Some materials will have a recognized working life of 60 years but when acting within a composite system this may be compromised.

We use thermal stress, frost weathering, air pressure, salt crystallization or chemical weathering as aging techniques to assess long-term performance, enabling the 60-years guarantee to be attained.

You want to be sure that your cladding materials, such as renders, brickwork, concrete and modern composite cladding, can perform for their intended life cycle.

We can subject samples to accelerated weathering and make assessments about their structural integrity as well as their aesthetics.

Wind driven rain penetration can be a particular problem when looking at modular construction or timber frame and lightweight steel frame buildings as water ingress can cause deterioration of the structural frame and hence affect the load bearing capacity of the building.

Our experts carry out tests under dynamic conditions which represent the different levels of exposure found across the UK.  This ultimately allows the system to be categorized for use but also allows any poor detailing to be addressed prior to use.

If you are looking to explore a building’s energy efficiency and usage, we can also help.  We use thermography testing on buildings to explore energy efficiency and cold bridging problems, as well as heat flux plates to monitor energy usage and the efficiency of insulation systems.  We also carry out assessments for condensation risk and carbon footprinting.