Evaluation of Defects Incidence and Severity on Building Façade: A Case Study

Abstract

20th century buildings are referred to as modern heritage and suggested to be conserved them because they reflect the particular characteristics of the period. To conserve and sustain modern buildings against agents of degradation, such as the inherent quality characteristics, environmental agents, and operational conditions, an important consideration is the observation, from inspection, and documentation of building defects as may reflect the current condition state of the building. In the scope of the study, façade defects of one of the modern period buildings located in the Fatih district of Istanbul/Turkey – the Istanbul Esnaf Hospital was inspected and analyzed. This building was constructed between 1955-1963 with T-shaped plan which consists of eight façades, for which defects, located on six of the building’s façades, were evaluated. The aim of the study is the evaluation of defects in relation to: the orientation of the façade; the location defects on the façade; the façade material, that consisted of a rendered and painted façade, incorporating a mosaic of ceramics, and; the perceived causes of defects. The study consists of three stages (i) data collection, (ii) analysis of defects, and (iii) comparative evaluation of defects. In the first stage, environmental, architectural, and material data are presented. After which, defects on the building façade were detected through a field inspection and were systematically classified. In the final stage, the findings from comparative evaluations of defects and their relation to the orientation of the façade, location on the façade, material, and causes are given. The analysis shows that the incidence of defects is primarily related to design decisions, i.e., the architectural features of the building. Dirt/stain and cracking are two of the most observed defects. Stain/dirt defects are mostly observed under windowsills and recessed areas due to architectural features typical of this modern period. Whereas it was observed that cracks were generally locate around openings and balconies. Material loss and detachment were generally related to impact from vehicles and were concentrated on two of the façades having high usage. On the other hand, biological growth, and efflorescence were principally caused by outdoor environmental conditions.

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