Services
EE Forensic Engineers provides a focused spectrum of professional engineering services which revolve around our strengths and our established expertise and experience in several fields including Building Investigations; Forensic Engineering; Protection Work Assessment; and Expert Witness related services
Building Investigations
Building investigations initially commence by undertaking a thorough desktop study of the subject property, followed by an appropriately executed site inspection. Reference to design documents (e.g. architectural and engineering drawings; geotechnical reports; etc) can also be very useful.
Most building damage may be visually assessed without the need for destructive exposure of the building fabric. Therefore, in many cases all that is required is a visual inspection and assessment from normally and safely accessible areas. In some cases however, further investigations (e.g. soil testing; destructive exposure; etc) may be considered necessary and/or beneficial to the investigation.
The outcomes of the building investigation are presented in a professional report, which generally comprises the pertinent investigation findings, discussion, opinions/advice and recommendations for any rectification work and/or further investigations if/as deemed necessary.
Forensic Engineering
Forensic engineering is a specific field of engineering which adopts a scientific, evidence-based approach to investigating and identifying the most likely cause(s) of a failure. For building structures, the 'failure' often relates to excessive building movements or vibrations; damage or degradation to the building fabric, moisture ingress to internal areas; structural instability or collapse; and others.
Forensic engineering is usually practiced by senior engineers with significant experience in their respective field of expertise. Essential competencies of a Forensic Structural Engineer include experience in design and construction; a logical and structured approach to forensic investigation; and the ability to present the pertinent findings of the investigation in a professional report which may potentially be subject to technical scrutiny.
Protection Work
Building work may sometimes adversely affect adjoining properties. Owners proposing to build have obligations under the Building Act to protect adjoining property from potential damage.
If building work is close to, or adjacent to, the adjoining property boundary, protection work may be required to ensure that the adjoining property is not affected.
Protection work should not be confused with building work and is inherently different in its nature, even though protection work may be associated with building work. Protection work provides protection from damage to the adjoining property and may include under-pinning of adjoining footings; site retention systems and retaining walls; vertical and overhead protective barriers; temporary propping work; vibration monitoring; and others.
Adjoining owners which are served with a Protection Work Notice often seek suitably qualified professionals to assess and advise on the appropriateness of the proposed protection work to assist in their acceptance or rejection of the proposed work.
Expert Witness
Building disputes can often be difficult to resolve and may result in legal proceedings with multiple parties involved. Disputes may arise with regard to poor building design and detailing; poor quality building work; inadequate protection work; damage and/or performance of buildings; and others.
The role of an expert witness is to provide impartial opinion with regard to the subject building dispute, in order to assist the dispute resolution process and/or the actual legal proceedings.
An expert witness must declare their duty to the court (not to his/her client) and it is imperative that they provide ethical and impartial opinion specific to their field of knowledge and expertise.
