ABSTRACT
There is an urgent need for standards, codes of practice or guides describing how to rationally design buildings from a service life point of view. In some countries, to meet this need, National Standards have been established.
The European Construction Products Directive in force in the EU and most EFTA states sets out six essential requirements for works which must be satisfied during an economically reasonable working life. It has created a regulatory framework in which working life and durability aspects of products find an important place. Technical specifications for building products prepared by CEN and EOTA must contain provisions for assessing the products durability.
The methodologies for service life prediction of building products have for many years been a focus area for research collaboration within the two organisations CIB and RILEM. Partly based on that work international standards addressing the design life of buildings are currently being elaborated by ISO. The working group ISO TC59/SC3/WG9 was set up on the request of among others CEN/BTS-1, and the work to be done has great relevance to the needs in Europe for standards addressing the issue of working life of buildings and building products.
The paper presents the background to and the relevance of the standardisation work under way with a focus on the European dimension and relevance.
