Abstract

Climate change could alter the natural degradation pattern of buildings and their components. Façade claddings are directly exposed to the action of environmental agents, thus being particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Determining the expected degradation of the façades’ external layer, according to climate parameters’ projections, could be useful in the context of maintenance planning and adaptation to climate change. The present study intends to deepen the knowledge about the influence of temperature on the degradation evolution of rendered façades, considering the analysis of possible correlations between variables, based on observed and recorded climate data. It covers the degradation evolution of a sample of 26 rendered façades located in Lisbon, Portugal, based on the mean triennial degradation rate (∆Sw,mt) for periods of three years between 1990 and 2020. The severity of degradation index (Sw) of each façade, assessed through visual inspections in two moments in time, is used to model the individual degradation of the respective case study, necessary to calculate the sample’s ∆Sw,mt of to each triennium. The correlation between the dependent variable ∆Sw,mt and the independent variable ‘maximum temperature’ is significant, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of approximately -0.89. The negative trend shows that the degradation of the sample tends to decelerate with the increase of maximum temperature. Therefore, the temperature warming projected for the end of the century could contribute to lessen the rate of rendered façades’ degradation in the future, in Portugal or in analogous areas of the Mediterranean. The present study is part of a methodology that is being developed to quantify the impact of changes in climate parameters on the future degradation of rendered façades. Further research is necessary regarding the degradation projections, based on the climate change signal for maximum temperatures.