How about 209 different ways?\u00a0 A lot to say the least.\u00a0 Some result in catastrophic collapse of\u00a0a building.\u00a0 Others result in inadequate performance of different components of\u00a0a building.<\/p>\n
And they’re all known\u00a0and understood by engineers, and all have\u00a0been categorized and tabulated in considerable detail.\u00a0 (Ref. 1)<\/p>\n
(Note:<\/strong> This blog\u00a0comments on\u00a0a good, easy-to-read, reference\u00a0book for civil litigators and insurance claims personnel.\u00a0 One that is easy to obtain as an interlibrary loan from Memorial University, NFLD.\u00a0 It will help you understand the technical issues in your cases and claims)<\/em><\/p>\n These different ways of failing\u00a0can all be prevented with adequate planning, design, construction, and maintenance of a building.\u00a0 One definition of engineering design might be the following:\u00a0–\u00a0‘Identify all the ways a building or structure can fail, then address each and make sure it doesn’t’.<\/p>\n Easy to understand<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The different ways of failing\u00a0can be fairly easily understood by civil litigation lawyers, claims managers and consultants, and property owners.\u00a0 Knowing this should make your work easier –\u00a0in understanding an expert’s report and discussing the technical issues and findings with him.<\/p>\n A very good, reference book<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n David Nicastro, in his book, ‘Failure Mechanisms in Building Construction’<\/em>, has cataloged all 209\u00a0different ways a building can fail, and\u00a0then gone on to\u00a0tabulate and cross reference them.\u00a0 This is all done in\u00a0quite readable\u00a0text.\u00a0 (For Failure Mechanisms<\/em>, read, the technical cause of failure –<\/em>\u00a0it’s easier)<\/p>\n I came across his book while researching the literature on a case I’m investigating\u00a0now.<\/p>\n The detailed tabulation lists each cause alphabetically down the page then – across the page –\u00a0notes the building material affected\u00a0and how each shows up – manifests itself in the building material.<\/p>\n Finally,\u00a0reference is given to a\u00a0case history elsewhere in the book\u00a0illustrating many of the different ways of failing.\u00a0 There is even a glossary of forensic engineering terms to assist understanding the technical cause further.<\/p>\n An example\u00a0of how the book can be used<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n (The item in red<\/span> is one of the 209 ways a building can fail – selected from\u00a0the alphabetical\u00a0list\u00a0down the page.\u00a0 The items in blue<\/span> – column headings\u00a0across the page –\u00a0note the distress in the building when the failure occurs, the materials affected, and one or more\u00a0typical\u00a0case histories)<\/p>\n For example<\/strong>,\u00a0a client’s structure experiences:<\/p>\n Another example<\/strong>, a client’s structure experiences:<\/p>\n Your eyes will not glaze over reviewing this cataloging then the tabulation.\u00a0 You will\u00a0feel good\u00a0at such readily available and easily understood technical data next time you have litigation involving a building failure.<\/p>\n A finishing touch –\u00a0a good bibliography with sections on civil litigation and ADR\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n A finishing touch – if you want additional information, is an annotated bibliography of forensic engineering that\u00a0includes a separate\u00a0reference to\u00a0most of the 209 different ways a building can fail.<\/p>\n The bibliography\u00a0is arranged in four categories,\u00a0two of which, in addition to covering the above references,\u00a0is a little closer to\u00a0the basic interests\u00a0of counsel and insurance claims personnel, albeit with a technical bent:<\/p>\n Book based on decades of engineering experience<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n David Nicastro’s text is a good\u00a0reference\u00a0and a big help to all of us who must deal with the failure of a building.\u00a0\u00a0It’s based on Mr. Nicastro and his co-author’s decades of experience investigating the cause of building failures.\u00a0 It’s been well\u00a0researched, and it’s published by a well respected civil engineering association.\u00a0 ASCE has been serving civil engineers and the public in North American since the mid 1,800s – about 160 years.\u00a0 They publish good material.<\/p>\n This listing and categorizing makes me think…<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This listing and categorizing for buildings makes me think\u00a0that similarly exhaustive lists could be prepared for the many ways that each of the different civil engineering structures could fail.\u00a0 There’s a quite broad categorizing in a couple of texts but not to the same exhaustive detail\u00a0as\u00a0in Nicastro’s book.\u00a0 (Ref. 2 and 3)\u00a0 This, possibly, because there are many more buildings in the world than civil engineering structures like bridges, dams, roads, retaining walls, wharves, and\u00a0causeways.<\/p>\n I will refer my clients to Mr. Nicastro’s book in future.<\/p>\n Reference<\/strong><\/p>\n How about 209 different ways?\u00a0 A lot to say the least.\u00a0 Some result in catastrophic collapse of\u00a0a building.\u00a0 Others result in inadequate performance of different components of\u00a0a building. And they’re all known\u00a0and understood by engineers, and all have\u00a0been categorized and … Continue reading \n
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