Engineering and Technical

Structural Inspection and Condition Assessment of Buildings

A structure rarely collapses without warning; it deteriorates visibly for years while everyone who walks past it stops noticing. This course teaches how to look. Delegates work through structural forms and load paths, since an inspector who cannot trace how load reaches the ground cannot judge what a crack means. Deterioration mechanisms are covered by material: reinforcement corrosion and carbonation in concrete, corrosion and fatigue in steel, decay in timber and movement in masonry. Crack patterns are read as evidence, distinguishing settlement, thermal, shrinkage and structural distress. Inspection method follows, covering visual survey, access, recording and photography that will still be interpretable later. Testing is addressed: cover meter, rebound hammer, half cell potential, core sampling and load testing, with the limits of each. Assessment and rating of condition follow. The course closes on prioritising repair, on propping an unsafe structure and on reporting to an owner who must act.