Construction Process Technical Impact Factors on Degradation of the External Thermal Insulation Composite System

Abstract

The European climate strategy has encouraged the usage of the External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) to increase the energy efficiency of external building envelopes. This externally and relatively easily applicable façade solution must meet various technical requirements. This paper develops a technical severity evaluation model of on-site construction activities of ETICS to prioritize the risks of the construction process. The model can be used independently by any stakeholder of the construction process. The relevance of the activities is assessed with the Failure Mode Effects Analysis method. The model weights the impact of the essential technical requirements and simulates an integrated weighted technical severity value, which is derived from the analysis of experts’ judgments validated with the non-parametric Friedman’s test. The data collection for probability of occurrence and difficulty of detectability follows the Delphi technique to quantify the opinions of a group. The simulation, conducted on 103 degradation factors, shows that the on-site construction activities of ETICS strongly influence the decrease in the technical resilience of long-term durability, mechanical resistance, and stability, as well as the ability to bypass tensions. The highest risk is detected by the shortcomings in the layers of substrate, reinforcement, adhesive, and additional details.