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BUILDING DIAGNOSIS CENTRE are multi disciplined experts, give advice to strata and commercial property owners on building corrosion from the northern beaches peninsula to Sydney Harbour and through to the eastern suburbs’ beaches. |
RECENT PROJECTS, EXPERT WITNESS CONSULTANCY, CASE STUDIES AND EXCELLENCE AWARDS
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The Building Diagnosis Centre has been privileged to serve many thousands of clients over our 30 years of operation. This section contains details on some of our recent works.
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Robert Speirs-Ferrari as the project director consultant has given some diversifying examples of recent commissions applying his 30 years of academic studies, practical experience, constructing, designing, project management and giving opinions as an expert witness relating to issues of contract agreements, design and building. The examples shown stem from his consulting team operating in his own companies that now consist of:
- Building Diagnosis Centre
- Ferrari Building Designs
- Asbestos Fibro Building Audits Consultants
- Accessibility Consultants Access & Egress
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DISPUTE AND EXPERT WITNESS - a 10 year water penetration issue |
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“Balmain Corroding Units (built 1995 within an original cinema theatre)”
After other building experts and legal people failed to prove sufficient evidence of faulty workmanship and materials, the Building Diagnosis Centre investigations over a one-year period, worked closely with the owners and their solicitors to win a 10-year water penetration problem. Problems were first discovered on the purchase of the apartments and continued to cause severe corrosion to brick walls, hot-dipped galvanised steel lintels (over windows and doors). This inflicted extensive wall cracking causing financial burden and suffering to certain owners that needed to replace expensive decorations - read more details below |
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CONSULTING DESIGNER - materials capabilities and durability |
“New Parramatta Bridge (built 2000) - The results of the best design team"
With high credentials of corrosion control and long durability construction, Robert Speirs-Ferrari in the capacity as Consulting Building Designer was appointed to closely work with the design team that comprised of two groups.
Robert provided advices in Materials Selection and Capabilities, Protective Coating Types and Long Term Suitability for endurance of the bridge. Also for lighting concealment design inside the "Top-Hat" stainless steel curved rail capping to the full length mild steel balustrade - read more details below
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DESIGN AND CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION - asbestos roof replacement heritage and local council approved
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“Manly Sandstone Corrosion & Asbestos Church Roof Replacement (works 2005) Mary Immaculate & Saint Athanasius Catholic Church”
Heritage Manly Church structure had protective coatings applied in the late 1990s but water and sand particles still seeped through the corroding asbestos roof sheeting and corroding sandstone massive thick gable walls. Building Diagnosis Centre provided structural investigations to the timber roof trusses and massive walls, produced construction drawings, obtained Manly Council and Heritage Council approvals under DA/CC. Produced a specification and building contract, recommended the builder and project managed the 3-week works during the school holiday period. Robert Speirs-Ferrari certified the works during and on construction for a successful ending.
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CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION - spalling concrete cancer balconies
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“Manly Corroding Units: (built 1966) Concrete Corrosion to Balconies, Walls & Lintels (works 2003/4)”
Dilapidation conditions report was issued by the Building Diagnosis Centre and recommended a licensed builder for physical destructive exploratory to jackhammer 400mm off all sides of balconies once brick and corroding steel balustrades were removed under Robert Spiers-Ferrari project management. Robert generated a detailed specification / contract agreement for rectifications of spalling concrete, corroding structural steel columns, balcony waterproofing membranes and tiling, new glass aluminium balustrades, new hot-dipped galvanised steel lintels, repair corroding and cracked brick walls, corroded roof drainage pipes, corroding garage steel doors, repairs to windows and repainting.
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DESIGN AND CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION - water penetration through concrete terrace, balconies and walls
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“Neutral Bay Units: (built 1998) (rectification works 2006 - 2009) - balconies and terraces water penetration, waterproofing membranes, wall cracking”
Initial investigations in 2006 revealed rainwater was penetrating through the base of walls adjacent to large terrace areas and planter boxes. The conclusions of the Building Diagnosis Centre findings throughout the full project management investigations, was the planter box membranes were sound and the base of the walls and beneath the balcony sliding doors were allowing water penetration including through the concrete slab terrace roofs. With the heavy rain that Sydney was experiencing between 2006 – 2009, it tested the soundness of the 1998 built apartments that eventually resulted in all of the apartments suffering or contributing to building faults with rain water penetration. The remedial building works have entailed removing portions of the terracotta quarry tiles from the terraces, installing new cavity wall flashings at the base of the building walls, and installing new waterproofing membranes. This building has not suffered from spalling concrete cancer although superficial cracking in the walls have occurred due to the original building contractors did not install vertical expansion joints to control future movements and cracking. |
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FURTHER DETAILS OF THE ABOVE CASE - Balmain corroding units (built 1995) - expert witness case
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A recent successful case study of Robert Speirs-Ferrari took
special investigative skills to win compared to other consultants unable to produce the evidence to win the difficult building dispute. |
The Balmain Converted Unit Building
4-storey 23 strata unit complex situated at Balmain completed December 1995.
Experts Failed To Prove Case
During many attempts over a 9-year duration period, widely known respected building experts and solicitors, engaged by the Owners Corporation, make unsuccessful attempts to convince the unit builders including their solicitors, the Department of Fair Trading, Consumers Trader and Tenancy Tribunal NSW, of the faulty construction works / materials and poor supervision by the strata unit builders.
Time Period Of Issues
The faulty construction was first discovered upon completion whereby purchases were complaining of the strata units suffering faults relating to water penetration, material deterioration and wall cracking that continued to develop over a period of 10 years (2006).
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The Faults
Faults include water penetration through walls, roof, around windows and doors, through faulty and omitted flashings and waterproof membranes, inappropriate membranes, corrosion of the steel window lintels and mortar, faulty materials that included massive privacy screens and waterproof membrane wall coatings, extensive wall cracking, poor and faulty brick laying practices.
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Ferrari's Involvement
The 10th year (2005) the Owners Corporation and their solicitor's engaged Robert Speirs-Ferrari director of Building Diagnosis Centre Pty Ltd (referred by a previous client). Ferrari studied and investigated the strata building. He provided physical investigations into the walls and basement, abseiled over the steep pitched roof, interviewed all owners and occupiers of the building. He requested and received from the instructing solicitors who are experts in building matters, two large boxes of files that he perused before producing his extensive reports that included photographic evidence of all the defects and the building.
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Research Files
Ferrari perused the two boxes of files that included all of the architectural and engineering drawings and specifications, building contract agreement, builders’ tenders, builders’ variations during the construction period, the quantity surveyors reports provided during the construction, reports by architects and engineers, earthquake and underpinning specifications, numerous specialists consultants’ specifications and correspondence, Council approvals and correspondence. The litigation files over the 9-years of reports issued by the widely known respected building experts and solicitors, those also by the unit builders and their solicitor's including those from the Office Of Fair Trading and their internal reporting. |
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Ferrari's Reports
Produced extensive reports that included photographic evidence of all the defects and the building (in all consisted of about a few hundred pages). |
The Main Experts
- For the Owners - Ferrari represented the Appellants’ case being for the Owners Corporation.
- For the Insurance Identity - M. Marrosszeky, Professor of Engineering Construction and Innovation, (University of New South Wales) and Director of Block Development Pty Ltd represented the Respondent’s case being for the Fair Trading Administration Corporation.
Tribunal Hearing
Both experts gave oral evidence and submissions of their expert reports and had cross-examination by the opponent’s barristers.
Tribunal Findings and Order
Robert Speirs-Ferrari evidence was fully accepted over that of Professor M. Marrosszeky. The subject Owners Corporation are now awaiting quantum which is expected to be around $1 million payout.
Reference to the case and the fall findings of the court
Owners Strata Plan 51499 v Fair Trading Administration Corporation (Home Building) [2005] NSWCTTT 739 (23 November 2005). The full report of the findings and order can be perused at the website of the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal of New South Wales Home Building Division here:
Owners Strata Plan 51499 v Fair Trading Administration Corporation
(Home Building) [2005] NSWCTTT 739 (23 November 2005)
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EXCELLENCE AWARDS - New Parramatta bridge (built 2000) New Parramatta Bridge year 2000 "The results of the best design team"
Parramatta City Council commissioned a design team for Elizabeth Street Footbridge over Parramatta River.
Robert Speirs-Ferrari in the capacity as Consulting Building Designer trading as Ferrrai Designs of the Building Diagnosis Centre was appointed to closely work with the design team that comprised of two groups.
Susan Milen & Greg Stonehouse Artists widely known for their creative Public & Commercial Commissions were the first group that had to produce a spectacular masterpiece of work as a focal point for the City of Parramatta Council. The masterpiece is a unique balustrade design over the full length of the bridge that can be interpreted as a ‘bird in flight’ and ‘moving rowers paddles’ representing a movement design for the steel and stainless steel balustrade.
Connell Wagner Consulting Engineers (engineer Boyne Schmidt) widely known for their bridge building infrastructure and large building developments were the other main group that designed the new concrete bridge structure.
Robert Speirs-Ferrari provided advices in Materials Selection and Capabilities and Long Term Suitability for endurance to the bridge. Also for lighting concealed inside the "Top-Hat" stainless steel curved rail capping extending the full length of the mild steel balustrade. The artists’ spot lighting design highlights the spectacular colours bringing to life the astonishing steel shapes over the landscape and Parramatta River at night.
Parramatta City Council and engineers, project managed the structure whilst the Artists Susan Milen & Greg Stonehouse project managed the balustrade construction, lighting and colour process till completion.
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