Service life prediction and environmental exposure conditions of timber claddings in South Chile

In this research, a methodology for the service life prediction of external timber claddings is proposed and discussed. The proposed model is based on the visual assessment of 110 timber claddings, subjected to real exposure conditions. The claddings under analysis belong to 80 buildings, with and without heritage characteristics, located in Valdivia and Niebla, South Chile. Timber claddings are a relevant symbol of the local identity of this region, portraying a complexity of ideas and cultural values, inherited by Spanish and German colonizations. The main anomalies that can occur in these claddings are translated into a numerical index, which describes the overall degradation condition of a timber facade. This work also discusses the influence of the local climate and environmental exposure conditions, considering biotic factors (fungi, insects, moulds, algae and bacteria) and abiotic factors (water, solar radiation, amplitude of temperature, physical damage) in the evolution of the degradation condition of timber claddings. The scarcity of funds in Chile to maintain and preserve the constructions and its components needs a more rational approach to decision-making concerning inspection, maintenance and rehabilitation procedures. The expeditious tool proposed in this paper may help in providing the basis for rational decision-making by professionals in practice.