Collection of information about exposed areas of the building and its surroundings
If no cracks etc. are identified during the visual assessment, the building owner can move on to the next step, looking at details of the building and its surroundings that describe how robust the building is.
Energy efficient projects are always preceded by an analysis of the actual state of the building and a comparison with the existing planning documents. If no plans are available, it is recommended to have a building survey carried out revealing all the necessary constraint and connection points.
Useful planning documents and data sources for analyses
5 sensitive areas
2.
Moisture sensitive parts (such as embedded wooden parts in beam ends and window aisles).
Read more >
5.
Indoor climate
Read more >
Aspects of weather and indoor climate that causes degradation of building components:
In addition to large-scale classification of the location, it may be useful to investigate the local climate more closely. Risk factors result from local differences in driving rain, humidity level of the outside air and drying potential due to solar radiation.
Wind effects on buildings:
Interior-external pressure difference (convection)
Highest load at corners of buildings and roofs where flow separation occurs
Ambient air temperature:
Chemical and biological degradation usually accelerate at higher temperatures
Freezing
Freezing and thawing are especially harmful for porous materials as brick
Solar radiation:
Has a great impact on the material surface temperature but can also change the atomic structure of a building material (destroys the bonds between the atoms)
Moisture might occur with increased:
Air humidity
Condensation
Precipitation
Groundwater
Higher vapour content of the ambient air in summer and lower in the winter
Driving rain (horizontal component of rain during windy conditions, part of the rain is absorbed, part may penetrate into cracks and joints)
Freezing
^
To top