ABSTRACT
This paper presents Technological Research Institute of Sao Paulo State – IPT's approach to establish minimum durability requirements for social housing purposes in Brazil. The difficulties for the implementation of systematic evaluation and surveillance of the constructions of building units caused by: the lack of human and material resources and qualified laboratories, the great dimension of the country, the differents performance and durability requirements between the country's region, obliged the development of a innovative methodology: the establishment of minimum conditions of products family and of cost estimate based on initial and maintenance costs made by each manufacturer of the product, that assumes the responsibility of assurance the service life (considering the maintenance periods) that he estimated. After this, it is possible to estimate a cost/benefit rate that will help the decision process in the choice of the best solution for a specific situation.
