This study was conducted in a school center that had been the focus of intense public concern over 2 years because of suspected mold and health problems. Because several attempts to find solutions to the problem within the community were not satisfactory, outside specialists were needed for support in solving the problem. The study group consisted of experts in civil engineering, indoor mycology, and epidemiology. The studies were conducted in close cooperation with the city administration. Structures at risk were opened, moisture and temperature were measured, and the causes of damage were analyzed. Microbial samples were taken from the air, surfaces, and materials. Health questionnaires were sent to the schoolchildren and personnel. Information on the measurements and their results was released regularly to school employees, students and their parents, and to the media. Repairs were designed on the basis of this information. Moisture damage was caused mainly by difficult moisture conditions at the building site, poor ventilation, and water leaks. Fungal genera (concentrations <200 colony-forming units (cfu)/m3, <3000 cfu/cm2) typical to buildings with mold problems (e.g., Aspergillus versicolor, Eurotium) were collected from the indoor air and surfaces of the school buildings. Where moisture-prone structures were identified and visible signs of damage or elevated moisture content were recorded, the numbers of microbes also were high; thus microbial results from material samples supported the conclusions made in the structural studies. Several irritative and recurrent symptoms were common among the upper secondary and high school students. The prevalence of asthma was high (13%) among the upper secondary school students. During the last 4 years, the incidence of asthma was 3-fold that of the previous 4-year period.
<p>This paper deals with testing of pre-stressed I-beams, the behaviour of the beams under loading, strengthening methods and their function.</p>
<p>In the near history in Finland large commercial buildings have been built using pre-stressed pre-fabricated beams. The cost efficiency has led to designing very slender beams with higher pre-stress forces. This has caused problems in pre-stressed beams around Finland. Damages has been so se-vere that immediate repair of the beams has been necessary in some cases. Tampere University of Technology helped develop and tested these strengthening methods.</p>
<p>The results of the tests led to development of a formula that estimates the beam’s extra capacity after post-tensioned strengthening method.</p>
The availability of coherent long-term measured data on climatic variables and building parameters forms the basis for predicting, analyzing, and simulating the heating or cooling energy demand on buildings. This article analyzes measured 4-year data considering the test building with an insulated cavity brick wall with a massive outer brick leaf. The results show that the solar radiation and the thermal inertia of massive outer leaf of a wall have a significant effect on the heat loss and energy consumption of the buildings throughout Finland and Scandinavia. Based on the average outdoor air temperatures, the nominal calculated heat losses could be overestimated. For more accurate heat losses, the outdoor surface temperature should be applied as a boundary condition. The measured results were verified with finite element method.
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