Brady Heywood specialises in investigating the cause of defects and failures in construction and engineering disputes
Through publications, blogs, podcasts and events Brady Heywood provides insights into engineering failure
INSIGHTS
PUBLICATIONS
BLOGS
FORENSIC ENGINEERING
Forensic structural engineering is the investigation of failure or non-performance in the built environment
Forensic engineering is a distinct speciality within the wider field of structural engineering, where the forensic engineer focuses on actual physical evidence found at the scene, verifiable facts, and well-proven scientific principles to establish the cause of the failure. This expertise is quite different from that of conventional engineering design, which instead focuses on taking a client's requirements and constraints and generating an engineering solution based on well established engineering assumptions.
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In construction defect disputes, forensic expertise and design expertise fulfil two very distinct roles. An engineer with design expertise can opine on whether or not a structure was designed and constructed correctly in the first place, whereas an engineer with forensic expertise can accurately determine the cause of a defect or failure in a forensically sound manner. Design is concerned with what should have happened, while forensics is concerned with what actually happened.
Design is concerned with what should have happened, while forensics is concerned with what actually happened.
CAPABILITY
The firm is led by Dr Sean Brady, a forensic structural engineer who specialises in identifying the cause of defects and failures in the construction and engineering sectors
Forensic engineering
Preliminary investigation
Evidence collection
Litigation support
Arbitration support
Expert witness services
Dr Sean Brady is a forensic structural engineer who specialises in identifying the cause of defects and failures in the construction and engineering sectors. He has acted as an independent expert in numerous proceedings involving a wide range of constructed facilities, including stadia, bridges, wharves, tall buildings, large basements, petroleum storage vessels and mining structures.
He is a director of the Society of Construction Law Australia, and a member of the Singapore International Mediation Centre's Panel of Experts. Sean contributes to the specialty of forensics through roles on two of the world's premier forensic structural publications - the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities (Associate Editor) and the UK's Institution of Civil Engineers Forensic Engineering Journal (Editorial Board member).
He is also a visiting lecturer at a number of universities.
