Assessment and monitoring of aesthetic appearance of building biomaterials during the service life
Sandak, Anna; Sandak, Jakub; Dimitriou, Athanasios; Burud, Ingunn; Thiis, Thomas Kringlebotn; Gobakken, Lone; Ormondroyd, Graham Alan; Kraniotis, Dimitrios
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2017Metadata
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Sandak A, Sandak J, Dimitriou, Burud I, Thiis T, Gobakken LR, Ormondroyd GA, Kraniotis D. Assessment and monitoring of aesthetic appearance of building biomaterials during the service life. Wit Transactions on Ecology and The Environment. 2017;226:527-536 http://dx.doi.org/10.2495/SDP170461Abstract
Bio-based building materials offer a wide range of outlooks, from traditional rustic to modern design
products. Recent development in the science of materials significantly improves their functional performance. However, when considering the use of bio-materials in outdoor environments, materials will deteriorate due to processes like weathering, oxidation, biodegradation, wear, and decay. Consequentially, biomaterials may lose visual appeal, leading to a perceived need for replacement
even if the material is far from reaching functional failure. Visual assessment is the most direct
method for evaluation of the aesthetic appearance of materials. However, it possesses a high degree of
subjectivity when performed by an untrained person. On the contrary, measurement of surface
properties with dedicated sensors provides objective values that might be related to the current state
of the material in use. Recent developments in field of optics and electronics opens a new possibility
to perform measurements in-situ. Colour-, gloss-, or spectro-photo-meters allow non-destructive
measurements without particular sample preparation. Since all of the above techniques provide
complementary information, the multi-sensor approach is more frequently suggested for applied research. The material state can be assessed regularly during service life. In this case, such measurement turns into monitoring. The paper illustrates examples of assessment and monitoring of biomaterials’ degradation due to weathering. Direct implementation of various sensors is demonstrated. A proposal for the approach of combining data provided by various sensing techniques with data mining is also presented.