Service Life Estimation using Reference Service Life Databases and Enhanced Factor Method

Service Life Prediction to plan an optimized maintenance involves the necessity for designers to handle with tools which can allow the definition of Estimated Service Lives of single buildings’ components and moreover of buildings themselves. The report deals with the development of tools for the application of an enhanced Factor Method through grids which guide users in assigning the values to each factor, avoiding subjectivity. Factor Method needs the knowledge of Reference Service Lives of building components, starting point of the calculation. That’s the reason why, it is fundamental to provide a data collection of reference Service Lives which can help and drive the designer in obtaining the value of Extimated Service Life in each context of application. In collaboration with the C.S.T.B., Durability of Building Components Group of Politecnico di Milano is collecting data coming from researches at Politecnico’s itself and from the Italian durability network. The aim is to provide an open database which can be constantly implemented through the auxilium of researchers, owners, designers, manifactures, insurance companies, property asset managers from all over Europe, leaking and driving the insertion thanks to controlling grids purposely prepared. Service Life management systems are, therefore, analysed from the point of view of the information due to allow designers to manage Service Life prediction and maintenance planning. Databases will supply the input data to predict Service Life of each single building component and will be available on internet in order to be a valid tool for designers. The paper reports on methods and tools developed to supply data and information in an easy-to-use form, on durability of building components about both the manufacturing processes quality and the products’ Service Life.