Innovative Building & Diagnostics addressing the Root cause and not                                the Symptoms of Building Failures

Specialising in building pathology and diagnostics with the art and science of modern technology searching for the root cause of building failures or problems and the associated remedial services. The orginsation have an in-depth knowledge in the construction of buildings and  also licensed builders.

What is Building Pathology & Diagnostics?

Building pathology and diagnostics is similar to the medical field of pathology & diagnostics. As medical professionals using laboratory analysis and diagnostic equipments to determine the root cause of health problems, building pathology and diagnostics share the same platform using endoscopes, ultrasonic equipments, moisture meters with deep moisture sensors , specialised remote moisture sensors, laboratory analysis , thermography, force & air testing equipments, volumetric soil water content of sub soil and various other equipments including many years of practical experience in providing a holistic investigation within the built environment. 

Our services:

Water leaks:

• Track water leaks in walls, floors, verandahs, planter boxes and roofs.
• Condensation leading to microbial growth.
• Subfloor floor moisture problems.

Indoor Health:

Testing  your home  for common allergens such as:

• Dust mites and particulate matter, providing mitigating steps. Moisture is the catalyst to dust mites and microbial growth due to increased humidity within the dwelling.   
• Test for combustion gases. 
• Test for formaldehyde.
• Test for VOC.
• Test for particulate matter (dust). Particulate matter is a growing health concern by leading health institutions.
• Provide solutions to reduce all of the above within the dwelling.

Thermal Performance:

• Testing air leaks within the building envelope. Excessive air leaks waste energy. We use international guidelines in establishing a reasonable level of air leakage to bridge the gap between indoor air quality and energy saving.
• We also work in providing reduced air leaks, substituting with low energy consumption energy recovery ventilators with high grade filters reducing pollutants from the external environment and providing fresh air within the internal environment. 
• Testing for leaks in air conditioning ducts within the attic and sub-floor space causing energy loss, also a critical factor bringing in pollutants from the attic and sub-floor and discharging through the registers contributing to poor indoor air quality.
• Building tight in reducing air leakage (tight building syndrome) without consideration for effective ventilation can increase indoor health problems due to increased humidity and condensation leading to microbial growth, increasing dust mites and increasing off gassing of toxic polluntants from building materials, also increasing latent cooling of the HVAC (additional energy to reduce humidity). Ventilation and energy must be considered together and not in isolation. 

Integrity Testing:

• Testing structural timbers with ultrasonic equipment to establish internal decay or damage by pests. Timber depth up to 500mm can be tested.  This eliminates pulling down un-necessary walls reducing repair costs. Also performing pull test to further verify with force gauge.
• Force testing balustrades for safety, complying to AS1170
• Testing waterproofing membrane for leaks prior to tiling or overburden in planter boxes.
• Measuring wall thickness of structural steel hollow sections especially in existing buildings with retrofit work prior to applying loads.
• Verifying the integrity of existing wall ties and performing pull test to retrofit remedial ties according to manufacturer's specifications. Corroded wall ties are difficult to verify, as the corrosion is mostly at the inner side of the exterior skin and obscured. We have specialised equipment in determining the existence of corrosion followed by an endoscope to further verify. 
• Working with engineers to verify the moisture content of the soil below footings leading to structural movements. We can go down to approximately 3 meters. Excessive moisture due to leaking services or drying of the soil due to surrounding matured trees can change the moisture content leading to structural movements.  This would provide better information in designing the rectification work. 

Innovative Building & Diagnostics the Doctor in Sick Buildings with  the Art and Science of Diagnosing Building Failures and Defects.