durability: building envelope

Durability is an overriding consideration. Taken broadly it can be measured in terms of the time until some loss of function occurs that renders the service provided unacceptable. It is not a fundamental property of a material; it depends on the degrading effects of the service and the environment to which it is exposed. It is more appropriate to refer to service, life, as this properly implies the effects of the particular conditions of service.

The environment at any plane in the wall may be determined by the arrangement and selection of the materials used. The designer may, therefore, by judicious arrangement greatly ease the requirements for the various elements and thus broaden his choice. The real importance of durability is reflected in the cost of maintaining all the required functions of the wall over the required service life.

"Using wall construction techniques appropriate to the environment is a basic principle of building durability." CWC- http://www.durable-wood.com/french/wood_solutions/design_for_durability/building_durability.php3

"In general, durability is a building's (or material's) ability to maintain its performance over time and use. The advantages are well-known: durable materials and building systems are long lasting, can reduce maintenance and repair costs, and are often cost-effective from a life-cycle perspective. Additional benefits include minimized disruption of building operations (due to repairs or extensive maintenance) and environmental benefits resulting from the reduced disposal and replacement of materials." --- http://www.wbdg.org/

, 1999, Improving durability in housing - background paper

Buildings Envelope Technology Roadmap- BETR

ˇ°DOE releases Buildings Envelope Technology Roadmap, and reports on progress fulfilling Window Industry Technology Roadmap.




Wood Durability web site

"offering up-to-date information to help wood users get the most life out of wood construction products", provided by the Canadian Wood Council and Forintek Canada Corp.

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Assessing housing durability: a pilot study, by NAHB Research Center, Inc., 2001

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Building moisture and durability - past, present and future work, by Newport Partners, LLC, 2004

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Coupled heat, air and moisture transfer - the base of the durability of facade repair systems, by Haeulp, P., Neue, J. and Fechner, H., 1997

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Durability assessments of wood-frame construction using the concept of damage-functions, by Nofal, M. and M.K. Kumaran, 1999

A good short book/report

Durability by design: a guide for residential builders and designers, by NAHB Research Center, 2002

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Durability control by means of hygrothermal history in building components, by Kurkinen, K. and Hagentoft, C., 2002

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Durability of Building Materials and Components 8, by Lacasse, M. A. and D. J. Vanier, 1999

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Durability of energy-efficient wood-frame houses, by Smulski, S., 1999

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Durability of wood, by ?deen, K. and J. Nor¨¦n, 1999

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Evaluation and improvement frost durability of clay bricks, by Koroth, S., 1997

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Guide and bibliography to service life and durability research for buildings and components, by Sj?str?m, C. (Ed), 2004

durability defined

Improving durability in housing - background paper, by PATH, 1999

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Moisture occurrence in roof assemblies containing moisture storing insulation and its impact on the durability of building envelope, by Derome, D., 2000

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On implementing experimental biological damage-functions models in durability assessment systems, by Nofal, M. and M.K. Kumaran, 2000

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Reacting to durability problems with Vancouver buildings, by Lawton, M. D., 1999

envelope requirement

Requirements for Exterior Walls, by Hutcheon, N.B, 1963

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Review of factors affecting the durability of repointing mortars for older masonry, by Maurenbrecher, A. H. P., Trischuk, K. J. and Rousseau, M. Z., 2001

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The problem of the durability of materials used in the rehabilitation of historic timber roofs- rehabilitation of historic timber roofs, by Cestari, C. B. and S. Cravero And S. C. C. Lombardi, 1999

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Wood durability issues on the long-term performance of wood in service, by Quarles, S. L. and Tully, D.F, 0