Building diagnostic techniques and building diagnosis: The way forward

Abstract

As buildings become old, their structural conditions deteriorate, causing concerns of irreparable damage and structural safety. To address these concerns of aged buildings, regular inspection and condition assessment for the purpose of building diagnosis are required. The inspection may consist of visual inspection, crack mapping, deflection measurement, settlement measurement, and observations of signs of water leakage and steel corrosion, whereas the condition assessment generally comprises of taking samples for materials testing, in situ measurement of temperature, moisture, half-cell electrical potential, vibration and delamination, and occasionally even continuous monitoring. However, in Hong Kong, not all of the test and measurement methods are accredited and often different laboratories/ personnel follow different practices. Finally, building diagnosis has to be performed to make a judgment on the overall structural condition in terms of expected residual life and the repair needed. This requires good knowledge of structural engineering, materials and testing. Hence, building diagnosticians should be recognised as professionals of a special discipline, but this is not happening yet.