Rehabilitation of facades in Zaragoza

Have you ever wondered what would happen to your skin if it were always exposed to the elements? Have you ever thought what would happen if there was no cellular renewal to defend you against wounds and burns?

Fortunately you will not have done so because these actions are inherent to you and the fisionality of being human. These are passive events that occur whether we want them to or not because we reside in a changing organism that adapts to the environment.
Our homes, like us, are also changing organisms that we constantly update, but unlike our body, their adaptation is always a voluntary act. We like to renew our environment and adapt our way of living to the latest facilities offered by today’s world. We love to change kitchen, bathroom, flooring, television, paint, furniture and everything that spatially influence on us. However, and although we care a lot about our homes, we always do it from the inside walls, leaving any material in contact with the outside as elements outside our domain and responsibility.
However, it is common that the facades of our buildings need to be rehabilitated or repaired every 25 years and it is at that time when we must be informed and choose to repair it superficially or adapt the skin of our building to the technical advances that allow us the new construction trends.

“Although we care a lot about our homes, we always do it from the walls in, leaving any material in contact with the outside as elements outside our domain and responsibility. “

In accordance with the above, at Cronotopos we always recommend to follow the following points to undertake any facade repair.

1. The visit of a technician to locate and quantify the pathologies is especially relevant whenever it is necessary to issue a certificate of suitability in order to eliminate the causes that led to an unfavorable ITE (Inspección técnica del edificio). It is very common for communities of owners to encounter difficulties when certifying works that have not been reviewed by an architect or technical architect.
2. Once the damage has been located, a decision must be made as to the type of repair solution to be carried out, depending on the overall vision of the intervention. The first point to determine is to assess whether the work to be done on the facade requires the installation of scaffolding, this is the most relevant question as it is usually the most valuable item of a work of this kind. If scaffolding is chosen, there is no point in a superficial repair that is not capable of amortizing the cost of scaffolding or ancillary measures. The installation of scaffolding requires a municipal license and a scaffolding erection management certificate issued by a competent technician. If the works to be carried out are of a minor nature, we recommend the use of personnel specialized in vertical works. Due to the cost reduction compared to the traditional scaffolding assembly, this way of working is recommended for carrying out punctual and quick repairs.
3. If, in addition to repairing the damaged aspects of the facade, you want to improve the energy performance of the building, it is advisable to make a larger investment. It has been proven that these insulation interventions on the exterior and on poorly insulated buildings, end up being very positive investments for the communities of neighbors. These are usually amortized between 5 to 10 years, but the problem faced by the communities is usually the financing to undertake such initial cost.
4. The main form of financing of any community of neighbors is usually the bank but, nowadays and with initiatives such as “The long-term strategy for energy rehabilitation in the construction sector in Spain” (ERESEE 2017) these initiatives, both of communities of neighbors and individuals, are being promoted and economically encouraged from a state framework.

“It has been proven that these insulation interventions on the exterior and on poorly insulated buildings end up being very positive investments for neighborhood communities.”

The rehabilitation of facades is a periodic necessity for the vast majority of our properties. Until very recently, there were three main solutions: the first consisted of repairing the rendering using cement mortar and then painting the facade every few years; the second option consisted of applying single coat type rendering as the most technically advanced solution; and the third option, known as lime mortar-based rendering, although much less used, was a technical intermediate between the two previous options. At present, these solutions are being replaced by systems with thermal insulation such as ventilated systems or SATE (External Thermal Insulation System). In addition to aesthetic constraints, the current trend in facade rehabilitation is to give special importance to technical solutions that allow energy and economic savings due to less or no maintenance. The improvements of the newest solutions to the traditional ones are mainly the following:

• Improve thermal insulation characteristics.
• Improve acoustic insulation characteristics.
• Reduce energy consumption for air conditioning, saving between 30% and 45% in energy costs.
• Improve the life span of facade finishes from 8-10 years to the 50 years that an ETICS system can last.
• Amortization of the cost of the work in 5 to 10 years due to the reduction in energy costs and maintenance.

“The current trend in facade rehabilitation is to treat with special importance the technical solutions that allow energy and economic savings due to less or no maintenance.”

We have to start considering buildings as living elements, which need maintenance and sometimes repairs. New technologies are helping to improve the quality of these, and new policy frameworks and government support are making these solutions economically viable. The energy revolution in the real estate market is starting now and it is essential to join a good team of competent technicians to know the best solutions that the construction market can offer us.
In CRONOTOPOS arquitectura we enjoy doing this type of interventions because we know that it is always a safe value for the client. From our studio we support all those initiatives that have to do with the rehabilitation of facades and the awareness of society to invest and update its real estate market, because we never forget that an insulated, ventilated and damp-free building helps and goes hand in hand to achieve a healthy inhabitant.

Written by Alejandro Lezcano Maestre, published by Cronotopos.