KNUSTSpace >
Conference Proceedings >
College of Architecture and Planning >
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/10970
|
Title: | A holistic survey of dampness in a three bed room residential bungalow in Kumasi, Ghana |
Authors: | Agyekum, Kofi Ayarkwa, Joshua Adinyira, Emmanuel |
Keywords: | Block walls Dampness Moisture content Residential bungalow |
Issue Date: | Jul-2014 |
Publisher: | Case Studies in Construction Materials 1 (2014) 125–137 |
Citation: | Case Studies in Construction Materials 1 (2014)125–137 |
Abstract: | For Many years the problem of dampness has assumed alarming dimensions in public and
private buildings in Ghana.This paper presents a case study of a three bedroom residential
bungalow of the Department of Urban Roads in Kumasi which suffers from the problem of
dampness since four years after the building was constructed and occupied.The study
adopted a holistic approach to dampness surveying involving a two-stage protocol of
damp investigation to identify the areas in the walls severely affected by dampness.
Results from the visual survey(site inspection)identified symptoms such as blistering of
paints,flaking of mortar,damp patches in horizontal bands,surface efflorescence and in
some cases mold growth to be associated with the walls of the building.The findings
showed that dampness in the building could be due to a combination of several sources
including plumbing leakages,rain water splash back,lateral penetration and rising
dampness.Results from the non-destructive tests revealed higher moisture contents in the
walls of the bathrooms(externally and internally),living room and bedrooms.The
moisture content recorded in the bathrooms were unusually higher than the other rooms
and a detailed analysis revealed that plumbing leakage was a contributory factor,
especially in the internal walls.Though the study identified plumbing leakages and water
penetration as contributory factors to the dampness experienced in the walls of the
bathrooms,further destructive tests are recommended for the confirmation of the true
source(s)of dampness in the walls of the bedrooms and living room to greatly assist in
targeting the correct remediation to manage or cure the problem. |
Description: | Article published by Case studies in Construction Materials 1(2014)125–137 |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/10970 |
Appears in Collections: | College of Architecture and Planning
|
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
|