A brief introduction to recognising wood rot

Dry wood is a naturally durable material which is resistant to most biological attacks. However, when the moisture content of the wood increases, and the damp conditions are prolonged the wood becomes vulnerable to attack.

Damp wood (above 20% moisture content) becomes a perfect habitat for wood-rotting fungi, which obtain their food by breaking down wood cells and in turn causing loss of strength of the wood.

Provided a building has a great design, good workmanship and the buildings maintenance is planned then preventing wood rotting fungi should not be an issue. However, in contrast, for many reasons, there are scenarios where an outbreak of wood rotting fungi are present and the following can help provide light on which type of wood-rotting fungi is present following undertaking immediate remedial measures to eliminate the source of dampness.

There are two types of wood rots: brown and white.

Brown rots – changes the colour of the wood to a darker colour and causes cracking across the grain of the wood. Very decayed wood when dry will crumble to dust.

White rots – the wood will become lighter and fibrous cause the wood to become lighter in colour and stringy in texture without any cross cracking.

All brown and white rots are collectively referred to as wet rots, with exception to one brown rot which is commonly referred to as dry rot (serpula lacrymans)

Whilst it is not really necessary to know all of the many species of wet rot, due to them having the same remedial measures. It is important to know the difference between the wet rots and the brown rot (dry rot)

The dry rot fungus has the incredible ability to spread far behind plaster and through wall materials such as brick. Effective remedial treatment can sometimes be much more expensive than wet rots.

 

Identifying fungal growths in buildings	Dry Rot –
Fruit-bodies	Yellow (young) or rusty redwith grey edges (mature), then darkening with age. Plate or bracket shape. Mature surface has shallow pores or folds.
Strands	White to grey. Up to8 mm diameter. Brittle when dry.
Mycelium	White or grey sheetswith yellow or lilac tinges. Tears in the direction of Growth. (text sourced from RECOGNISING WOOD ROT AND INSECT DAMAGE IN BUILDINGS 2010)

 

If you require our assistance with timber decay, its recognition and remedial please get in touch and we will be able to advise further.

 

DISCLAIMER: This article is for general information only and not intended as advice. Each project has its own set of unique circumstances, all potential issues should be investigated by a surveyor on a case by case basis before making any decision.

A number of small scale projects utilising low impact development practices have been successfully implemented throughout the UK. With a recognised housing crisis in the UK and the need to tackle the impact of global warming, applied on a larger scale, these methods could form part of a national solution.
Fairlie (1996, p.xiii) states “a low impact development is one that, through its low negative environmental impact, either enhances or does not significantly diminish environmental quality” and The Baker Associates report (2004) includes within its definition “the use of building materials which are reused and/or locally derived”.
Historically the most significant obstacle to low impact development has been the difficulty in obtaining planning permission. The Welsh government have integrated low impact development into the planning system and the first large scale project (9 dwellings) was approved in 2009. Due to their approved legal status this was one of the first times that low impact development and the requirements of the building regulations system had come into direct contact. A dispute arose between a number of developer/residents and the local council building control department. This resulted in the council taking legal action against a number of residents for non-compliance with the building regulations.
This disagreement was investigated (McIver, 2014) in an attempt to find the root causes of the dispute. “It was concluded that the dispute predominantly arose not only due to a lack of appropriate knowledge and experience amongst Lammas residents and the council but also due to the fundamentally different approaches adopted by these parties. The research showed that it was the approach both parties took to the application of the Building Regulations which gave rise to the conflict rather than any fundamental schism between low impact construction techniques and the Building Regulations” (McIver, 2014, p.i).
This conclusion indicated that properly managed and with good communication between the parties, compliance with building regulation should not hinder future low impact development. To facilitate the smooth running of future developments it was recommended that low impact developers work along building regulations professionals to provide documented methods that have been implemented and approved under the building regulations. Effectively an ‘approved document’ that building regulations inspectors can refer to with confidence when assessing methods of compliance that are unfamiliar to them.

The full report together with other relevant material can be found at http://lammas.org.uk/research/
References
Baker Associates (2006) Low Impact Development – Further Research. [internet]. Baker Associates, Bristol. Available from < http://lammas.org.uk/research/ > [Accessed 02 August 2016].
Fairlie, S. (1996) Low Impact Development, Planning and People in a Sustainable Countryside. Jon Carpenter, Charlbury.

 

DISCLAIMER: This article is for general information only and not intended as advice. Each project has its own set of unique circumstances, all potential issues should be investigated by a surveyor on a case by case basis before making any decision.

There is a clear issue with inspiring a new, more diverse generation of youngster into becoming building surveyors. The issue was raised at this year’s annual Building Surveying Conference with a number of senior surveyors crying out for more to be done to promote the profession.

As a recent Graduate Building Surveyor I am new to the profession and to be honest fell into the profession by chance. Until I turned up at Northumbria Universities open day I didn’t have a clue about what a Building Surveyor does on a day to day basis or the skills required to perform the job affectively. I believe this is the case with many people, not fully understanding what a Building Surveyor has to offer. This makes you think what are we doing incorrectly in terms of promoting the industry and what can be done to improve people’s knowledge?

One option, certainly not the only, is to do more at “grass roots” (pardon the football pun) level to entice the young in becoming Building Surveyors and choosing property related degrees. To achieve this the RICS has to create more initiatives to get local surveying firms into schools and to take on more apprentices or work experience placements. That said it’s not all down to the RICS and I understand schemes are currently in place but, we as Building Surveyors need to ensure we commit to promoting the industry and offer our time to help educate school pupils and make them become more interested in the profession. This in turn should help to reduce the skills shortage in the industry by improving surveyor related university degree enrolments.

As part of the inclusivity award recently granted to Bradley-Mason LLP we are committed to promoting our profession within the local community by going in to schools and colleges and attempting to inspire young people to consider a career as a Building Surveyor

Hopefully by educating young people and promoting our profession, we can teach people about what this career has to offer and the job satisfaction and rewards of becoming a Building Surveyor.

Brenden Shildrick

 

DISCLAIMER: This article is for general information only and not intended as advice. Each project has its own set of unique circumstances, all potential issues should be investigated by a surveyor on a case by case basis before making any decision.

Facilities Management (FM) has long suffered from an acute identity crisis (Tay & Ooi, 2001). The profession is considered by some individuals as having no strategic orientation encompassing middle aged men with no professional qualifications (Eltringham, 1999; Nourse, 1990).  It is believed to have taken until 1980 to gain a stronger presence within the construction industry, FM is still cited to be a relatively new developing discipline across the world (Atkin & Brooks, 2009; Barker, 2013; Ventovori, et al., 2007; Alexander, 2003).

The origin of FM is often speculated among academics, with Bröchner (2010) believing that the earliest account of the FM can be seen within the Roman times. Historian Frier revealed whilst studying preserved letters of Cicero that there is evidence to support the Roman link, as agents were used to manage the Roman Empire (1978, cited in Bröchner, 2010).   Jensen (2008) however argues that the claims do not directly relate to the constitution of modern corporate FM.

It is believed by some academics that FM’s closest link is to that of Fredrick Taylor’s Scientific Management in the 1900s, with the eras increased focus on office administration (Then & Akhlaghi, 1992; Duffy, 2000). Though Alexander (2003) considers the formation was popular during the 1980’s, a period that incorporated computers in the workplace. The recognition of global competition, increasing office space costs and persistent building defects is believed by Becker (1990, cited in, Jensen, 2008) to be evidence of the origin of the FM in the 1900s.

The British Institute of Facilities Management BIFM (2014) refer to the growth of FM whilst discussing the cost cutting initiative and the outsourcing of non-core activities that occurred during the 1970-80s.  It was later when professional organisations and associations became involved, leading to the profession expanding; with the first being the International Association for Facilities Management in the 1980s (Ventovori, et al., 2007).  Later in 1993, the British Institute of Facilities Managers was instituted. This formation was then followed by the introduction of specialised qualifications in FM (British Institute of Facilities Management, 2014).

Currently FM is recognised by further professional bodies, with each offering memberships and credentials (CIOB, 2014; RICS, 2014). Park (1998) ascertains that this level of recognition is one of the main influences to the profession being acknowledged with respect.

Whilst the origin of FM is disputed amongst academics, there are a number of professional bodies who accredit FM which has led to commonly cited definitions (Enoma, 2005; Chanter & Swallow, 2007).

 

Extract from Owen Black’s 2014 Dissertation ‘An investigation into Facilities Management: the profession’s contribution to the procurement of a new facility.’

 

DISCLAIMER: This article is for general information only and not intended as advice. Each project has its own set of unique circumstances, all potential issues should be investigated by a surveyor on a case by case basis before making any decision.

Only 3% of Chartered Surevyors in the 1980s were women. Over the last three decades this figure has only increased by a mere 10%, with only 13% of members of the RICS being female. With more than half of the UK population being women, the construction sector is missing out!

However, it is hardly encouraging for women to join the industry when figures show that they would be paid a quarter less than their male colleagues. The RICS and MacDonald & Company UK Rewards and Attitudes Survey 2016 showed that the new entrants gender pay gap currently stands at 28.7%. This is the highest figure of all age groups, with the average gender pay gap between property professionals in 2016 standing at 25.9%, only slightly better than 2015’s 27%. The male dominated industry stands way above the general gender pay gap of 19% across the UK.

On 6^th October 2016, new legislation will state that all companies with more than 250 employees must publish information on their gender pay gap. They will have to start calculating this in April 2017 and publish it no later than April 2018.

Businesses will be required to publish:

• Overall gender pay gap figure based on both mean and median average hourly pay
• The number of men and women in each of four pay bands
• Information on the gender bonus gap and information on the proportion of men and women who received a bonus in the same 12-month period.

This will no doubt be embarrassing for many companies and hopefully encourage the urge to tackle and improve the issue of the gender pay gap and help promote women in the industry.

It was only last year that the first female in 147 years, Louise Brooke-Smith, was appointed as the global president of the RICS. Louise, who championed diversity and inclusivity, saw the launch of the Inclusive Employer Quality Mark, which will be discussed further on.

There are organiastions that support women and encourage their development within the industry. The Association of Women in Property work alongside businesses and industry organisations to try and redress the gender balance. They also work with schools and universities to encourage and nurture young talent to join the sector. whilst also run over 300 events a year across the country to ecourage networking and provide support.

Research has shown that the more diverse the organisation is, the better it performs and many individual firms are pioneering strategies to foster gender equality.

One important step the RICS have taken to change this is the introduction of The Inclusive Employer Quality Mark (IEQM). The IEQM was introduced last year and companies that choose to sign it, are committing to deliver against 6 Principles that will drive inclusivity into their firm and the profession.

The 6 Principles that make up the Inclusive Employer Quality Mark are as below:

• Leadership and Vision

1. 1. Demonstrable commitment at the highest level to increasing the diversity of the workforce

• Recruitment

1. 1. Engage and attract new people to the industry from under-represented groups; best practice recruitment methods

• Staff development

1. 1. Training and promotion policies that offer equal access to career progression to all members of the workforce

• Staff Retention

1. 1. Flexible working arrangements and adaptive working practices that provide opportunities for all to perform at their highest levels

• Staff engagement

1. 1. An inclusive culture where all staff engage with developing, delivering, monitoring and assessing the diversity and inclusivity policies

• Continuous Improvement

1. Continually refreshing and renewing the firm’s commitment to being the best employer; sharing and learning from best practice across the industry.

There is no fee involved in becoming part of this and companies are assessed twice a year by filling out a self-assessment form. All firms that have signed the IEQM are listed on the RICS website. Online training is also being developed and businesses can support each other.

Bradley-Mason LLP are proud to hold the Inclusive Employer quality mark which shows our commitment to inclusivity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: This article is for general information only and not intended as advice. Each project has its own set of unique circumstances, all potential issues should be investigated by a surveyor on a case by case basis before making any decision.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) came into force on 6 April 2015, replacing CDM 2007. It is essential that as construction professionals we understand the different roles we play and obligations under legislation as well as more widely to clients, other construction professionals and to the public wherever they may be effected by our decisions and management.

We regularly undertake the role of principal designer, and overarching role coordinating the pre-construction aspects of health and safety. We also provide pure design roles and were recently asked how we ensure we meet our responsibilities as designers under Regulation 9 of CDM 2015.

 

DISCLAIMER: This article is for general information only and not intended as advice. Each project has its own set of unique circumstances, all potential issues should be investigated by a surveyor on a case by case basis before making any decision.