Preface

Diagnosis of major structural damage in a building holds several fascinations for me. One is the process of problem solving, a second is the engineering challenge, and a third is the ability to learn from mistakes, be they design errors or bad workmanship. The majority of learning acquired from a building that has failed comes from hindsight. Everyone knows hindsight can be very exacting, but the secret is to learn from the errors entailed in the failures and devise systems that will reduce the frequency of such cases. This publication is not intended to be an answer to all defects likely to be encountered, but it should provide the basis for what is in effect a scientific examination, namely the structural investigation report. I hope it will be of use to building students, engineers, surveyors, loss adjusters, and other building-related professionals. It is not written to assist in the carrying out of structural surveys for valuations or purchasing of a building, but for those situations where the structural defect may have become apparent at the point of buying or selling of a property. The defect already exists, and before a remediation strategy can be implemented, the cause of the structural damage must be identified. Seldom is it found that structural failures are identical, similar though they may be, the details of each are dictated by many factors. It therefore follows that the remediation work will vary in each case, not only in type but also in extent when related to the age and the life expectancy of the building.

While this book deals primarily with domestic housing construction, much of the information is relevant to the design and construction of other types of low-rise building. The factual case histories are drawn from my extensive experience in dealing with major damage insurance claims.

Throughout the book please read ‘he or she’ for ‘he’.

I am grateful to the following organisations for permission to reproduce diagrams and other data from their publications:

• The National House Building Council (NHBC)
• Extracts from British Standards and Codes of Practice are reproduced by permission of the British Standards Institution, 2 Park St, London W1, from whom copies of the complete Standards and Codes of Practice can be obtained.
• Construction Research Communications for the concrete mix design tables from BRE Digest 363.

I also thank the editorial staff at E &, FN Spon for their assistance, and my wife for her administrative help and support. I dedicate this book to our son, Robert Nirmal, who tragically died in May 1999. His encouragement will be long remembered.

M.F.Atkinson