Architectural concrete has been used widely in contemporary architecture, especially because of the growing evolution associated with its shape, texture, and color. Thus, it is important to create and spread the use of appropriate tools to implement a maintenance strategy for architectural concrete surfaces. This paper presents an expert system to support the inspection, diagnosis, and repair of architectural concrete surfaces. It is composed of classification systems of anomalies, their probable causes, in situ diagnosis methods and repair techniques, and correlation matrices in which the relationship between these systems’ items is expressed. The system also includes individual files for anomalies, diagnosis methods, and repair techniques, in which each is described in detail. The objective of this system is to standardize and systematize the inspection of this type of surface to improve the inspectors’ performances. The implementation of this system supports periodic inspections within a predictive proactive maintenance strategy, improving their efficiency. The system presented was validated and adjusted through an inspection campaign of 110 cast-in-place architectural concrete walls.

This paper describes a statistical survey on the pathology of architectural concrete surfaces, based on the inspection of 53 Portuguese buildings (110 surfaces). The most common type of anomalies in architectural concrete surfaces, their probable causes, adequate diagnosis methods, and suitable maintenance and repair techniques are studied via quantitative indicators, including correlations, in the application of the procedures and classifications from an inspection, diagnosis, and repair expert system for architectural concrete surfaces. The structural integrity of concrete elements is out of this paper’s scope. The results show the importance of a complete set of construction details, including the formwork specifications, which are essential for the surfaces’ quality. Related to two-thirds of the registered causes of anomalies, execution is a key stage, greatly benefiting from the use of specialized labor. Regular cleaning procedures and the enhancement of surface protection throughout the surface service life may also prevent a number of relevant anomalies, as the most frequent anomalies (approximately half the occurrences) are aesthetic.