Recently came accross an insightfull book review:
Robert Houghton-Evans’ book on building problems comes on top of a long tradition, despite its almost flippant title, 'Well Built?'. Early texts relating to the subject included Lucretius who said, “soft droppes of rain pierce the hard marble” and the New Testament where the faithful were advised to build on rock in preference to sand.
Fast forward to 1976 when Mr. Eldridge gave more modern advice, listing the principles that can be applied to every construction defect situation. Then in 1989 the P.S.A. widened the scope to include specific problems, in a rather unwieldy tome called Defects in Buildings. The B.R.E.’s Building Elements series, intended to replace Eldridge, applies his principles to actual buildings, examining up to date techniques and materials. This technological approach is complimented by publications on professional practice and by case law, so putting it simply, there are three streams of writing on the subject of building defects: Science, Law and Practice. However until now there has been nothing specifically to engage or encourage busy people involved in creating or maintaining buildings, who unexpectedly find themselves involved in a defects dispute and heading towards their solicitor for advice.
Well Built? was commissioned by the RIBA to bridge this gap between practice, technology and law. The book begins with the question implicit in the title, the intricacies of which are confidently probed, illustrated and explained in a readable format using case studies, photographs and even cartoons. Distinct chapter titles guide the reader to the area they need, the three chapters on errors before, during and after construction are particularly useful.
Previous books trod the paths of the design and technological aspects of building defects. In ‘Well Built?’ the author looks at these with very experienced eyes and not a little humour, but goes further along the trail, examining the legal and financial implications of a building not being ‘Well Built.’ The legal significance of terms like ‘Damage and Remedy’ are clearly explained and the chapter on ‘Litigation and the Alternatives’ is reassuring. The role of the Expert has a chapter all to itself, this is a particular area of the author’s expertise.
Robert W. Houghton-Evans began working with buildings in his teens, accompanying his architect father and assisting in an architects’ practice in Leeds. He trained at the Architectural Association in London and worked on Milton Keynes new town and in top private practices, transferring many of his skills to the field of building defects. By the time the RIBA commissioned him to write this book Robert had become an acknowledged authority in the field.
Reviewing Well Built for the Institute of Structural Engineers, Nick Huband recommends the book as suitable for “any member of a design team whether as a recent graduate or as a more senior practitioner carrying out a forensic investigation with the prospect of litigation in mind.” Here Huband acknowledges the author’s aim to produce a book which allows any person who finds themselves involved in a building dispute to get an oversight on how to approach technical problems and understand the legal implications.
Well Built is written in clear enough language for an interested lay person to find it helpful and it could also be a useful teaching aid. In three hundred odd pages no book could give the most detailed technical or legal study of every construction problem, but ‘Well Built’ very successfully gives a handle on most. The author even future-proofs his text with the advice that, in an ever changing industry, the construction professional should never assume that what was good enough yesterday will be satisfactory tomorrow.
