Abstract
The object of this doctoral thesis is to explore the effects of the passage of time on the façades of buildings, focusing on the architect’s sphere of influence and point of view. The initial hypothesis is that project strategies can be adopted at the design stage so that they can have an effect on the evolution of a façade through time. The final objective would be to extend its service life and improve conservation conditions but also to attain more consistency in the marks of the passage of time in relation to the architectural concept of the building. Both the life-span of a façade and its end depend of the obsolescence processes affecting it, which can be physical, technical, functional, economic, psychological or external in nature. Predicting the performance of a building element is related to multiple interests such as the initial investment, the forecast of the necessary resources for its conservation and even the definition of the responsibilities of the agents involved. This thesis is based on the study and analysis of a set of façades built in Barcelona in the 20th century. The main tool used to find obsolescence processes is the identification of alterations in the original composition. These changes evidence faults or problems and their causes indicate the nature of the obsolescence observed. These case studies allow an examination of the real behavior of the different construction sub-systems in relation to the service expectancy in the literature. Evidence shows that reality is more complex than forecasts and that most of the façades do not reach a unique and clear end of life but rather go through a gradual process of change with blurred boundaries even though the trends broadly concur with the references in the literature. The main influencing factors and their relative importance are identified through a systematic review of the effect of the different types of obsolescence on the case studies. Evidence shows that some of the most significant influencing factors are related to the material conditions of the façades but other factors related to conditions of use, economic circumstances and formal composition are also relevant. The analysis of the cases with more severe alterations show that the end of life tends to be the result of the combined effect of different types of obsolescence rather than of a unique factor. The case studies show behavior profiles sharing common features which tend to concur with a similar evolution in time in relation to the level of alteration and the state of repairs of the facing walls. This data provide information to establish different measures to be taken into account in the design stage of a façade which can have an effect on its future performance. All these measures are related to construction and formal resolution, which is the main area of influence of designers. The results observed in the case studies are to some extent transposed to current buildings under construction. Evidence shows that some of the current technological resolution trends for façades imply a shorter life-span and an increasing role of types of obsolescence different from physical deterioration. Ali this shows that the life-span of contemporary façades will greatly differ from what it used to be in the past, an aspect that should be taken into account in order to get a more efficient use of economic and environmental resources.
Access the thesis
