Faulty materials

Materials may give rise to building failures for three reasons:
• Inappropriate use
• Inherent faults
• Deterioration

The first of these is more likely to provide the basis for a claim for poor design than for faulty materials. The second is usually evidence of a materials failure. The third may not indicate a fault at all but, where it does, it may fall under either of the preceding categories.

Designing for Movement

One characteristic of most common building materials is that they move, both in response to directly applied loads and in sympathy with changes in ambient moisture and temperature levels. Designing for this means allowing buildings to be essentially flexible, and accommodating less flexible or brittle materials – such as glass – by suitable provision for differential movements and detailing to prevent this becoming a problem. Whilst seemingly a small issue, taking full account of this when designing fundamentally changes the way one thinks about building, especially in combination with the issue of ‘breathability’. In this, much can be learnt from traditional detailing.

Setting it in stone

Once upon a time a man built a hut. He employed no architect, hired no builder and entered into no contracts. If it worked, he was happy – if not, he fixed it.

With industrialisation construction becomes an enterprise to be procured by clients who do not themselves build and may not occupy the completed buildings. They may have to borrow to finance and, in some cases, sell projects on concepts and promises long before they are built. To fulfil their undertakings, clients draw from the building trades and professions to form project teams. These teams will be bound by contract, regulated by statute and judged by the written authorities found in ever-evolving codes and standards. This brings with it scope for misunderstanding and sometimes disputes.

Between a Rock and a Hard Plaza, a Tale of 22 Towers

A decade and a half ago I was asked to help a residents’ committee who represented the occupants of 22 high-rise blocks of shared-ownership, ‘low-cost’ housing recently built on land reclaimed from the Mediterranean.

The Rise and fall of The Cavity Wall - A 20th Century Phenomenon

In spite of pioneering Modern Movement enthusiasm for pre-cast panels and lightweight frame construction, most housing in Britain is still built with bricks and blocks. The only significant change throughout the last hundred years, has been the widespread adoption of the cavity wall.