The owner's responsibility in building failures is somewhat different from the other team members' because it begins where the other team members' duties end. Obviously, the owner who exceeds the design loads, who abuses the facility, or who fails to provide adequate maintenance invites problems. But the owner is not going to lose his or her license over the failure, just points with tenants and perhaps some money. Overall, the entire commercial construction industry now has an excellent record. Catastrophic failure due to faulty design is almost unknown.
Failures resulting from weather or fire are well-controlled.
Reliability of building systems improves each year. Still, we must not become complacent, because poor performance of any team member undermines the best efforts of the remaining team members. Basic design principles that ensure minimal failure may be more common these days, but the sophistication of modern buildings and systems requires constant attention and will surely present challenges in the future. Sheldon Wolfe, CSI, CCS, CCCA, is a specifier with BWBR Architects in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was a staff architect for the University of Minnesota for over six years, Mr. Wolfe was responsible for writing and coordinating construction documents for the Architecture and Engineering Department, reviewing construction documents prepared by consulting architects, and enforcing the University s Standards and Procedures for Construction.