Writing from the field.

Buildings, technology, and the gap between them. Craig writes about what he sees on site, and what better looks like.

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RAAC Attack: Don’t Panic Edition
Building Materials · Aug 31, 2026

RAAC Attack: Don’t Panic Edition

In 1924 in the city of Yxhult, Sweden, architect and inventor Dr. Johan Axel Eriksson working with Professor Henrik Kreüger at the Royal Institute of Technology patented RAAC:…

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Non-Biological Intelligence: Obsolescence or Salvation …or Both?
Sustainability Technology & AI Aug 2026

Non-Biological Intelligence: Obsolescence or Salvation …or Both?

Everything changes and nothing remains still; and you cannot step twice into the same stream Heraclitus How do we and our buildings…

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Fire Safety in the QDC
Fire Safety Regulation Aug 2026

Fire Safety in the QDC

What follows will include quotations from various industry professionals. They all remain anonymous. Once we have a Grenfell we’ll start doing something…

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The Curious Case of the Exploding Windows
Building Materials Building Pathology Aug 2026

The Curious Case of the Exploding Windows

Not used as commonly as the word hazardous to describe building materials like asbestos, the word deleterious casts a wider net over…

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The Cracking Story of Mascot Towers
Building Pathology Structural Failure Aug 2026

The Cracking Story of Mascot Towers

For the last five years, you may have seen mention of Mascot Towers in and out of the [Australian] news ever since…

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The Cracked Opal
Building Pathology Structural Failure Aug 2026

The Cracked Opal

Over 90% of the world’s precious opals come from Australia. The 19th century Sir Walter Scott’s novel Anne of Geierstein (1829) tells…

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The Good, Bad and Uninsulated
Building Pathology Sustainability Jul 2026

The Good, Bad and Uninsulated

Temperature highs in Queensland’s summer regularly float into the 30 Deg Cs, averaging at 29C in January. When the sun had gone…

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Ceiling Legends: How Australia Molded the Plastering World
Building Materials Heritage Jul 2026

Ceiling Legends: How Australia Molded the Plastering World

How do you accurately identify and age a plaster ceiling? Understanding Australia’s role in the history of plasterwork used throughout the today…

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“Can you Inspect My House?” …not really.
Building Inspections Regulation Jul 2026

“Can you Inspect My House?” …not really.

I’ve been regularly asked a question that should be straightforward: “Can you inspect my house?” The answer? Well, no. But maybe yes.…

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Adapting Heritage Properties for Net Zero and Sustainability in Australia
Heritage Sustainability Jul 2026

Adapting Heritage Properties for Net Zero and Sustainability in Australia

Preamble – A disclosure What follows was first generated by AI, following instructions I prompted as part of a research assignment using…

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On video
@BeyondCondition
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Walkthroughs, commentary, and explainers from Craig and Ben — buildings, technology, and the things worth paying attention to in the built environment.

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A reader with a copy of The Building Detective by Craig MacDonald
The book

The Building Detective

A journey into the hidden stories of property, people, and problem solving.

Craig’s narrative non-fiction draws on two decades of inspections to show how buildings fail — and how a detective’s mind works out why. If you enjoy the writing here, this is where it goes deepest.

Paperback & Kindle on Amazon

Also available globally, wherever you buy books online.