Defects And Deterioration In Buildings

A professional reference designed to assist surveyors, engineers, architects and contractors in diagnosing existing problems and avoiding them in new buildings. Fully revised and updated, this edition, in new clearer format, covers developments in building defects, and problems such as sick building syndrome. Well liked for its mixture of theory and practice the new edition will complement Hinks and Cook's student textbook on defects at the practitioner level.

A professional reference designed to assist surveyors, engineers, architects and contractors in diagnosing existing problems and avoiding them in new buildings. Fully revised and updated, this edition, in new clearer format, covers developments in building defects, and problems such as sick building syndrome. Well liked for its mixture of theory and practice the new edition will complement Hinks and Cook's student textbook on defects at the practitioner level.

The Technology of Building Defects has been developed to provide a unique review of the subject. Defects are considered as part of the whole building rather than in isolation. General educational objectives are set out which offer the reader the opportunity of self-assessment. Each section is generously illustrated with photographs and diagrams, forming an accessible self contained review covering the following: objectives; core information; exercises; revision notes; further reading. Taken together these sections build up to offer the reader an understanding of a range of technical topics concerned with building defects. This core text can be used for direct lecture material, seminar and tutorial information, assignment work and revision notes. It is a convenient one stop resource which dispenses with the need to consult a mass of different information sources.

This book presents the results of a novel investigation into building deterioration and defects in Malaysia’s public schools. It sets forth an in-depth theoretical and empirical underpinning the maintenance management of public schools with the view to develop a building deterioration prediction model of building condition based on factors contributing to building defects for school buildings. The approach adopted is mixed method encompassing archived documentation, questionnaire survey and interview of sampled schools in Malaysia. It presents a number of useful tables, graphs and statistical analysis which are useful in understanding the factors contributing to building defects under reference. The prediction model assists the decision making of maintenance management to be more efficient with comprehensive budgeting as well as optimal maintenance and repair work. The book is of relevance to school managers, maintenance management practitioners and academics towards measuring and improving the building condition in schools.

This third edition of Bill Ransom's classic short textbook provides a solid introduction to the study of defects in buildings and, in consequence, to good practice in conservation and repair. Building failures continue to occur despite continuing experience and growing knowledge in the industry; they may even be on the increase due to cost-cutting measures, the inadequate testing of innovative products and techniques, a lack of maintenance, and user abuse and misuse. New material includes an outline of the principles of building pathology; new sections on deterioration mechanisms, service life prediction and dampness investigation. Complete with a handy glossary and bibliography, practitioners and students will find this an excellent source of guidance and information for investigating and avoiding building failures.

A collection of up-to-date information on diagnosis of defects in buildings, this is a revision of the previous PSA publication Common Defects in Buildings and looks at the causes of deterioration, durability of materials and the principles of diagnosis and investigation techniques.

Professionals concerned with the built environment are all too often confronted with cases where building materials have failed prematurely. The information required for the understanding of the causes of such failures, or for the appropriate remedial action is available in a number of texts, however it is generally buried under a mass of other information.

Building defects still continue to plague the construction industry. The lessons learned over the last forty years have not been fully applied. Many new or refurbished buildings still leak or crack. Lack of awareness by designers and installers as to the main mechanisms that trigger such failures remains a problem for the industry. Investigating and rectifying building failures form a major part of building surveyors’ bread and butter work. This book provides guidance on this work for typical residential, commercial and industrial buildings – with advice on how to diagnose a wide range of defects with an emphasis on evidence based practice throughout. It considers both modern and older construction methods, together with new and traditional materials. The particular problems of alteration and renovation work are also discussed. The first four chapters provide information and guidance on the methodology for investigating failures – how to prepare for and conduct an investigation into a building defect and subsequently diagnose its cause in a logical manner. This fourth edition has been updated and expanded to cover the latest diagnostic procedures and research. It also includes Appendices and a new Bibliography, and provides an extensive list of books on building pathology and related topics in the UK and North America. It is essential reading for all students and practitioners interested in building surveying and building conservation.