“Quantity Surveying BSc – Defective Work Scenario 1. A project comprises 100 dwellings, ie. houses, maisonettes and flats. Part way through the project an in-situ concrete balcony falls from one of the completed buildings. Upon inspection it becomes apparent that the balcony did not comply with the contract documents, there was insufficient reinforcement and it had not been tied back to the structure as required. The contractor maintains that this ‘accident’ was an unfortunate one-off error, but the architect is still obviously concerned about the concrete balconies that have already been installed on 59 of the completed buildings. Advise the architect as to what action he should take, and what the implications may be for both the contractor and employer.”

Defective work is something that is all too familiar to those involved in the construction industry. Defective work costs the construction industry over 1 Billion per year. One of the most important roles that the contract administer has is quality control of the project. In the scenario above there is a clear defect in at least one of the properties resulting in the collapse of one of the in-situ concrete balconies. The contractor maintains that this ‘accident’ was an unfortunate one-off event, but the architect is still rightly concerned about the concrete balconies that have already been installed on 59 of the completed buildings. We will look into the powers available to the architect to oversee and monitor the quality of the works and come to a conclusion on what action the architect should take, and what the implications may be for both the contractor and employer….(short extract)