International standards for service life planning of buildings

ISO Technical Committee TC 59, Building Construction, is an international standards committee dealing with general rules for performance requirements for buildings. SC14, Design Life, is the subcommittee of TC59 that deals with standardisation of the principles and processes that apply when planning the design life of construction works. The standard being drafted by SC14 will serve designers, owners, potential buyers/investors, educators, students, and others. It points out that, while it is difficult to make precise estimates of service lives, the discipline of making estimates based on the principles presented can help avoid unexpected failures. This paper reviews the current work within SC14 and draws attention to issues and research needs yet to be addressed by the working groups drafting the parts of the design life standard.