A joint Deakin / Griffith University study, ‘An Examination of Building Defects in Residential Multi Owned Properties’, was coincidentally launched within days of the Opal Tower building evacuation on Christmas eve, 2018. It provided an academic foundation to the intense public and regulatory debate that ensued about the strata building defect crisis.

The study examined 212 building defects reports and 3227 defects in buildings located in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. For the first time, defects were classified and analysed across 13 construction systems that make up a modern high-rise building. This enabled the researchers to look more deeply at defective buildings and to examine the number of different types of defects across different parts of a building.

The 5 most prevalent building defects were found to be these –

1 Building fabric and cladding systems

• Masonry cracking,efflorescence, lack of control joints.
• Lightweight cladding (walls and ceilings) cracking, water penetration, mould

2 Fire protection systems

• Fire penetrations seals missing fire collars, inadequate or compromised fire separation

3 Waterproofing systems

• Membranes to balconies not properly applied and not upturned
• Paint blistering and incomplete

4 Roof and rainwater disposal system

• Roof cladding defective installation of roof sheeting and flashings
• Guttering not installed properly

5 Structural

• Slab cracking,inadequate grading, excessive movement

Some interesting statistics from the study that demonstrate the extent and complexity of high-rise building defects came from the study:

• Average number of the 13 constructions systems within a building affected by defects = 5.94
• Average number of defects identified in each building = 14.43
• Buildings with a least 1 defect across multiple locations = 85%

Lead researcher for the study, Dr. Nicole Johnston said potential impacts of owners and residents was most concerning – including health and financial impacts – as well as volunteer committee members who had the stress of dealing with the rectification of defects. She also identified health issues arising form mould due to the extent of water penetration as an emerging issue for the industry.

A further study of defects is presently underway and is being conducted by City Futures, UNSW.