Civil Engineering · QLD · Queensland
Commercial subsidence claim
Civil engineering assessment shifted liability for foundation movement to the earthworks contractor.
Liability reassigned- Building
- Single-storey commercial showroom
- Defect
- Differential settlement & slab cracking
- Forum
- Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal
- Standards
- AS 2870, AS 3798, QDC
The dispute
A South-East Queensland commercial owner alleged that differential settlement and slab cracking arose from defective slab design. The head builder cross-claimed against the earthworks subcontractor. Our RPEQ civil engineer was briefed to provide independent causation evidence.
Matter: Owner vs. builder and earthworks subcontractor, QCAT
Our expert's findings
Geotechnical re-testing and review of compaction records showed the building platform had been constructed on inadequately compacted fill, contrary to AS 3798 Level 1 supervision requirements. Foundation design was code-compliant; the failure mode was earthworks-driven. Crack mapping was consistent with classic differential settlement, not heave or reactive movement.
Outcome
Liability was reassigned from the slab designer to the earthworks subcontractor following the joint expert conclave. The matter resolved with apportioned rectification responsibility, allowing the principal builder to recover from the responsible subcontractor under the construction contract.
Frequently asked questions
Why was the slab designer cleared?
The slab was designed to the correct AS 2870 site classification. The actual platform did not match the geotechnical assumptions because compaction did not meet AS 3798 Level 1.
Did the matter need destructive testing?
Yes — confirmatory dynamic cone penetrometer testing and density checks were used to evidence the non-conformance.
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