Causes of Damages in Swedish Buildings

Abstract

Damages, failures and functional defects in buildings create high cost for the owner and the society. It is important to determinate the causes of damages in order to limit the costs. This paper presents the causes of 1105 different damages from a technical perspective from 265 real damage investigations. In general, the results show that; 1. Rain and snow was the most common moisture source cause damages, 2. The number of damages caused by wet concrete and PVC or linoleum flooring may be overestimated. 3. A significant number of damages were caused in details where different materials connect to each other, 4. A high number of damages were linked to wear and tear and poor maintenance. 5. Causes of damages occurs in all phases of the building process but most of them were deemed to occur in the management and on-site construction phase. 6. Most of the damages were caused by building owner or their facility trustees.