Briefing: How can forensic engineering help improve future practice?

The construction industry is in a turbulent period. There are the uncertainties linked with the economic crisis that has affected many parts of the world over the last couple of years, with associated demands to do more for less. It is also facing profound challenges to meet desired improvements in the standards of performance of new and existing buildings in response to the goal of reducing environmental impacts, in particular their embodied and operational carbon dioxide footprints, adaptation for climate change and a package of related issues. The expectation is that the industry will have to significantly improve its performance during the construction phase and that the buildings it produces will have to perform substantially better, particularly with respect to the building envelope and its services. For example, the requirement for design solutions that are appreciably more highly optimised than those historically or currently produced is likely to introduce new risks, different problems and possibly new forms of performance inadequacy. In addition, the changes also need to take place very fast, with considerable change being required within the coming decade. This paper discusses how forensic engineering can help the construction industry respond successfully to these contemporary challenges and avoid, or at least minimise, potential pitfalls.