Climate change impact on building surfaces and façades

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare indicative expected changes in maintenance costs due to changes in corrosion of building facades caused by climate change or by possible reduction of air pollution, in Norway and Europe.Design/methodology/approach – Available climate and pollution dose‐corrosion response functions from the literature were used to calculate corrosion costs for buildings facades and construction surfaces. Metals and stone were used as indicator materials.Findings – An annual average temperature increase of 2°C and increase in precipitation of 20 per cent in the city of Bergen in western Norway in the twenty‐first century is likely to increase maintenance costs of building facades as much or more than a 50 per cent reduction in the concentrations of single air pollutants, and similarly to between 20 per cent and 50 per cent reduction in all the air pollutants, minus chloride, that have been found to corrode the materials. An increase in costs up to about 1 Euro/m2 10 years ca...