Durability considerations of refurbished external walls

• We analysed the durability of refurbished concrete walls.
• Our study focused on concrete walls in Nordic conditions with added exterior insulation layer.
• Building physical simulations provided essential data for the study.
• We estimated the benefits of refurbishment on concrete façade and formulated criteria for them.
• Different degradation types were considered such as frost attack, carbonation, corrosion and mould growth.

The paper present results of the European project Sustainable Refurbishment of Building Facades and External Walls. The objective of the research was to analyse the durability of refurbished outdoor walls on the bases of building-physical analyses and estimate the benefits of refurbishment on concrete façade. All analyses were made for concrete walls in Nordic conditions when an exterior insulation layer is added. The major part of building envelope failures was caused by excessive moisture content of building materials. This topic has a high industrial relevance and the results can be utilised as recommendations for refurbishment projects.