Diagnostica delle costruzioni
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Buildings, like construction materials and products, have their own life cycle and can therefore be considered as living organisms. As such, they are endowed with organs that have the task of managing the organism's interactions with its surroundings, thus guaranteeing the well-being of the building and its users.
One of the sector's main activities is to carry out the necessary diagnostic investigations to identify the causes of pathological phenomena, from which buildings suffer, and to gather information useful for defining remedies.
The competences of this area cover the fields of materials science, building physics, indoor pollution, analytical and measurement techniques, environmental simulation methods and data processing methods.
Construction diagnostics
Among the main services offered by the sector is the performance of diagnostic investigations aimed at identifying the causes of pathological phenomena and gathering information useful for defining possible remedies.
The most frequently encountered problems include:
floor breakages,
damage caused by moisture (seepage, condensation and leaks),
cracking or detachment of plaster,
deterioration of concrete façades,
deterioration of flat roofs.
The sector makes use of non-destructive investigation methods, such as thermography or thermo-hygrometric monitoring. Non-destructive investigations are supplemented with chemical, physical and mechanical laboratory tests and analyses conducted on materials taken from the work.
Safety and hygiene in the built environment
In this field, specialists look for the presence of substances in the environment that are hazardous to people's health or that cause unhealthy situations (environmental pollutants, allergens, odour-causing substances).
These are environmental contaminants generally contained in and released by materials or substances present inside buildings (asbestos-containing products and volatile organic compounds), produced by human activity or the metabolic activity of microorganisms, or substances present in the subsoil that penetrate inside buildings (radon). The sector is recognised as a control body for the success of asbestos remediation and actively participates in the activities of the SUPSI Radon Competence Centre.
Analyses related to the detection of asbestos in materials and air and measurements of radon gas concentrations are accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service.
The competences of this area cover the fields of materials science, building physics, indoor pollution, analytical and measurement techniques, environmental simulation methods and data processing methods.
Construction diagnostics
Among the main services offered by the sector is the performance of diagnostic investigations aimed at identifying the causes of pathological phenomena and gathering information useful for defining possible remedies.
The most frequently encountered problems include:
floor breakages,
damage caused by moisture (seepage, condensation and leaks),
cracking or detachment of plaster,
deterioration of concrete façades,
deterioration of flat roofs.
The sector makes use of non-destructive investigation methods, such as thermography or thermo-hygrometric monitoring. Non-destructive investigations are supplemented with chemical, physical and mechanical laboratory tests and analyses conducted on materials taken from the work.
Safety and hygiene in the built environment
In this field, specialists look for the presence of substances in the environment that are hazardous to people's health or that cause unhealthy situations (environmental pollutants, allergens, odour-causing substances).
These are environmental contaminants generally contained in and released by materials or substances present inside buildings (asbestos-containing products and volatile organic compounds), produced by human activity or the metabolic activity of microorganisms, or substances present in the subsoil that penetrate inside buildings (radon). The sector is recognised as a control body for the success of asbestos remediation and actively participates in the activities of the SUPSI Radon Competence Centre.
Analyses related to the detection of asbestos in materials and air and measurements of radon gas concentrations are accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service.