Moisture and Buildings
Durability Issues, Health Implications and Strategies to Mitigate the Risks

Presents an integrated picture of moisture transport and its impact on buildings, including their durability, health and comfort

Arianna Brambilla (Author), Alberto Sangiorgio (Author)

9780128210970, Elsevier Science

Paperback, published 9 June 2021

202 pages
22.9 x 15.1 x 1.4 cm, 0.29 kg

One in three homes, on average, suffer from excessive dampness and mould proliferation, with significant health and economic impacts. The combination of new construction methodologies, stricter airtightness requirements and the changing social and cultural context that influences the way we live inside buildings has created unprecedented challenges for the built environment. In modifying indoor and outdoor environments and the building envelopes that serve as a filter between the two, we are changing the physical parameters of the ways in which buildings behave and respond to climatic stimuli. Understanding and predicting the way in which buildings and moisture may interact should be an important step in the design process, aiming to minimise possible negative long-term consequences. Understanding and predicting the way in which buildings and moisture may interact is, today more than ever, essential yet difficult, as the experience of the past has lost its applicability. Moisture-related issues never have a simple solution, since they involve multiple factors, including design, construction, maintenance, materials, climate and occupation pattern. Thus, while the topic is attracting growing attention among researchers, designers and practitioners, the pace with which actual change is occurring is still too slow.

1 Moisture and buildings2 Principles of hygrothermal processes3 Durability, condensation assessment and prevention4 Health and mould growth5 Moisture buffering of building materials6 Hygrothermal modelling7 Building codes and standards

Subject Areas: Civil engineering, surveying & building [TN]