Extending the Life Span of Concrete Buildings in Germany/Middle Europe PDF

In Germany, around 50% of trade volume in the building and construction industry is in the field of repair and modernization. The volume in the field of the repair of outer walls contributes a quota of approximately 20%. This 20% quota is almost completely dedicated to large panel buildings with sandwich walls. A common damage is corrosion of the reinforcement in the facing layers of the outer walls due to an insufficient concrete cover. It has been proven that the progress of corrosion can be stopped by a thermal upgrade of the sandwich walls (e.g., by applying an additional curtain wall or a similar thermal insulation system on the exterior of the existing walls). At the same time, permeable joints and crack damage can be efficiently controlled by this measure. This method of repairing walls is being applied in Germany with success; it is only valid for regions with a climate similar to that of Germany (moderate region) and is not effective in regions with a hot and humid climate.

Authors: Erich Cziesielski, Ph.D.

Citation: Thermal Performance of the Exterior Envelopes of Buildings VIII

Keywords: December, Florida, 2001