Forensic investigation of building envelope defects

Generally, the primary structures of buildings perform well throughout their lifetime. However, there is still considerable expenditure on both building maintenance and the consequential damage caused by failures associated with building envelopes. This paper presents the main causal factors of building envelope defects and the forensic process used to investigate these defects. It then explores a number of case studies where forensic investigation, along with an in-depth understanding of the building envelope, its materials and the interaction of the building envelope with the supporting structure, was key in determining the cause of the underlying defects.