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By Ed Witzke
Where is common sense?
We need common sense architects that practice common sense design and common sense builders that build common sense construction. Just look at the following photographs.
Where are our architects and builders when buildings rot out to the core or burn to the ground in fires? Architecture is design: design that prevents buildings from rotting and buildings from burning. Building is construction: construction that uses these designs to assemble good solid structures.
When I graduated from architecture school from The University of British Columbia in 1976, my profession had taught me that when wood gets wet it rots. When wood is on fire it burns, plastic and concrete crack, and steel rusts – just common sense stuff.
Where is good common sense design and construction today? It appears that architects and builders that design and construct buildings that look like boxes without proper roof overhangs and flashings. I guess they never thought that wind and rain water leaks would cause rot and black mould, and wood framed buildings with wood roofs would burn in forests, during a forest fire. Doesn’t any architect or builder think anymore?
More and more buildings are rotting, burning, cracking and rusting than ever before in the history of architecture, design, building construction, occupancy safety, health and well being. Architects and builders must be the leaders of the design and construction industry, not the followers of the dumb, with no common sense.
Table of Contents
Rotten Buildings
Click on the page #
Page Photo Contents
5, 72, 73 9, 10, 11, 236, 237 “Vlacho” A senior building scientist and his life
5, 6, 7 12, 13, 14, 15 Philosophy of construction
8 16, 17, 18 Poor designs and details
9 19, 20, 21 Tragedy of leaky condo crisis
10 22 – 27 Tragedy of leaky condo crisis
11 28, 29, 30 Rotten mushified buildings
12 31, 32, 33 Rotten mushified buildings
13 34, 35, 36 Rotten mushified buildings
14 37, 38, 39 Rotten mushified buildings
15 40, 41, 42 Rotten mushified buildings
16 43, 44, 45 Rotten mushified buildings
17 46, 47, 48, 49 Rotten mushified buildings
18 50, 51, 52 Rotten mushified buildings
19 53, 54, 55 Rotten mushified buildings
20 56, 57, 58 Rotten mushified buildings
21 59, 60, 61 Rotten mushified buildings
22 62, 63, 64 Rotten mushified buildings
23 65, 66, 67 Rotten mushified buildings
24 68, 69, 70 Rotten mushified buildings
25 71, 72, 73 Importance of roof overhangs
No page # 74, 75 Design performance failures
26 76, 77, 78 Extent of this rot
27 79, 80, 81 Extent of this rot
28 82, 83, 84 Extent of this rot
29 85, 86, 87 Extent of this rot
30 88, 89, 90 Extent of this rot
31 91, 92, 93 Extent of this rot
32 94, 95, 96 Extent of this rot
33 97, 98, 99 Extent of this rot
34 100, 101, 102 Extent of this rot
35 103, 104, 105 Extent of this rot
36 106, 107, 108 Extent of this rot
37 109, 110, 111 Extent of this rot
38 112, 113, 114, 115 Rotten mushified buildings
40 119, 120, 121 Extent of this rot
41 122, 123, 124 Extent of this rot
42 125, 126, 127 Extent of this rot
46 135, 136, 137 Rotten mushified buildings
47 138, 139, 140 Rotten mushified buildings
48 141, 142, 143 Thousands more leaky condos as crisis spread to high rises
49 144, 145, 146 Thousands more leaky condos as crisis spread to high rises
50 147, 148, 149 Rotten mushified buildings
51 150, 151, 152 Extent of this rot
52 153, 154, 155 Extent of this rot
53 156, 157, 158 Extent of this rot
54 159, 160, 161 Poor repairs and details
55 162, 163, 164 Extent of this rot
56 165, 166, 167 Extent of this rot
57 168, 169, 170 The importance of roof overhangs/ no overhangs
58 171, 172, 173 Poor design details
59 174, 175, 176 Grandpa and Grandma know more about design than architects
60 177, 178, 179 Sloppy workmanship
61 180, 182 – 185 Rotten mushified buildings
63 193 – 198 Mould infested interiors
64 199 – 204 Ed Witzke’s signature Polaroid photos of fixings
65 205 – 210 Ed Witzke’s signature Polaroid photos of fixings
66 211 – 217 Ed Witzke’s signature Polaroid photos of fixings
67 218 – 223 Ed Witzke’s signature Polaroid photos of fixings
69 227, 228, 229 West walls, no roof overhangs
70 230, 231, 232, 233 Another government study
71 234, 235, 236 The importance of roof overhangs
72, 73 237 The life of “Vlacho”
74 238 Controlling the momentum of the raindrop
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