CSA S478 Standard for Durability in Buildings

In 1995, the CSA Guideline on Durability in Buildings set down for the first time in Canada a framework where owners and designers could establish durability goals for construction of their buildings. The guideline suggested durability criteria for common construction materials and components in order to avoid premature deterioration. It introduced in one document concepts such as design service life requirements for whole buildings and their components, environmental loading, time dependent deterioration mechanisms, damage avoidance strategies, and appropriate maintenance over the life of a building.

Dr. Leslie Peer, P.Eng., FEC
Principal, Restoration and Building Enclosure Group
RJC Engineers

Since then, durability was introduced into LEED as a way of enhancing service life of buildings and thus reducing their environmental footprint. The concept of life cycle assessment relies on accurate prediction of component durability and building service life, and is important to meeting Canada’s carbon accounting commitments. Building reliability in the face of climate change requires a revised view of building service life in the face of predicted environmental conditions. Will the NBCC comprehensively introduce durability as a Code mandated performance criterion?

The newly released CSA S478 Standard on Building Durability brings together the concepts introduced in the Guideline, and provides assessment concepts and the rigor of standard language ready for inclusion as a reference document in the 2025 NBCC. Reliability concepts are envisaged for a future version of the Standard when sufficient climatic data is available from Environment Canada.

Instructor

Dr. Leslie Peer, P.Eng., FEC

Principal, Restoration and Building Enclosure Group, RJC Engineers

Leslie Peer is a Principal in the Restoration and Building Enclosure Group at RJC Engineers in Vancouver and Kelowna. He studied structural engineering at University of Toronto and moisture physics at Cambridge University, and consults in the fields of materials engineering, façade engineering, and enclosure design.

Leslie is Chair of the Canadian Commission on Construction Materials Evaluation, a member of Technical Committees CSA S478 and CSA Z5010, and associate TC member for CSA A371.