Indoor Multi-Risk Scenarios of Climate Change Effects on Building Materials in Scandinavian Countries

Abstract

Within the built environment, historic buildings are among the most vulnerable structures to the climate change impact. In the Scandinavian countries, the risk from climatic changes is more pronounced and the right adaptation interventions should be chosen properly. This article, through a multidisciplinary approach, links the majority of climate-induced decay variables for different building materials with the buildings’ capacity to change due to their protection status. The method tends to be general as it assesses the decay level for different building materials, sizes, and locations. The application of the method in 38 locations in the Scandinavian countries shows that the risk from climatic changes is imminent. In the far future (2071–2100), chemical and biological decays will slightly increase, especially in the southern part of the peninsula, while the mechanical decay of the building materials kept indoors will generally decrease. Furthermore, the merge of the decay results with the protection level of the building will serve as a good indicator to plan the right level and time of intervention for adapting to the future climatic changes.