This episode explores how building defects have emerged throughout history due to construction methods, material choices, and evolving building use. It highlights how structural engineers must consider long-term durability and adaptability when designing buildings.

Key points include:

• Recurring defects: Construction methods often repeat past mistakes, such as timber posts rotting when embedded in the ground, a lesson ignored from the Iron Age to modern retaining walls.
• Changing building use: Modifications over time, such as adding floors to medieval timber-framed homes or sealing traditional buildings with cement render, often create new structural issues.
• Mathematical analysis: The episode discusses how early engineering calculations, such as those used to stabilise cracks in St. Peter’s Basilica, laid the foundation for modern structural assessments.
• Industrial Revolution impact: The shift from timber-framed to brick structures introduced defects, including embedded timber elements within brick walls, leading to decay and instability.

Ultimately, the episode underscores the importance of understanding historical defects to prevent future structural failures.

Delivered by GC Robertson (GCR) www.gcrobertson.co.uk

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