Long-term performance of external renderings on Autoclaved Aerated Concrete walls

Due to its low thermal conductivity and appropriate load bearing capacity, autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) walls have been used in different climates for both residential and industrial buildings. In-use performance of external walls is greatly dependent on the dose of the agents present within the specific environment to which it is subjected thus different exposure conditions of climatic regions and geography should be taken into account when considering longterm performance, durability and service-life of building materials and components. A research project was carried out in accordance with the European Construction Products Directive and ISO standard 15686 Buildings and Constructed Assets - Service Life Planning in order to investigate the performance of external renderings on AAC through long-term natural and short-term artificial weathering tests. This paper outlines the experimental work and presents general results derived particularly from the microenvironment monitoring carried out at the test cabin built within the DurAAC project.