Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Group 5
Group 5
GROUP FIVE
A building defect refers to a building flaw or design mistake that reduces the value of the
building, and causes a dangerous condition (Jaspal, 2022). In practice, some of the defects are
caused by the contractor (patent defects), others are caused by designers (latent defects), yet
others are caused due to normal wear and tear and lack of maintenance.
Deterioration on the other hand is a natural process which may be unavoidable although
minimised by care in design and selection of materials. A defect can lead to deterioration if its
occurrence is severe.
Refers to a divergence from the planned structural element of a building. The common
structural problems include weak foundation, cracked walls and ceilings, uneven floors among
others.
2. Non-structural defect
Refers to defects which happen to the non-structural elements of the buildings. For example,
the floor finishes, doors, windows and rainwater downpipes goods. The defects are mostly
caused by chemicals and bio- logical substances, significant temperature differences,
condensation process and small cracks.
4. Sale of Property
Whenever there is any resale of a building, a diagnostic assessment could be carried out to
know the condition of the building.
6. Post-crisis Assessment
fire or overloading can cause damage to structural members of the building which calls for a
check before any reinstatement work is done.
This is done on structural defects where an expert in diagnostic testing is necessary to carry
out tests on the members as part of the diagnostic programme then after a proper report
should be drawn up for the owner.
Principles of Diagnosis
The whole process is never a simple straightforward one. By its nature, the process is
iterative; the more unusual or complex the cause, the more will be the need to go back and
repeat some or all of the stages previously completed.
Some points worth noting include the following
• A list of the potential causes of a defect would be useful as a reference point to return
to when unexplained symptoms are found
• Diagnosis must be done step-by-step in a methodical manner.
• In reality, defects are often caused by a combination of factors and seldom by a single
factor.
• Sometimes the cost involved in determining all the possible causes of a defect may
not be justified for various reasons.
Client's Instructions
Immediately after agreement is reached, the surveyor or other investigator should follow this
up by confirming in writing all relevant and important aspects such as:
• Purpose of survey, that is, whether a structural survey, valuation, redevelopment feasibility
or any other survey is required.
• Agreed date of commencement of survey and expected date of completion.
• Statement of surveyor's intentions covering a range of relevant matters which include extent
of inspection of building; extent of opening up of structure; any limitation of liability by
surveyor; enquiries to be made to statutory authorities; and basis of calculation of
professional fees and other reimbursements.
PROCESS OF INVESTIGATION
1. Preliminaries
documentation survey during which existing information on the building structure and the
maintenance records may be obtained from design and as-built drawings, specifications,
adjacent buildings, suppliers' records, contractors' test records during construction, records of
defects and repairs, past and present usage of the building,
2. Visual inspections
This is mainly relaying on human sensory perceptions such as sight hearing touch and smell.
It is where most of the tools are used.
testing and monitoring
these tests include:
• Chemical and physical analysis of materials.
• Non-destructive and semi-destructive methods
• Destructive tests
3. Exploratory works
This results most obviously from the penetration of tree roots into masonry and beneath
foundations, and rupturing due to progressive root growth.
1. Construction deficiency
This refers to lack during the construction of the concrete structures. This brings about
defects in concrete such as honey combing, rock pockets, bug holes and sand streaks.
This is caused during construction when improper vibration occurs. This results into the
separation of the coarse aggregates and the fine aggregates from the cement paste.
This brings about a weakness in the structure of concrete set up since some part of the
structure is not defined.
2. Structural deficiency
Errors in design or improper use of the structure bring about structural deficiencies of the
concrete structures. A defect of structural cracking arises from this source.
Structural cracking.
This is caused by both dead and live load stresses, which can lead to eventual failure of the
structure. Flexure structural cracks are vertical and begin in areas of maximum tension
whereas the structural cracks are diagonal.
3. Corrosion of reinforcement
This occurs in areas where there is insufficient cover, areas of poor compaction or large
amounts of chloride present, rusting may occur. This results into stresses which cause
cracking or spalling of the overlying concrete.
Spalling.
This is the development of the fragments usually in the shape of the flakes due to the
corrosion of steel and due to freeze thaw effect. It occurs as the delaminated area completely
separates from a member.
Delamination.
It is the separating of concrete layers at or near the outermost layer of reinforcing steel. It is
caused by the expansion of corroding reinforcing steel and can lead to severe cracking.
4. Chemical attack
This occurs when aggressive liquids of damp chemicals are in contact with concrete.
Softening of the surface may result for example acidic attack. Alternatively, the concrete may
crack and spall due to sulphate attack.
Efflorescence.
5. Internal action
These are reactions that can occur between cement and substances present in the aggregates,
resulting in expansive forces with subsequent swelling and pop outs.
Swelling.
This is visible through development of irregularities (swellings) on the concrete structure.
This evidences the expansion of the internal components of the concrete.
Pop-outs.
Are the rough conical depressions in the concrete surface caused by the expansion of the
deleterious aggregate particles near the surface. These are the result of alkali silica reactions
taking place in concrete.
2. Chips
Chips can occur during the installation process or if a tile received an impact. As a rule of
thumb, tiles with chips that are 3 inches or larger should be replaced.
3. Slipping
Tiles can slip if they are water-damaged, weren’t sufficiently fastened to the roof, or if their
adhesive started to fail. This is due to high winds and storms..
4. White Stains
White stains on roof tiles, also known as efflorescence or lime bloom, are build-ups of
calcium carbonate that spontaneously emerge after water exposure. They usually wash away
after 6-12 months but indicate that a tile is old and needs to be replaced.
i) Preliminary site visit by the surveyor to ascertain the nature and extent of the survey to
be carried out on the building.
ii) Background research undertaken as part of the survey to know how the building was
constructed, the nature of soils, use the building to aid in the survey.
iii) Detailed on-site survey which involves observation, and judgment based on knowledge
from training, and experience. Competence to perform the required services, precision
to purpose, and the extent of the survey are crucial. Explicit instruction, briefing and
documentation are in this respect.
Personal safety and comfort are also an important consideration as hazards can arise when
inspecting or surveying a building.
Preparation of a detailed report.
The report is done to collect the findings obtained from the preliminary site visit. This report
comprises of the first section (completed by the building owner), and the second section
(detailed on-site survey with diagnoses and laboratory tests carried out completed by the
inspector).
After formulating a detailed report, evaluation is done basing on the extent of the defect, the
need of the building, and the expectations of the client such as low cost, high cost to complex
repair. For certain complex buildings, it is necessary to gather a team of experts to inspect,
assess, and report individual parts under a project leader.
A CASE STUDY OF THE URA TOWER
Uganda Revenue Authority registered and documented defects on its new building just three
days after its commissioning on January 19th 2019. In the letter written by the URA
Commissioner of Corporate Services who headed the project, the 22nd floor building had two
precarious design defects at the 12m gap and the atrium that required review.
The defects were evidenced through the flooding as significant amounts of water entered the
building through the atrium on floor two on the upper ground level due to the heavy rain
received on January 4th,19th and 20th 2019.
URA also rejected the main door of the tower three days after commissioning and thus ordered
its removal. The Bi-polar door also installed on the upper entrance door lacked the splendour
and impressiveness required and thus the need for its replacement. All these had to be addressed
by the contractor in a period of five days.
URA stated that the problems were to be addressed at that time where the more robust solution
was to protect the louvers from storms as the building remains energy and environmentally
friendly.
CONCLUSION
Building defects are building flaws or design faulty or side effects from natural disasters that
impact the building structure leading to reduction of a building’s life span. The defect may not
cause aesthetic issues but can danger the safety of users, the worst may cause the building
collapse or fire. Thus, it is vital to engage professional consultants to conduct Building defect
surveys in order to find the root causes and possible solutions to the defects.
REFERENCES
Barry, A. (2001). Defects and Deterioration in Buildings. (2nd ed.). Taylor & Francis E-library:
Spon press.
Lee How, S & George, C.S. (1993). Building maintenance technology. (1st ed.). Associated
companies in New York Dublin: The Macmillan Press Ltd.
Seeley, H. (1976). Building maintenance. (2nd ed.). Associated companies in New York Dublin:
The Macmillan Press Ltd.