The Institution of Civil Engineers is organising the fourth international conference on Forensic Engineering on 2-4 December 2008.

This international conference will focus on moving from failure to understanding of built environments in order to help with managing sustainable life-time performance of constructed assets.

While collapses are the most spectacular failures covered in the field of forensic engineering, this discipline also includes the investigation of failures in serviceability and performance during construction and over the life of structures.

Forensic engineering requires the most rigorous investigation of the range of technical and organisational factors that contribute to failures, whether they lead to litigation or form the basis of an agreed settlement between the parties involved.

Papers at previous conferences have covered a wide range of structures and failures including docks, foundations, offshore structures, airport terminals, car parks, railway carriages, material degradation and mechanical failure. This conference will consider the contractual obligations for consultants, contractors and public bodies with responsibilities for designing, assessing, maintaining and refurbishing such structures, buildings and other facilities. Papers on the interaction between engineers and the legal profession in dispute resolution are also encouraged.

The Fourth International Conference on Forensic Engineering will demonstrate that forensic investigation and assessment, followed by dissemination into improved design and contract practice, benefits communities by reducing property damage, serious injury and loss of life and also has the potential to increase sustainability of infrastructure by prolonging the reliable life of structures.

Click here to download  a PDF copy of the Forensic Engineering and Call for Papers leaflet.