Dissemination of information

The Danish Building Defects Fund disseminates its knowledge and experiences through many channels and in many contexts.

Since 1991 architecture and engineering companies all over Denmark have carried out over 10.000 inspections for The Danish Building Defects Fund and hereby gained valuable technical information about how other engineers and architects as well as contractors, suppliers and builders have carried out their job. In 2010, 400 year-one and year-five inspections were carried out in 10.000 dwellings. 

The building inspection surveyors see inspirational examples of good practice, as well as risky constructive solutions, which they hopefully then opt to avoid themselves. At annual joint meetings through out the country, The Danish Building Defects Fund informs the firms, who carry out the building inspections, about general tendencies within the field and open discussions on current themes of importance.

In connection to the 10.000 building inspections, The Danish Building Defects Fund has consulted building owners, about how registered defects either can be repaired or the service life prolonged through servicing and maintenance in the future. In almost all cases, the Fund's evaluations and consultations are passed on to construction entrepreneurs and builders, when the building owner makes claims concerning deficiencies and damages.

It is estimated that the dissemination of information carried out by the Fund and others in the field has reduced repair costs by at least 100 million DKK per year. This estimation is reached by comparing damage repair costs for subsidised housing construction for 1995 and 2001. While approximately 80 million DKK was spent on repairs for major damages on buildings completed in 1995, the amount was only 20 million DKK in 2001. The costs in 2010 was only 0,5 million DKK.

On top of this are all the minor deficiencies and damages, which are registered in nine out of ten building schemes. The cost of these improvements is estimated to approximate at least the same amount.

The building schemes that are covered by The Danish Building Defects Fund comprise, as mentioned earlier, only 20% of all building schemes since 1987. We don't know which impact The Danish Building Defects Fund has had on other types of building schemes in Denmark, as no corresponding registrations concerning these building schemes exist. It is, however, presumed that the Fund's work has had an important knock-on effect. The consulting firms that plan the publicly subsidised housing schemes, and who are involved with the Fund, also work in the field of planning, designing, supervising and erecting other types of residential housing. Similar is the case for contractors and builders as well as building material suppliers.

The Danish Building Defects Fund disseminates information through its annual reports, by participating in seminars, lectures and courses as well as professional work groups.