Challenges towards design review due to cultural and human factors

Design review has proven effective to avoid human errors in the design process. Since human error is the major cause for structural collapse [1], most countries have implemented procedures for design review in their building legislation. These systems represent the lived building culture in each state and thus work differently. Within the European harmonization process, challenges regarding the integration of different building cultures have been discovered. These cultural challenges affect structural safety in a wide array of topics, e.g. technical approval of building products. In this paper, the effect of differences in the building culture and the way they affect structural safety will be investigated. Furthermore, the effect on the individual due to human factors will be examined and assessed. The goal is to provide a better understanding of the impact of cultural differences on the design review procedure and on the individual.