THE ENERGY FUTURE OF EXISTING BUILDINGS IN BRUSSELS: BETWEEN PRESERVATION AND PERFORMANCE

floors, 8 cm thick calcium silicate boards would be used, thus countering the increased risk of frost damage. The permeation of moisture through the horizontal joints was countered by using suitable interior finishings.

Visual inspection of the rear façade shows that, in spite of the limited risk of frost damage according to the results of the modelling and the general assessment of the materials as being not or only slightly sensitive to frost, frost damage appears frequently (fig. 9).

The brickwork's sensitivity to frost as a whole is therefore substantially more important than might be expected based on the G_c criterion, which only allows for an assessment of the individual materials. The jointing in particular can be described as highly sensitive to frost. Appropriate selection of new grout and minimum interior insulation using insulating plasterwork are therefore recommended for obtaining an acceptable level for the risks of frost damage.

Translated from Dutch.

Fig. 8

Overview of the damage to the Euville limestone front façade of the main administrative building of the veterinary school (photo by author).

Fig. 9

Overview of the damage to the brickwork rear façade of the main administrative building of the veterinary school (photo by author).

73