Activities on durability of building products: Background study. Appendix

The Building Research Institutes of Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, the Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Swedish National Testing Institute and the Norwegian Institute for Air Research have started a research programme within the field of dyeing, durability and service life of building materials and components. The main objects of the programme are: research on dyeing and service life of materials and components, methods for field surveys testing the ageing and service life, prediction of durability and service life inspection and reparation of building failures. The work is financed nationally and supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The programme falls today under the auspices of Nordic Building Research Cooperation Group. The program consists of four projects. The preparatory study on durability and service life of building materials and products is one of them and it has been performed in collaboration with interested parties. Many persons from different research institutes have participated in the work by providing written contributions, by collecting, analysing or discussing material relevant for the study. The results of the project will be published in two volumes: the main report in VTT, Research Notes 96 and the Appendix in VTT, Research Notes 97. It has to be pointed out that the ultimate responsibility for the contents and formulations lies upon the undersigned who has written the main part of the report and edited all contributions.