Faults in construction, as a result of deviations from the contract or due to a building’s deterioration, can require remedial construction activities to be undertaken which address these problems. These can range from faults such as isolated leaks or small faults in structures up to entire buildings requiring remedial works.
All constructed buildings have a lifespan in which they are guaranteed to be sound. Once this period has passed, however, all buildings reach a point where they require repairs or the replacement of old and dilapidated elements. These works range from mundane tasks such as repainting a structure to more significant works such as waterproofing a building or addressing structural element fatigue or failure.
In remedial construction engineers must undertake a thorough and comprehensive assessment of a building to determine all underlying issues before remedial action to perform rectification is undertaken; repairs undertaken before underlying issues have been identified can result in expensive mistakes that do not fix the problem.
In the case of older buildings, aside from issues of dilapidation, engineers must also take into account changed engineering standards that apply since the building was constructed which means that they do not meet current building standards. While older buildings cannot be repaired such that they retroactively meet these standards, works can be undertaken to ensure the safety of building occupants and to improve their amenity. In some cases these improvements or changes are the result of legislative requirements by various regulatory bodies.
Some of the following issues may require remedial construction to be undertaken:
• Identified areas of dilapidation
• Investigations of water leaks and water penetration issues
• Assessment of a building against current construction and safety standards
• In response to building inspection reports
• In response to orders made by local building authorities
• Remedial and upgrade works that are identified
• As a result of building condition reports
• In response to safety and construction standards
Remedial construction can also refer to works that are undertaken so that any contaminated wastes or hazardous materials are removed. This can required for new projects, existing structures or in areas adjacent to a construction. Remediation can be required for potentially hazardous items such as asbestos, PCBs, lead and so on. Due to limits on the amount of land that is available in high-density urban areas, this form of remediation is becoming more common particularly for urban soils that are contaminated from historical use.
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