High Rise and Commercial Buildings need Regular Scrutiny

Archicentre West Australian Manager Maureen Letter said, "building owners and managers throughout Australia with high rise buildings and commercial premises are increasingly stepping up their inspection and maintenance of buildings for safety, insurance and asset protection's sake".

"Public safety, the cost of unexpected maintenance and the risk of potential legal action are the main issues driving the increase in inspection schedules".

"The tyranny of height is one of the major problems in getting access to inspect facades which are one of the key areas for danger as a facade failure usually results in large pieces of marble or glass falling onto pedestrian areas."

Ms Letter said major building defects on facades include staining or discolouration, sealant failures, efflorescence, rising dampness / water penetration, corrosion, buckling / deflection and tile / plaster delamination.

Common causes responsible for these facade defects can include;
a. Action of wind pressures underestimated at the design and construction stage. This can see cladding elements being affected by short duration high speed wind gusts.

b. Failure of the construction / fixing of the cladding elements.

c. Lack of durability of the fixings.

d. Failure to carry out necessary maintenance or incorrect identification of the cause of the defect resulting in more damage done.

Ms Letter said, "building facade failure does not only apply to high rise buildings but also to suburban strip centres around Australia where often the streets are lined with historic retail properties at street level, with offices or apartments above making up two and three storey buildings".

"Many of these heritage buildings can have single brick parapets which can deteriorate over time and are just as dangerous as high rise buildings because they all border heavily used pedestrian areas."

Ms Letter said, "an added complication to building maintenance was the impact of serious flooding and storms that can speed up the deterioration of older buildings".

"Major infrastructure projects such as freeways, bridges, tunnels and railways, by their very nature and use of heavy machinery, can also impact on buildings."

Archicentre, well known for house inspections also provides maintenance advice to private property managers and government agencies on buildings including military facilities, apartment towers, blocks of flats, hundreds of homes linked to freeway development, high rise buildings, factories and residential facilities.

"A common theme with all of these inspections is the condition of the facade or the exterior skin of the building as it is one of the first areas to demonstrate a problem," Ms Letter said.

www.archicentre.com.au

Media Enquiries:
Ron Smith, Corporate Media Communications, Archicentre - Mobile: 0417 329 201