This paper provides a critical review of the degradation, durability and service life prediction (SLP) of polymeric building envelope materials (BEMs), namely, claddings, air/vapour barriers, insulations, sealants, gaskets and fenestration. The rate of material deterioration and properties determine the usefulness of a product; therefore, knowledge of the significant degradation mechanisms in play for BEMs is key to the design of proper SLP methods. SLP seeks to estimate the life expectancy of a material/component exposed to in-service conditions. This topic is especially important with respect to the potential impacts of climate change. The surrounding environment of a building dictates the degradation mechanisms in play, and as climate change progresses, material aging conditions become more unpredictable. This can result in unexpected changes and/or damages to BEMs, and shorter than expected SL. The development of more comprehensive SLP methods is economically and environmentally sound, and it will provide more confidence, comfort and safety to all building users. The goal of this paper is to review the existing literature in order to identify the knowledge gaps and provide suggestions to address these gaps in light of the rapidly evolving climate.

End-of-life treatment of construction, renovation, and demolition (CRD) plastic waste generated from day-to-day applications of plastics in the construction industry can negatively impact the environment if not handled properly. Addressing this issue is crucial considering the current unprecedented increasing rate of the use of plastics in the construction industry all over the world. Globally, the current option for managing CRD plastic waste is mainly landfill due to inadequate guidelines and standards, avoidance of risk, and lack of knowledge and experience in recycling CRD plastic waste. This trend counteracts the efforts towards a circular economy and crude oil independency. Therefore, developing commercially feasible end-of-use recycling technologies is indispensable to guarantee a sustainable future for the plastics employed in the construction sector. Despite the high theoretical recyclability of the plastics, recycling CRD plastic waste is economically unattractive since the material is contaminated and difficult to sort and separate. In addition, the cost of recycling is hardly recovered because of the material’s low value.This paper reviews the status quo, technologies, challenges, barriers, opportunities and recent initiatives on recycling CRD plastic waste. The paper identifies the framework and technology modifications required to overcome the current obstacles to implementing commercial-scale recycling. It emphasizes the importance of establishing an effective collection network, imposing price signals by authorities to impress landfilling of CRD plastic waste, and developing policies and regulations to enforce manufacturers to take end-of-life responsibilities by up-designing the product considering facilitated recycling. The paper concludes with a focus on investigating recent global state-of-art measures taken to tackle barriers against CRD plastic waste recycling. This study will assist the plastic construction sector with manufacturing, recycling, policymaking, benchmarking purposes, and implementation considering environmental and economic benefits.

The primary goal of this review is to explore both the fundamental dynamics of moisture ingress and practical strategies for its mitigation. Moisture ingress remains a critical issue due to its impact on the structural integrity of buildings and the health and safety of occupants. This work adopts a systematic approach, focusing on key mechanisms of water transport—capillary action, vapour diffusion, and condensation—and how different parameters influence the process of moisture transport. Moisture ingress, whether through direct leakage, capillary action, air infiltration, or vapour diffusion, poses significant risks to the premature degradation of building envelope materials. In this study, emphasis has been placed on describing the methods for controlling liquid water movement, preventing condensation, and using moisture-resistant materials. Additionally in this study, the advanced design and hygrothermal performance simulation tools are examined; the use of such tools is considered essential for predicting and managing moisture-related issues in building envelopes. Finally, the significance of complying with moisture control standards and guidelines is highlighted, ensuring a comprehensive framework for effective moisture management in building design and maintenance. Beyond this review, key knowledge gaps in moisture control strategies have been identified, particularly in respect to material performance, the accuracy of predictive modeling, and the standardization of mitigation techniques. Addressing these gaps is essential for advancing building design, maintenance practices, and regulatory frameworks that together combine to enhance moisture resilience.

Moisture ingress is a critical concern in buildings, as it may profoundly affect structural integrity, the energy efficiency of a building, and as well the quality of the indoor environment that, in turn, could influence the health and safety of building occupants. Moisture ingress can occur during any phase in the lifecycle of a building component, where environmental loads, such as precipitation, wind, snow, and elevated relative humidity, play a fundamental role in affecting the building structure. Climate change exacerbates the issue of moisture ingress by intensifying these loads. In this review paper, the statistical perspective on publications related to moisture ingress in building envelope materials (BEMs) was first assessed through a scientometric study. All relevant publications were gathered and manually filtered, and the selected papers were categorized based on the topics discussed. The results of the scientometric study, as presented in this paper, include a bar chart in which the number of publications in each category is illustrated; a science journal mapping diagram showing the interdisciplinary connections of the research; a cluster map depicting the network between topics; and an R&D momentum analysis reflecting the rate of growth and publication count in this field. Given the strong focus on material properties, this review also examines experimental methods for characterizing moisture transport properties in building materials used in BEMs. Additionally, the differences between various codes and standards centered on this topic are reviewed and discussed. This combined strategy is intended to comprehensively evaluate available information and approaches to permit identifying the knowledge gaps that need to be addressed.

Wood is susceptible to various degradation mechanisms when exposed to dynamic environmental conditions, including hydrolysis caused by the infiltration of water into the wood cell structure. This study aims to examine the differences between the effects of two types of accelerated aging on the long-term performance of white spruce wood samples to have a better understanding of the performance of spruce wood in real-world applications. Two separate sets of samples were employed in this experimental study. One set was placed in a hydrolytic aging chamber at 90 °C and 80% relative humidity while the other set was placed in a freeze-thaw cycling chamber with temperature variations from 25 °C to -18 °C at a rate of 6 cycles per day. The aged samples were tested at regular intervals, with a testing span of 3 months for the hydrolytically aged samples and 300 cycles for the freeze-thaw aged samples. The results obtained from characterization tests showed that both aging conditions caused a significant increase in the crystallinity index of the samples. This finding highlights the potential value of subjecting wood to these conditions as a pre-treatment to standardize crystallinity levels for experimental purposes. Ultimately, the hydrolytic aging conditions were found to be more detrimental to the spruce wood samples. The samples that underwent hydrolytic aging demonstrated higher water uptake levels, lower viscoelastic properties, and lower thermal degradation temperatures than the samples that were subjected to freeze-thaw cycling.

The longevity of polymer-based sealant and jointing products, including elastomers, significantly depends on the level of exposure to sunlight and joint movement. These factors are particularly crucial in the application of polymers in construction due to their susceptibility to degradation under environmental conditions. For instance, diurnal cycles of contraction and dilation, arising from daily temperature fluctuations, impose significant stress on sealants and joints, impacting their durability over time. The elastic nature of polymeric sealants enables them to endure these cyclic mechanical loads. Athough there is considerable information on sealant durability obtained from laboratory accelerated aging, there is limited knowledge about the effect of climatic factors using historical and projected weather data on the durability and expected service life of these products. This study employed the Shephard crack growth model to predict the performance of sealants in a Canadian context; the crack growth and time-to-failure of hypothetical silicone sealants were investigated across 564 locations, for which historical climate data were obtained from 1998 to 2017, including gridded reanalysis data for the period of 1836–2015. The historical climate data were classified into four climate categories, and crack growth was estimated based on historical climatic data within the valid range for the Shephard model, revealing that locations in colder climates with lower levels of precipitation typically exhibit higher cumulative crack growth. The impact of climatic variation and environmental stressors on the longevity of sealants in the context of climate change was also investigated using future projected data.