In order to create and make available the following: Design guidelines, recommendations for energy audits, data for analysis and simulation of the condition of masonry walls susceptible to biological corrosion, deterioration of comfort parameters in rooms, or deterioration of thermal resistance, the article analyzes various types of masonry wall structures occurring in and commonly used in historical buildings over the last 200 years. The summary is a list of results of particular types of masonry walls and their mutual comparison. On this basis, a procedure path has been proposed which is useful for monitoring heat loss, monitoring the moisture content of building partitions, and improving the hygrothermal comfort of rooms. The durability of such constructions has also been estimated and the impact on the condition of the buildings that have been preserved and are still in use today was assessed.

Construction is a powerful industry that is not indifferent to the environment. Neither the maintenance of buildings in a proper technical condition nor their eventual demolition is indifferent to the environment. The main threats to the environment are still the inefficient use of construction materials and energy needed for their production and installation, as well as the emission of harmful substances to the environment at the stage of operation of buildings and their demolition. This article discusses the importance of wood as a renewable material in terms of its physical and mechanical properties. The restoration of forest areas is of great importance to the global ecosystem and the sustainable development system, reducing the threat of global warming and the greenhouse effect by reducing CO₂ levels. In addition, demolition wood can be reused in construction, can be safely recycled as it quickly decomposes, or can be used as a source of renewable energy. The preservation of existing timber-framed buildings in good condition contributes to a lower consumption of this raw material for repair, which already significantly reduces the energy required for their manufacture, transport, and assembly. This also reduces the amount of waste that would have to be disposed of in various ways. Both at the stage of design, execution, and then exploitation, one forgets about the physical processes taking place inside the partitions and about the external climatic influences of the environment (precipitation, water vapor, and temperature) on which the type, intensity, and extent of chemical and biological corrosion depend to a very high degree. This paper presents examples of the influence of such impacts on the operational safety of three selected objects: a feed storehouse and an officer casino building from the second half of the nineteenth century and an 18th century rural homestead building. The research carried out on wooden structures of the above-mentioned objects “in situ” was verified by means of simulation models, which presented their initial and current technical conditions in relation to the type and amount of impact they should safely absorb. Moreover, within the framework of this paper, artificial intelligence methods have been implemented to predict the biological corrosion of the structures studied. The aim of the paper was to draw attention to the timber already built into buildings, which may constitute waste even after several years of operation, requiring disposal and at the same time the production of a substitute. The purpose of the research carried out by the authors of the article was to examine the older and newer buildings in use, the structures of which, in whole or in part, were made of wood. On a global scale, there will be considerable demand for the energy required to thermally dispose of this waste or to deposit it in landfills with very limited capacity until its complete biological decomposition. These energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions can be prevented by effective diagnostics of such structures and the predictability of their behaviour over time, with respect to the conditions under which they are operated. The authors of the article, during each assessment of the technical condition of a building containing wooden elements, analysed the condition of their protection each time and predicted the period of their safe life without the need for additional reinforcements or replacement by others. As the later reality shows, it is a very effective method of saving money and energy.

Buildings, energy, and the environment are key issues facing construction around the world. The energy efficiency of buildings is a key topic when it comes to reducing the world’s energy consumption, releasing harmful gases, and global climate change, as they consume about 40% of the world’s energy supplies. Heat losses in buildings reduce the energy performance of buildings and are basically important to them. In the paper, the authors focus on the main problems related to heat losses generated by chimney systems, which are inseparable equipment of building structures, resulting in lower energy efficiency and, at the same time, technical efficiency and durability of the building partitions themselves. Authors present thermal imaging with its contribution to the detection of heat losses, thermal bridges, insulation problems, and other performance disturbances, and then verifications using appropriate simulation models. The mathematical apparatus of artificial neural networks was implemented to predict the temperature distributions on the surfaces of prefabricated chimney solutions. In Europe, we can often find a large building substance equipped with traditional chimneys, which disrupts the current trend of striving to reduce energy consumption, especially that derived from fossil fuels. Speaking of energy-efficient buildings, one should not ignore those that, without additional security and modern installations, are constantly used in a very wide range. Therefore, the article deals with an essential problem that is not perceived in design studies and during the operation period as having a basis in incorrect architectural solutions and which can be easily eliminated. It concerns the cooling of internal partitions of buildings on their last storeys, in places where chimneys are located, regardless of their function. The authors of the paper decided to take a closer look at this phenomenon, which may allow the limiting of its effects and at the same time reduce its impact on the energy performance of technologically older buildings.

Control of technical parameters obtained by ready-mixed concrete may be carried out at different stages of the development of concrete properties and by different participants involved in the construction investment process. According to the European Standard EN 206 “Concrete–Specification, performance, production and conformity”, mandatory control of concrete conformity is conducted by the producer during production. As shown by the subject literature, statistical criteria set out in the standard, including the method for concrete quality assessment based on the concept of concrete family, continue to evoke discussions and raise doubts. This justifies seeking alternative methods for concrete quality assessment. This paper presents a novel approach to quality control and classification of concrete based on combining statistical and fuzzy theories as a means of representation of two types of uncertainty: random uncertainty and information uncertainty. In concrete production, a typical situation when fuzzy uncertainty can be taken into consideration is the conformity control of concrete compressive strength, which is conducted to confirm the declared concrete class. The proposed procedure for quality assessment of a concrete batch is based on defining the membership function for the considered concrete classes and establishing the degree of belonging to the considered concrete class. It was found that concrete classification set out by the standard includes too many concrete classes of overlapping probability density distributions, and the proposed solution was to limit the scope of compressive strength to every second class so as to ensure the efficacy of conformity assessment conducted for concrete classes and concrete families. The proposed procedures can lead to two types of decisions: non-fuzzy (crisp) or fuzzy, which point out to possible solutions and their corresponding preferences. The suggested procedure for quality assessment allows to classify a concrete batch in a fuzzy way with the degree of certainty less than or equal to 1. The results obtained confirm the possibility of employing the proposed method for quality assessment in the production process of ready-mixed concrete.

The paper discusses the problems connected with long-term exploitation of reinforced concrete post-tensioned girders. The scale of problems in the world related to the number of cable post-tensioned concrete girders built in the 1950s and still in operation is very large and possibly has very serious consequences. The paper presents an analysis and evaluation of the results of measurements of the deflection and strength and homogeneity of concrete in cable–concrete roof girders of selected industrial halls located in Poland, exploited for over 50 years. On the basis of the results of displacement monitoring in the years 2009–2020, the maximum increments of deflection of the analyzed girders were determined. Non-destructive, destructive, and indirect evaluation methods were used to determine the compressive strength of concrete. Within the framework of the indirect method recommended in standard PN-EN 13791, a procedure was proposed by the authors to modify the so-called base curve for determining compressive strength. Due to the age of the analyzed structural elements, a correction factor for the age of concrete was taken into account in the strength assessment. The typical value of the characteristic compressive strength is within the range 20.3–28.4 MPa. As a result of the conducted tests, the concrete class assumed in the design was not confirmed, and its classification depended on the applied test method. The analyzed girders, in spite of their long-term exploitation, can be still used for years on the condition that regular periodical inspections of their technical condition are carried out. The authors emphasize the necessity for a permanent and cyclic diagnostic process and monitoring of the geometry of girders, as they are expected to operate much longer than was assumed by their designers.

The paper deals with problems relating to the assessment, repair and restoration of wooden roof structures in historic buildings. The roofs in two historic buildings located in southern Poland are the subject of this study. Their long use, the lack of proper maintenance, the merely local repairs and replacement of individual elements necessitated urgent repair and restoration measures. Some of the damage had gone unnoticed during routine surveys. All the factors which contributed to the degradation of the roof structures and created a hazard of their collapse are examined. The results of static analyses and calculations of the damaged structures are presented and the ways of strengthening and restoring them are described.