These leaky buildings are most often caused by failures in E2 design where rain penetration into the building assemblies (i.e. walls and decks etc) have caused internal mould and sometimes rot and then the building becomes a ‘writeoff’ as the one in the article is. In our research and consulting we explore the potential risks with E3 (internal) moisture and may take some fraction of leaks into account but we do not provide advice on E2 moisture risk. These remain the responsibility of the Architect or Designer.
Often there is a discussion around builder quality but many times the design of the building assemblied is too fragile to be considered good practice. It is heartbreaking that we continue to see people look only at the first cost of construction as a proxy for affordability. Tearing down modern buildings due to rain leaks (E2), even just significantly rebuilding them is hugely more expensive than having done the job right from the start.
“They’re proposing to spend $1.2m on a building worth $1.2m. The only money we should be spending is to run a bulldozer over it.”
“In February, it was revealed 16 years of known leaks led to last year’s closure of the Waikanae library due to toxic mould. About 27,000 books were decontaminated but its reopening date remains unclear.”
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