A Risk-Based Approach for Quantifying Durability and Life-Expectancy of the Wall-Foundation Construction Detail in Timber Buildings

Understanding and predicting the durability of timber structural components of buildings can lead to a more reliable and efficient use of this material in constructions. The work described herein presents a methodology to assess the life-expectancy of wall-foundation details in timber buildings based on the estimation of the durability of the timber structural element. Risk classes were defined starting from the inputs from the most relevant standards addressing the durability of timber available in Europe. The attribution of a risk class to the wall-foundation detail requires decision trees that consider the key aspects that affect the durability of this construction detail in the case of fungal attack. The methodology was then applied to three case studies and the results were compared to the observations from onsite inspections carried out on the decayed structural timber elements. The present work represents the first step towards the development of a tool capable of predicting the durability of timber components within the building structure. The work reported herein was carried out within the framework of the TSafe project.