ABSTRACT
This paper presents a comprehensive review of process induced building defects investigated by SINTEF Building and Infrastructure in the 10-year period 1993–2002 (2,423 cases registered and described in 2,003 assignment reports). Defects related to the building envelope constitute 66% of the investigated cases. A bulk of the defects (76%) is related to moisture, and many types of building defects are recurring items, indicating a general lack of knowledge concerning fundamental principles of building physics. A wide range of classical problems is recorded, e.g. unfortunate design and use of materials, inaccurate craftsmanship, structure and composition of rendering layers and paint on porous, mineral building materials, inappropriate rendering layers on facade systems with rendering directly on thermal insulation, and insufficient efforts to protect against moisture in general. These findings support earlier investigations concluding that the construction industry is not able to learn from past experience and that the exchange of knowledge is not satisfactory.
