The Impact of Brick Variability on the Moisture Risk of Traditional Solid Brick Walls Under Current and Future Climate Scenarios in London
摘要
A significant portion of the existing building stock is of masonry construction in the UK, many featuring solid brick walls. However, there is limited understanding on how the moisture performance of existing brick walls evolves in a changing warming climate. Previous research showed high variability of material properties across bricks found in one wall; this study aims to at evaluating the impact of material properties variability on moisture risks of traditional London brick walls under current and future climate scenarios. The material properties of two brick types (20 brick samples per type) were used in hygrothermal simulations, and the risk of frost damage and mould growth were assessed under current and future climate files. Then the analysis of moisture risks can help understand the uncertainty of moisture risk associated with the variability of different bricks. While one type of brick shows higher variability in hygrothermal properties, there is a small influence of this variability on moisture risk. The influence of changing climate conditions is crucial for assessing the moisture performance of different brick types.