This book presents a collection of recent research works intended to assist in the effective management of service loss. It develops and evaluates methodologies for the assessment of defects and failures, and proposes methodologies for preventing and mitigating building defects. As such, the book will appeal to a broad readership of scientists, practitioners, students and lecturers.

The main purpose of this book, Hygrothermal, Building Pathology and Durability, is to provide a collection of recent research works to contribute to the systematization and dissemination of knowledge related to construction pathology, hygrothermal behaviour of buildings, durability and diagnostic techniques and, simultaneously, to show the most recent advances in this domain. It includes a set of new developments in the field of building physics and hygrothermal behaviour, durability approach for historical and old buildings and building pathology vs. durability. The book is divided in several chapters that are a resume of the current state of knowledge for benefit of professional colleagues, scientists, students, practitioners, lecturers and other interested parties to network.

This book provides a novel approach to building pathology in current buildings. Drawing on the available literature, hands-on experience and fieldwork inspections, it presents a systematic perspective on the pathology of the building envelope. The book addresses natural stone claddings, adhesive ceramic tiling, renders, painted surfaces, External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS), architectural concrete surfaces, windows and doors framing, and claddings for pitched and flat roofs. In addition to highlighting selected materials and construction elements, the book proposes a global classification system for defects and their probable causes, together with in situ diagnosis methods and repair techniques. It also identifies the relationships between defects and causes, diagnosis methods and repair techniques, and the interdependence between different defects, presenting these relations in the form of correlation matrices. Support files with detailed information and an inspection form are also provided. Selected case studies are presented to illustrate the value of a guidance system in fieldwork. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable guide, particularly for researchers, building inspectors, civil engineers, architects and maintenance planners.

This Special Issue “Sustainable Designed Pavement Materials” has been proposed and organized as a means to present recent developments in the field of environmentally-friendly designed pavement materials. For this reason, articles included in this special issue relate to different aspects of pavement materials, from industry solid waste recycling to pavement materials recycling, from pavement materials modification to asphalt performance characterization, from pavement defect detection to pavement maintenance, and from asphalt pavement to cement concrete pavement.

Heritage stones are those stones that have been used for many years, even centuries, to build the historic buildings and monuments of places around the world. Some of these stones are still being used for construction, but others are no longer used, either because quarries were exhausted or closed or because architects and constructors do not know about their particularities and importance. Several scientific papers discuss many of these stones, and a number of papers are currently being prepared, but this book is the first to emphasize the importance and significance of natural stone in the construction of a city, Salamanca, recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1988. In light of this recognition, Salamanca has a duty to preserve all historic buildings that make up the city by restoring those that are starting to deteriorate centuries after their construction. This book describes the buildings, the stones (all quarried centuries ago in the surrounding area), and the stone quarries, some of them inactive for many years, but that should still allow extraction of blocks on demand to restore and replace damaged specimens in the buildings, preserving the very character that saw the city receive recognition by UNESCO in the first place. There are many other places around the world that should follow this initiative and disseminate the importance of their heritage stones. This book will be of interest to professionals and academics in Geology, Engineering, architectural and artistic work in stone, both construction and conservation, but also to the general public.

This proceedings book presents contributions to the International Conference on Critical Thinking in the Sustainable Rehabilitation and Risk Management of the Built Environment – CRIT-RE-BUILT – held in Iași, Romania, November 7–9, 2019. It mirrors outcomes in fundamental and applied research covering a broad palette of competences like observations, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, problem-solving and decision making. The book sets up eight chapters related to rehabilitation and risk in the built environment. Each chapter starts with a broad state-of-the-art presentation comprising the latest ideas and methods in the field assessing and asserting synthesized levels of research, development and novelty through a critical thinking process. The authors of the eight presentations are partners in the E+ Programme for Strategic Partnerships Rehabilitation of the Built Environment in the Context of Smart City and Sustainable Development Concepts for Knowledge Transfer and Lifelong Learning (RE-BUILT).

The main purpose of this book, Hygrothermal, Building Pathology and Durability, is to provide a collection of recent research works to contribute to the systematization and dissemination of knowledge related to construction pathology, hygrothermal behaviour of buildings, durability and diagnostic techniques and, simultaneously, to show the most recent advances in this domain. It includes a set of new developments in the field of building physics and hygrothermal behaviour, durability approach for historical and old buildings and building pathology vs. durability. The book is divided in several chapters that are a resume of the current state of knowledge for benefit of professional colleagues, scientists, students, practitioners, lecturers and other interested parties to network.