Degradation of rendered facades in the buildings of Brasília, Brazil

Abstract

The incidence of degradation agents on buildings engenders degradation mechanisms which lead to the development of anomalies that impair the performance of the building's systems. Hence, investigating the relationship between anomalies, agents and mechanisms is essential to provide valuable information for studies on service life and the development of more durable materials, components and elements.The aim of this study is to investigate the severity and extent of the degradation of rendered facades, identifying patterns that may affect their degradation. This study’s approach is based on the inspection of buildings in use, using the Degradation Measurement Method. The method is applied to analyse 90 facade samples from buildings aged between 20 and 60 years, in the Brazilian capital, Brasília. The analyses made were based on degradation indicators quantified from the investigated variables, especially solar orientation, and the facade zones of the samples. The results led to the identification of typical degradation patterns. Cracking is the anomaly that most degrades facades. The top area is the facade zone where the most severe degradation occurs. The highest incidence of degradation occurs in the continuous walls. The most degraded facades are the north and south facing ones.

Keywords:
Dagradation; Durability; Anomalies; Rendered facades; Mortar