Karim Allana is a nationally renowned sustainable construction expert with more than four decades of construction industry experience.
He has active engineering licenses in seven states (California, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, North Carolina, Colorado, and Oregon) and active building contractor licenses in three (California, Nevada, and Hawaii). His specialties include building enclosure disciplines such as exterior façade, roofing, and waterproofing. As principal of Allana Buick & Bers (ABB), he leads a team of more than 200 construction and support professionals.
He has worked on several dozen large-scale new and remedial construction projects in the United States. Here are just a few of the many projects he’s helped oversee for ABB:
- Oracle Headquarters (Redwood Shores, California)
- Kaiser Medical Office Buildings (Irving, California)
- Liberty Mutual (Plano, Texas)
- Reno Post Office (Reno, Nevada)
- Cypress Gardens Senior Housing (San Jose, California)
- Hills Waldorf Astoria (Los Angeles, California)
- Museum of Art (Dallas, Texas)
- Bellagio Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- St. Regis (San Francisco, California)
- Texas Instruments (Dallas, Texas)
Mr. Allana first got started in the building enclosure space as a civil engineering major at Santa Clara University. His introduction to the discipline came while working as a laborer for a San Jose-based roofing company called Precision Roofing. After graduation, he was recruited to work on ground-up new construction projects by Turner Construction Company, a well-known national operator. In 1985, he came back to Precision Roofing to serve as an operations manager.
Mr. Allana founded ABB in 1987 and remains the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Today, ABB is a multistate construction firm that participates in new construction projects worth several billion dollars and remedial construction projects worth more than a hundred million dollars annually.
As CEO, Mr. Allana is in charge of setting and guiding the overall direction of ABB. His remit includes strategic planning and oversight of departments that collectively employ approximately 225 individuals.
Mr. Allana continues to be closely engaged in both reconstruction and new construction projects at ABB. As CEO, he supervises these projects from start to finish. He also leads ABB’s condition assessments and supervises its work on energy efficiency and renewable energy system upgrades, construction management, engineering design, and design build construction. He proudly provides ABB’s clients with unsurpassed expertise across engineering and building systems disciplines. In addition, he offers tactical expertise in conflict resolution and complex project management.
Mr. Allana has extensive experience as a consultant in forensic investigations of structural failures. He has been called as an expert witness in more than 900 construction defect cases. Regarded as a top expert in building enclosure and structural integrity, he frequently delivers technical seminars for architects, engineers, and other construction professionals. His presentations focus on risk reduction in construction and on improving energy efficiency, extending building life expectancy, and enhancing building performance.
Karim Allana has active membership in several engineering and construction professional societies and associations. These include the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), the Community Associations Institute (CAI), the International Code Council (ICC), and the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC). He is also a Registered Waterproofing Consultant and a Registered Roof Consultant.
Mr. Allana received his civil engineering degree from Santa Clara University. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.
