ABSTRACT
This last chapter is different in nature from those preceding, and, after commenting on failure patterns, suggests reasons why avoidable building failures occur. Such reasons involve consideration of the structure of the industry, the particular problems associated with innovation, and control systems. These essentially ‘software’ aspects of the avoidance of building failures merit as much, and probably more, attention than the ‘hardware’ aspects dealt with already. It is, indeed, probable that the greatest scope for improvement in building performance lies more with the former than the latter.
