Condition assessment of buildings in Romania: A proposed method and case study

Abstract

The condition assessment of existing buildings represents a very useful and cost-efficient tool for evaluating the damage extent and deciding upon the suitable maintenance or repairing strategies. According to the active Romanian norms, the building owners have to periodically assess the building's condition in order to evaluate if the characteristic aptitudes for safe operation are still ensured. However, even if the assessment requirement is enforced by a national norm, no clear and practical method is provided. This paper proposes a new building conditions assessment (BCA) method, based on the general principles provided in the national norm, characterized by a large degree of applicability, which aims to reduce the existing gap and inconsistencies in the assessing process and to help the activity of building inspectors. The method, denoted as PEST (the Romanian acronym for Method of Assessing the Technical Condition), consists in a procedure of carrying out the site investigations and in a methodology of evaluating the damages and establishing the degradation classes of the building, for both structural and non-structural components. Also, for each degradation class, accessible ratings and colour codes are proposed, in order to increase the awareness level of the building's owners. According to the extensive literature review done by the authors, no such methods have been proposed so far in Romania.The efficiency and the applicability of the method were checked by performing condition assessments for 62 buildings of various types, ages and constructive systems. By applying the proposed method, the site investigations have been systematically carried out with great success and rapidity. The results were reliable and precise and the assessment process, based on the proposed logic flowcharts, was very consistent, proving that the method can be successfully applied to various types of buildings.The implementation of the new proposed PEST method, which is developed in accordance with the general premises of the national norm, can represent a major step forward for the Romanian construction industry, not only because it fills a gap, by providing a unitary and consistent assessment tool for building inspectors, but also because it can contribute to a more safer building environment for present and future generations.