USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park in Honolulu, Hawaii

Hall of Justice Building in Redwood City, California

Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada

Moxy Seattle Downtown Hotel in Seattle, Washington

Mr. Allana holds engineering licenses in California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington.. He emphasizes sustainable construction practices and specializes in building enclosure systems including roofing, waterproofing, and exterior façade.

Karim Allana began his career in building enclosure as a civil engineering major at Santa Clara University. As he pursued his degree, he worked for Precision Roofing, a San Jose-based roofing company. He was recruited by Turner Construction Company after graduation to work on ground-up new construction projects. He returned to Precision Roofing in 1985 as an operations manager, then struck off on his own in 1987 and founded ABB.

Under Mr. Allana’s management, ABB has been recognized as a top employer known for excellence in construction. The company’s notable awards include “best firm to work for” by Zweig White and two International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC) awards for documented excellence.

In addition to his work on new and remedial construction projects, Mr. Allana has extensive experience in forensic investigations of building failures, having testified as an expert witness in nearly 1000 construction defect cases to date. He is widely respected within his professional community as an expert on reducing risk in construction, extending building life expectancy while improving performance, and enhancing energy efficiency. He is a regular speaker at seminars and presentations for fellow engineers, architects, and other construction professionals, and has lectured at the University of California-Berkeley on construction-related topics.

Karim Allana is a member of the following professional organizations:

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA)

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA)

The Community Associations Institute (CAI)

International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC)

The San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR)

The International Code Council (ICC)

The Sealant, Waterproofing and Restoration Institute (SWRI)

Mr. Allana is a Registered Roof Consultant and a Registered Waterproofing Consultant. A graduate of Santa Clara University’s civil engineering program, he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.