Façade Defects Causes and Importance of Inspections Cycles

The building façade is a vital component of a building’s structure and can play a significant role in safety, structure stability, energy efficiency, and aesthetics. Façade issues and failures are increasingly occurring in various buildings and cities. Some of these issues have caused safety incidents with fatalities to the occupants and nonoccupants. Nonoccupant incidents occur in façades located close to the public right away. This has led multiple agencies to implement inspection programs and regulations that the property owners shall comply with to avoid safety incidents. Despite these regulations, façade failures and safety incidents remain an issue, with various root causes, which could be due to insufficient original design documents, construction procedures, loading, or structural aging. This case study will discuss possible façade defect types and locations caused by soil, foundations, temperature changes, wind, and seismic. It will also discuss how to identify defects in various areas of the structure, including bearing and nonbearing exterior walls. In addition to these findings, those should be reported in detail with priorities to ensure effective urgent procedures are in place to avoid incidents. An example of a New York façade inspection program is discussed, and the reporting procedure is discussed with a fatal case study. In 2015, falling pieces of terra cotta caused the death of a two-year-old child; this incident led city officials to adopt changes in inspection requirements and procedures. In conclusion, gaining knowledge about the causes of defects, their location, and proper inspection and reporting procedures are crucial to public safety. This benefits not only the property owner but also the public, all trades involved in new project construction, inspectors, and officials to help avoid safety incidents.