INSIGHTS

Insights on regulation, liability and the condition of the built environment

Four reference pages on what regulations require, what happens to a structure over time, and what the documented condition of a building entails. Each page answers one question, cites its sources and states the date to which the information is verified.

RequirementsBuilding stockAgeingReporting
01 — REQUIREMENTS

Which countries require structural monitoring of buildings

Almost everywhere, the requirements that exist concern the recording of accelerations during an earthquake, with height and floor area thresholds and a minimum number of instruments. A requirement for continuous monitoring written into a building code applies in two cases, Türkiye and China, and in both it covers tall buildings.

Eleven jurisdictions compared, from the United States to the Philippines.
02 — BUILDING STOCK

How old and how exposed is the European building stock

80 per cent of the European residential stock was built before the 1990s and 40 per cent before the 1960s. Almost 70 per cent of the expected annual economic loss from earthquakes in Europe accrues in three countries: Italy, Türkiye and Greece.

Twelve countries compared by age of the building stock, first mandatory seismic code and exposure.
03 — AGEING

How a structure ages and when ageing becomes visible

By the time cracking and spalling become evident, the degradation process has been under way for years and load-bearing capacity may already be compromised. Instrumental measurement detects it earlier, provided the series is long enough to separate the damage signal from the variations induced by temperature.

The degradation mechanisms, their timescales and the limits of dynamic measurement.
04 — REPORTING

How the documented structural condition of a property enters sustainability reporting

The axes that hold up under documented evidence are Social and Governance. The environmental benefit of extending a building's service life remains quantifiable as a comparison between scenarios, and no recognised standard permits it to be accounted for as a credit.

The framework after the European simplification, and what banks and investors ask for.