ᐅ Structural engineer not present for the reinforcement inspection—what now?
Created on: 17 Jun 2021 13:03
M
maxx004
Hello,
The construction project is progressing, and with it comes the next challenge:
The structural engineer was not present during the reinforcement inspection because he did not receive the appointment. The concrete has already been poured, so the inspection cannot be redone. My building inspector (construction supervisor) checked on my behalf before the concrete pour and found no issues, except that the structural engineer was not on site.
In the structural engineer’s earlier letter, it was stated that I should provide him with the contact details of the slab contractor so he could get in touch for construction monitoring purposes. I did this. About two months before the start, I sent the execution week schedule to the structural engineer but did not hear anything back except an acknowledgment of receipt.
The structural engineer naturally cannot and does not want to confirm now that the reinforcement was installed correctly (which I understand since he is liable for this) and is requesting an extensive liability release from me. There are only one or two photos of the completed reinforcement, which are insufficient for approval. My building inspector advised against issuing the confirmation, but the site manager said that without the structural engineer’s confirmation, a work stoppage is threatened.
The construction is located in Hesse (building regulations = HBO).
What should I do?
The construction project is progressing, and with it comes the next challenge:
The structural engineer was not present during the reinforcement inspection because he did not receive the appointment. The concrete has already been poured, so the inspection cannot be redone. My building inspector (construction supervisor) checked on my behalf before the concrete pour and found no issues, except that the structural engineer was not on site.
In the structural engineer’s earlier letter, it was stated that I should provide him with the contact details of the slab contractor so he could get in touch for construction monitoring purposes. I did this. About two months before the start, I sent the execution week schedule to the structural engineer but did not hear anything back except an acknowledgment of receipt.
The structural engineer naturally cannot and does not want to confirm now that the reinforcement was installed correctly (which I understand since he is liable for this) and is requesting an extensive liability release from me. There are only one or two photos of the completed reinforcement, which are insufficient for approval. My building inspector advised against issuing the confirmation, but the site manager said that without the structural engineer’s confirmation, a work stoppage is threatened.
The construction is located in Hesse (building regulations = HBO).
What should I do?
N
nordanney21 Jun 2021 13:28netuser schrieb:
The completion of the structural shell (to be notified one week in advance!) must be reported, and the structural engineer’s inspection report must be attached immediately! You can quote the national building regulations where different requirements are stated 😉 . Unless you are building, I believe, more than 200 m² (2,150 sq ft).
nordanney schrieb:
You could quote the state building code where it says otherwise 😉 Unless you are building larger than 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft), I think. Do I understand correctly that the building authority actually has no reason to make this demand?
I also don’t see anything directly about it in the NRW building regulations, but I thought that municipalities can set their own requirements and/or restrictions beyond that?
Edit: I am not building larger than 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft) 🙂
N
nordanney21 Jun 2021 14:58Section 68 of the State Building Code
(2) The structural engineering verifications are not required to be prepared or reviewed by state-certified experts according to § 87 (2) sentence 1 number 4 for
3. single-story buildings with a ground area up to 200 m² (2,150 sq ft).
In this case, the qualified structural engineer according to § 54 (4) certifies the conformity of the structural safety verification with the construction based on personal spot checks of the construction site.
(2) The structural engineering verifications are not required to be prepared or reviewed by state-certified experts according to § 87 (2) sentence 1 number 4 for
3. single-story buildings with a ground area up to 200 m² (2,150 sq ft).
In this case, the qualified structural engineer according to § 54 (4) certifies the conformity of the structural safety verification with the construction based on personal spot checks of the construction site.
Anyone who believes that a site manager actually manages the construction site probably also believes that a lemon butterfly folds lemons.
What is a site manager actually for? In case of doubt, they should have conducted an internal inspection before the concrete pour to verify whether the reinforcement was properly installed.
What is a site manager actually for? In case of doubt, they should have conducted an internal inspection before the concrete pour to verify whether the reinforcement was properly installed.
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