BUILDING DEFECT

BGN214
(Building Construction III)
Overview
▪ Introduction
▪ Causes of Building Defects
▪ Types of Building Defects
▪ Contribution Factors to Building
Defects
Building Defects
• Webster’s Dictionary – lack of
something necessary for
completeness; shortcoming.
• Or imperfection; fault; blemish.
• Deficiency – state or quality of
being deficient or a shortage;
deficit. Lacking in some quality
necessary for completeness.
• Defect – nonconformity of a
component with a standard of
specified characteristic
 Causes Of Building Defects
Building defects can be the result of:
1. design error by the architect
2. a manufacturing flaw
3. defective materials (poor quality)
4. improper use or installation of
materials
5. lack of adherence to the design by
the contractor (Poor workmanship)
6. Neglect / poor maintenance
7. Age and weathering, climate effect
• or any combination of them.
 Types Of Building Defects
• structural defects resulting in cracks or collapse;
• defective or faulty electrical wiring and/or lighting;
• defective or faulty plumbing;
• inadequate or faulty drainage systems;
• inadequate or faulty ventilation, cooling or heating systems;
• inadequate insulation or sound proofing
• inadequate fire protection/suppression systems.
• Additionally, dry rot, wood rot, mold, fungus, or termite or
vermin infestation may also be the result of a building defect.
• A building defect may also include damage caused by land
movement or earth settlement.
 Types Of Building Defects
• construction problem is the result of improper design,
material, or workmanship.
 Structural Defects
• Structural defects are defects which happen to the
structure of the buildings, such as columns, beams, walls,
roofs, floors and foundations. This type of defects happens
due to building settlement, deformation, serious cracking
and bowing of the buildings.

Non-Structural Defects
• Non-structural defects are defects which happen to the non-
structural elements of the buildings. For example, the façade,
floor finishes, doors, windows and rainwater downpipes goods.
The defects are mostly caused by chemicals and biological
substances, significant temperature differences, condensation
process and small cracks.
 Contribution Factors to Building
Defects
• Climatic Conditions
• Location of Building
• Construction Materials
• Building Type and Change in Use
• Maintenance of Building
• Faulty Design
• Faulty Construction
• Lack of Supervision
 Climatic Conditions
• Climatic conditions (Weathering) have great effect to building
materials.
• Buildings in this country tend to weather rapidly, particularly
the external building materials which are exposed to external
causes such as rain, wind, solar radiation including ultra-violet
light; and atmospheric pollution.
• E.g. Fungal stain, algae or harmful growth, peeling paint,
erosion of mortar joints and defective plastered rendering.
Effect on timber:
• Excessive moisture will lead to rotting, growth of mold and
mildew,
• Exposure to sunlight – warping, discoloration,
Prevention:
• Moisture control – better drainage around the building, better
ventilation system, protection layers

Effect on concrete:
• Disintegration, cracks, discoloration, erosion, corrosion of
reinforcement bar.
Prevention:
• Suitable concrete grade, suitable concrete cover,
workmanship, surface treatment or finishes
 Location of Building
• Buildings that are located near the sea or rivers tend to have
common building defects.
• This is because the water coming from the ground causes
dampness penetration and structural instability.
• In addition, soluble salt which comes from sea and together
with the presence of a polluted atmosphere can cause
damage to the exterior surface of the buildings.
Salt damage to buildings

Weathering effect (moss) to stone /

rock
 Construction Materials
• In managing the building materials, understanding the nature
of these materials is important
• Architects, contractors, engineers and those involved in
building management should be familiar with the building
materials in common use and have deeper understanding into
the proper techniques of preservation of the materials and
structures.
• Proper material handling and storage is important to ensure
the quality of these materials
Concrete degradation

Concrete Honey comb

 Building Type and Change in Use
• Changes of usage and spaces of a building will have some
effect on the existing structure.
• Buildings were built to only hold certain loads and sometimes
may not withstand additional loads.
• Buildings converted into either commercial or office purposes
will need additional services component (air-conditioning
systems).
• In certain cases the air-conditioning units were placed
improperly. This not only affects the appearance of the
buildings but intervenes with the existing fabric, particularly
when ducts are running in full view on the ceiling.
 Maintenance of Building
• Has role in preventing building defects, securing the general
structural stability and life of a building. To ensure that they
can function / perform as efficiently and effectively as
possible.
• Inspections should be carried out to check for any signs of
abnormal deterioration, main structural elements including
foundations, walls and roofs and other common building
problems.
• Lack of maintenance could lead to future financial burdens,
pose legal and other industrial relations issues and affect the
building performance.
 M&E maintenance work

Building crack

Building maintenance
work
 Faulty Design
• Design error is often made either by the designers, architects
or engineers, usually in an effort to save initial construction
costs. E.g. reducing the size of columns, reinforcement bars,
grade of concrete and foundations.
• Will lead to uncertainty situation where the structure cannot
withstand the load and finally fails.
• Faulty design could also a result of misjudgment, leading to
assumptions or decisions that are not consistent with the
actual behavior of the structure.
 Faulty Construction
• Could cause building collapse and also the main causes for
building defects and failure cases.
• The contractors tend to use lower grades materials, concrete,
and method that are not according to the drawings and
specification.
 Lack of Supervision
• Inadequate supervision is believed to be one of the major
causes of defect and rework.
• Experienced and well-trained supervisors have an important
role in minimizing construction defects.
• The performance of supervisors depends on skilled
communication with individual workers, and planning and
directing the work.