Assessment of the durability of the airtightness of building elements via laboratory tests

The airtightness just after the end of a building phase is assumed to be relevant criteria for high energy performance. Testing on site the initial performance of the airtightness via the blower door test has become nowadays a common practice but generally implemented before the occupation of the building. But a lot of questions are still remaining targeting the sustainability of the performances. Even if retesting a building a few years after the initial test can provide a general view on the evolution of this performance, this could generate the adding cost and couldn’t give information on the origin of potential changes. Another approach may be to validate technology and building technics as sustainable solutions. In order to quantitatively evaluate the durability of the airtightness of building elements as well as building technics, a research realized in Belgium has tested in laboratory the initial performance of more than 50 building walls and their materials.