Construction projects are often extremely high-cost and large-scale in their impact on the urban environment and the community in which they are situated. Sometimes, they take in excess of a year to complete. The built environment is also long-term, in that it is seen as permanent. Therefore, when there are mistakes in construction or problems arise, construction deficiency investigations are required to determine the cause.
Despite the massive costs involved in large construction projects, and despite their important nature, sometimes disasters do happen. Buildings collapse or structures partially fail. This is, of course, hazardous to their users and residents. Other issues, such as inoperative electric installations, are also sometimes encountered. At such times, the investigation into what went wrong needs to take into account some critical items.
As a matter of course, did the finalized project go through the requisite examination and approval by the local municipality? Did the municipality approve the plans in their final stage of drafting? Were the plans ever sent to the municipality? Even if they were, did the contractor stick to them in the work? Not having approval is not an issue to be taken lightly. The municipality can order that the offending structure or addition(s) be demolished if it has not been approved.
Furthermore, the building of unapproved plans, or even structures which never had plans, is illegal and can be punished by law. A fine is usually the penalty, but where the illegal work has collapsed or caused other problems, the criminal sanction might be more severe because the contractor did not seek legal permission to commence.
Building regulations are not mere administrative fine print, either. Some contractors might say that the regulations are the priority of historians who are trying to preserve local heritage, or over-concerned residents who have a specific architectural preference. This is not usually the case. Most regulations are aimed at maintaining building safety, as well as the residents' safety, and should never be ignored. This can easily put the safety of building users at an unnecessary risk.
Then there are the materials used. This is more technical issue, and not one which the layperson can properly assess. Untrained workers do not know how to choose the right materials for the job. As an example, concrete presents technical questions to the contractor. Are they using enough concrete? Are the foundations deep enough? Does the concrete need to have steel reinforcing bars? All of these factors affect the strength of the structure. Yet they are basic engineering questions that the contractor should be able to answer.
Lastly, were the workers and supervisors on the site qualified to conduct the work? The employment of unqualified workers is a possible issue. Despite the importance of experience, in any industry, the legal requirements regarding educational qualifications need to be adhered to. Where they have not been, the authorities may not take kindly to the fact that qualifications were missing.
All of these issues need to be resolved by the investigator(s), in addition to the technical questions about the disaster. Sometimes, it is obvious to all parties involved how the structure failed, but the reason behind the incorrect building work or deficient materials is what the authorities, and society at large, are more interested in.
Despite the massive costs involved in large construction projects, and despite their important nature, sometimes disasters do happen. Buildings collapse or structures partially fail. This is, of course, hazardous to their users and residents. Other issues, such as inoperative electric installations, are also sometimes encountered. At such times, the investigation into what went wrong needs to take into account some critical items.
As a matter of course, did the finalized project go through the requisite examination and approval by the local municipality? Did the municipality approve the plans in their final stage of drafting? Were the plans ever sent to the municipality? Even if they were, did the contractor stick to them in the work? Not having approval is not an issue to be taken lightly. The municipality can order that the offending structure or addition(s) be demolished if it has not been approved.
Furthermore, the building of unapproved plans, or even structures which never had plans, is illegal and can be punished by law. A fine is usually the penalty, but where the illegal work has collapsed or caused other problems, the criminal sanction might be more severe because the contractor did not seek legal permission to commence.
Building regulations are not mere administrative fine print, either. Some contractors might say that the regulations are the priority of historians who are trying to preserve local heritage, or over-concerned residents who have a specific architectural preference. This is not usually the case. Most regulations are aimed at maintaining building safety, as well as the residents' safety, and should never be ignored. This can easily put the safety of building users at an unnecessary risk.
Then there are the materials used. This is more technical issue, and not one which the layperson can properly assess. Untrained workers do not know how to choose the right materials for the job. As an example, concrete presents technical questions to the contractor. Are they using enough concrete? Are the foundations deep enough? Does the concrete need to have steel reinforcing bars? All of these factors affect the strength of the structure. Yet they are basic engineering questions that the contractor should be able to answer.
Lastly, were the workers and supervisors on the site qualified to conduct the work? The employment of unqualified workers is a possible issue. Despite the importance of experience, in any industry, the legal requirements regarding educational qualifications need to be adhered to. Where they have not been, the authorities may not take kindly to the fact that qualifications were missing.
All of these issues need to be resolved by the investigator(s), in addition to the technical questions about the disaster. Sometimes, it is obvious to all parties involved how the structure failed, but the reason behind the incorrect building work or deficient materials is what the authorities, and society at large, are more interested in.
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