Quality assurance and design of timber structures in varying climates

In ice rinks, expected MC depends on the buildingenvelope and the use of dehumidifiers. Experienceshows that high MC is easily achieved, either abovethe ice-surface or during an outage of the climatecontrol equipment. Generally, elements exposed toweather experience higher MC as well. Leakage ofsealings or roofs are to be avoided, just as much ashigh relative humidities developing in connectionswith little ventilation. If structures are exposedto wet conditions for extended periods of time,sufficient drying/ventilation should be assured toreduce average moisture contents. Moisture contentmonitoring has proven to contribute to qualityassurance and structural health monitoring of buildingsand structures. Affordable solutions that increase thepossibility of detecting anomalies in an early stage,thereby avoiding high repair costs, are available.Variation of MC in load-bearing elements imposeschange in dimensions and can lead to the developmentof (high) moisture induced stresses, already duringconstruction of the building. Winter conditions aredemanding for the timber and measures should bepursued that reduce moisture content variations. Inthe simulated SC1 conditions, the MC decreases from12 M% to 7 M% at the surface of the glulam beam.These are conditions where cracks perpendicularto gain develop in the surface of timber elements.According to the simulations, summer offers amuch milder climate for timber construction. In thesimulated SC2 conditions, MCs in January will increasefrom 12 M% to 21 M%.