ISO 15686-7:2017

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 15686-7
Second edition
2017-04
Buildings and constructed assets —
Service life planning —
Part 7:
Performance evaluation for feedback
of service life data from practice
Bâtiments et biens immobiliers construits — Prévision de la durée
de vie —
Partie 7: Évaluation de la performance de l’information en retour
relative à la durée de vie, issue de la pratique
Reference number
©
ISO 2017
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland
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ii © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Methodological framework . 3
4.1 Service life planning . 3
4.2 Performance assessment of service life in the course of the construction life cycle . 4
4.2.1 Relation to service life design and reference service life (RSL) . 4
4.2.2 Life cycle performance of construction . 5
5 Performance surveys . 7
5.1 General . 7
5.2 Registration level and user-oriented types of inspection . 8
5.3 Phases and activities in the performance survey . 9
5.3.1 General overview . 9
5.3.2 Defining the task .10
5.3.3 Planning .11
5.3.4 Examination .12
5.3.5 Evaluation .14
5.3.6 Reporting .17
Annex A (informative) Guidance on Factor E — Environmental classification systems and
methods for assessment in microenvironments .19
Annex B (informative) Prediction of (residual) service life on the object (single building)
level and on the network level (population of buildings) .24
Annex C (informative) Prediction of the performance development over time by Markov Chain .25
Annex D (informative) Worked example of RSL data records from “Inspection of buildings” .30
Bibliography .33
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following
URL: w w w . i s o .org/ iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 59, Buildings and civil engineering
works, Subcommittee SC 14, Design life.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 15686-7:2006), which has been
technically revised.
A list of all the parts in the ISO 15686 series can be found on the ISO website.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Introduction
The ISO 15686 series, including this document, is an important contribution to the development of a
policy for design life. A major impetus for the preparation of the ISO 15686 series is the concern over
the inability to predict service life, costs of ownership and maintenance of buildings and constructed
assets. Common methods and standards for performance assessment and proper feedback of data from
practice are decisive in order to make experience data from the building stock more consistent and
comparable.
This document provides a framework to channel information, collected as part of building performance
surveys and assessments, into structured data that can be used in various aspects of the service life
planning process.
By applying the generic protocol and terms from this document, to evaluate the service life performance
during a building’s life cycle, practitioners can generate “in-use” service life data, as referenced in
ISO 15686-2 and ISO 15686-8.
The inspection and reporting procedures described in this document, acknowledge that both the
condition, of any given building, component or system, as well as performance requirements, can
change during the lifecycle. Those changes typically result in corrective actions, maintenance or
re-commissioning, to rectify the performance gaps. While commissioning, re-commissioning and
maintenance planning are beyond the consideration of this document, the interactions and significance
of initial inspection data, maintenance-driven inspections, changed performance expectations,
performance surveys, service life predictions and service life planning are discussed.
ISO 15686-10 stipulates that functional performance is to be assessed at various stages during the whole
life, most critically during the project delivery phase, and at commissioning. Functional performance
assessments are to continue during the property management phase and when considering disposal, to
compare actual serviceability profile of the facility to the generic or typical functional requirement profile
of potential occupants or buyers. This document provides essential input to the functional performance
review process of ISO 15686-10 and as such is of importance to all members of the building team.
ISO 15686-4 lays out procedures for the application of Building Information Modelling (BIM),
specifically to provide a consistent computerized structure for the retention and use of service life
planning information and service life predictions. Coupled with the emergence and inherent capabilities
of BIM, the techniques described in this document will become more useful, lead to better service life
estimations and generally improve service life planning.
This document is intended for all members of a building team, e.g. building owners and developers,
professional advisors, constructors, assessors, manufacturers of building products, insurers, managers
of both publicly and privately owned constructed assets.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 15686-7:2017(E)
Buildings and constructed assets — Service life planning —
Part 7:
Performance evaluation for feedback of service life data
from practice
1 Scope
This document provides a generic basis for performance evaluation for feedback of service life data
from existing buildings and constructed assets, including a definition of the terms to be used and
the description of how the (technical) performance can be described and documented to ensure
consistencies.
The purpose of this document is to describe the principles for service life performance surveys and
evaluation with an emphasis on technical recommendations. It describes a generic methodology,
including the terms to be used, that provides guidance on the planning, documentation and inspection
phases, as well as on analysis and interpretation of performance evaluations, both on the object (single
building) and network (stock of buildings) level. While maintenance planning is outside the scope of
this document, maintenance-driven inspections and subsequent recommended actions could have
significant effects upon service life and performance.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 15686-1:2011, Buildings and constructed assets — Service life planning — Part 1: General principles
and framework
ISO 15686-2:2012, Buildings and constructed assets — Service life planning — Part 2: Service life prediction
procedures
ISO 15686-8:2008, Buildings and constructed assets — Service-life planning — Part 8: Reference service
life and service-life estimation
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 15686-1 and ISO 15686-2 and
the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http:// www .iso .org/ obp
3.1
commissioning
systematic process of functional performance testing, verification, documentation and training
intended to ensure that the building and its systems operate in accordance with the defined objectives
and criteria of the project
Note 1 to entry: Commissioning is an integral part of the design and construction process and is also intended to
be undertaken throughout the service life.
3.2
consequence degree
expression of the significance and impact(s) of failure, or failures, or loss of performance, relative to a
defined reference level
Note 1 to entry: Impacts that should be considered include any changes to aesthetics, structural integrity, the
provision of healthy and safe surroundings, economic factors and environmental loadings.
3.3
network level
stock of objects under management and maintenance of an owner
Note 1 to entry: Objects could include facilities, for example, bridges, tunnels, power plants, and buildings.
3.4
object level
basic unit of the network serving a specific function
3.5
performance survey
total review (defining of the task, planning, examination, evaluation and reporting) at a given time in
accordance with this document)
3.6
performance assessment
all material that accounts for an item’s capability to provide a quality or function throughout its
service life
3.7
performance degree
expression of the capability of an item to provide functionality in relation to a defined reference level
3.8
performance control
comparison between capability to provide functionality and predefined functional requirements
3.9
refurbishment
modification and improvements to an existing item to bring it up to an acceptable condition
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2014, 7.1.50]
3.10
repair
return a product/component/assembly/system to an acceptable condition by renewal (3.11) or
replacement (3.12) of worn, damaged or degraded parts
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2014, 7.1.52]
3.11
renewal
demolition and rebuilding of an existing item
2 © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

3.12
replacement
change of parts of an existing item to regain its functionality
3.13
risk
probability of an event occurring multiplied by its consequences
Note 1 to entry: Events can include failure, or damage.
Note 2 to entry: Consequences can include cost, fatalities, or exposure to personal or environmental hazard.
3.14
symptom
indicator of the loss of performance of an item
3.15
in-use condition
any circumstance that can impact the performance of a building or a constructed asset, or a part thereof
under normal use
[SOURCE: ISO 15686-8:2008, 3.5]
3.16
usage conditions
in-use conditions (3.15) due to users of a building/constructed assets and human activity adjacent to a
building/constructed assets
3.17
factor category
label of an in-use condition (3.15) indicating which factor of the Factor method the condition will
influence
Note 1 to entry: See Clause 4 for the Factor method.
3.18
in-use condition grading
act of applying collective judgement of all qualitative information of an in-use condition (3.15) within a
factor category (3.17)
[SOURCE: ISO 15686-8:2008, 3.6]
3.19
in-use condition grade
designation representing a qualitative description of an in-use condition (3.15)
[SOURCE: ISO 15686-8:2008, 3.7]
4 Methodological framework
4.1 Service life planning
In ISO 15686-1:2011, 3.22, the concept of reference service life (RSL) is defined as the “service life of
a product, component, assembly, or system which is known to be expected under a particular set, i.e
a reference set, of in-use conditions and which can form the basis of estimating the service life under
other in-use conditions”.
A person working with the service life planning (SLP) of a design object is faced with the challenge of
forecasting the service life of its components. Even if there are certain service life data available, i.e.
RSLs, these can rarely be used directly. This is because the project-specific in-use conditions, to which
the object’s components are subjected, are usually different from those under which the service life
data are valid, i.e. the reference in-use conditions.
In ISO 15686-8, the Factor method is described as a means to overcome this problem. The Factor method
is used to modify an RSL to obtain an estimated service life (ESL) of the components of a design object,
while considering the difference between the project-specific and the reference in-use conditions.
This is carried out by multiplying the RSL by a number of factors, each of which reflect the difference
between the two sets of in-use conditions within a particular factor category:
ESL = RSL × Factor A × Factor B × Factor C × Factor D × Factor E × Factor F × Factor G
The factor categories are given in Table 1.
Table 1 — Factor categories of the Factor method
Factor category Designation
A quality of components
B design level
C work execution level
D indoor environment
E outdoor environment
F usage conditions
G maintenance level
The evaluation of an ESL according to the Factor method requires the input of an RSL as well as the
numbers of the Factor categories A to G. A proper choice of the numbers of the factors depends on the
difference between the project-specific and the reference in-use conditions. Therefore, in order to
enable estimations of the Factor categories A to G jointly with RSL, the reference in-use conditions in
terms of the factor categories should, as far as possible, be included when providing data.
There are a limited number of systematic studies on service life prediction and there is a need for data.
For the provision of RSL data, the capturing of existing data of any kind is acceptable. ISO 15686-2:2012,
5.4.3.3 identifies methodology to evaluate the service life of building components through inspection of
buildings and suggests that, by means of statistical sampling methods, as many buildings as necessary
be included in the study. See also ISO 15686-2:2012, A.2.3.1.2.
In addition, ISO 15686-2:2012 stipulates that a critical review of service life planning studies is to be
conducted whenever the results are to be publically disclosed and discretionary in other instances. The
critical review process, as described in ISO 15686-2:2012, Clause 6, ensures the technical and scientific
validity, consistency of the service life planning methods implemented, as well as the appropriateness
and soundness of external data used.
4.2 Performance assessment of service life in the course of the construction life cycle
4.2.1 Relation to service life design and reference service life (RSL)
The performance levels of the construction and its components change during the life cycle of the
construction (see Figure 1). The in-use conditions can also be subject to change. Therefore, a proper
assessment of the service life during the construction life cycle should include a thorough assessment
of the existing in-use conditions, and record any changes to the levels used in the design process, if
applicable.
A main objective of this document is to provide a basis for objective assessment and to describe how
information retrieved during performance assessments can become new input in the RSL data, as
described in ISO 15686-8. As such, this document adds further to the data generation via inspection.
4 © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

4.2.2 Life cycle performance of construction
Figure 1 illustrates scenarios in the development of the performance (bold line) of construction works
from delivery through the operation and maintenance phase. There is a deviation (gap) in performance
from the client’s expectations and requirements from the brief (initial) phase until the delivery (“as
built”) phase, often due to failures or damage during fabrication. The expectation gap is increased
further due to the continuous rise in new requirements and upgrading, business development, etc.
After the delivery, performance decreases during operation, due to wear and tear, or simply the age
factor, if left with no maintenance. Therefore, the construction and its components are subjected to
various corrective actions, or maintenance, in order to keep up with required performance. These
actions can be proactive, which is preferred, or reactive, which is largely the current practice. In both
cases, inspections and performance assessments should be the basis for maintenance planning. This
applies to all functionalities.
This document defines a generic protocol and terms for how to evaluate the service life performance
during this life cycle. Maintenance planning is outside the scope of this document, but for the sake of
illustration, Figure 1 relates the assessed performance levels to various known maintenance actions, as
defined in ISO 15686-1. The content of, and relations between, such levels and actions should be defined
by users separately.
Commissioning is a systematic verification, documentation and training process undertaken to increase
the likelihood that the built work operates in conformity with the owner’s project requirements and the
basis of design as described in the contract documents.
Commissioning (when executed thoroughly) is applied to all activities during the design, construction,
static verification, start-up, and functional performance testing of building equipment and systems.
It ensures that the building operates as intended and that the operation and maintenance team is
adequately prepared to keep the building performing as intended.
As a building enters its service life, the expectations of the level of performance that it needs to
provide could shift (positively or negatively) either as a result of public and market driven pressures
or due to changed business demands. Typically, these new requirements, as graphically depicted by the
dashed line (10) in Figure 2, will eventually rise until upgrading is warranted at t to the meet the new
j
requirements. See 5.3.5.1.
Key
Y quality/function 7 refurbishment or repair
X time 8 replacement
1 expectation/achievement gap 9 renewal
2 commissioning
3 initial performance gap a Performance degrees (PD) are defined in 5.3.4.2.2.
4 performance without preventative actions t time of initial “as built”
5 limit states t time at start of “in-use” (operation and maintenance)
i
stage
6 preventative and periodic maintenance
Figure 1 — Life cycle performance of construction
NOTE 1 Dependent upon the legal and contractual framework governing the building and its operation,
performance degree 0 could be required at t , the time of initial as-built. In such instances, the y-axis of Figure 1
is effectively shifted to the right and t and t coincide.
0 i
NOTE 2 When considering commissioning for domestic systems installed in typical single family dwellings,
the duration between t , the time of initial as-built, and t , the time to occupancy and operation, can be very short
0 i
(hours or days rather than months and years) in comparison to industrial or commercial systems.
6 © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Key
Y quality/function a Performance degrees (PD) are defined in 5.3.4.2.2.
X time t time of initial “as built”
4 performance without preventative actions t time at start of “in-use” (operation and maintenance)
i
stage
9 renewal t time of redevelopment/upgrading
j
10 new requirements (public, market, business)
11 construction upgrade
12 performance projection following upgrade
Figure 2 — Life cycle performance expectation following construction upgrade
5 Performance surveys
5.1 General
The main purpose of this document is to be an aid in the planning and preparation of required general
and specific working documents for the performance survey of items of various character and different
purpose. General and specific working documents supplementary to carrying out performance surveys
can be described in three levels, as given in Table 2.
General working documents provide reference levels for performance of building products, materials
and assemblies.
Specific working documents provide function-based direction on how specific items should be
addressed (refer to Table 2) as well as providing performance degree reference levels for that item.
Table 2 — Overview of document levels
Document Main function Content
This document Provides a standardized frame- Definitions, method and content
work for planning and for terms
and methods
General working Provides agreed (objective) fixed General symptom lists and/or illustrated catalogues,
documents for per- terms (reference level) for the for example:
formance surveys performance of a building product — concrete;
or construction method — masonry;
— external wood; and
— steel.
Checklists for likely locations of failure prepared on
the basis of this document
Specific working Provides specific directions on how Complete work guidance for the performance survey
documents for per- a type of item should be handled. of a type of item, for example:
formance surveys Should also provide the reference — bridges;
level for performance degrees for — old town buildings;
the relevant type of item — stave churches.
These should be prepared by those who request the
survey for a type of item (facility manager, property
owner, etc.) on the basis of the standard and general
working documents
Functional performance is assessed at various stages during the whole life. It is most critical during
the project delivery phase to ensure that the design continues to meet the functional requirements
as the project progresses from conceptual to detailed design, and at commissioning to verify that the
facility still satisfies the functional requirements. During the property management phase functional
performance is assessed to affirm continued satisfaction or to determine whether the functional
performance requirements have changed. When considering disposal, the actual serviceability profile
of the facility shall be compared to the generic or typical functional requirement profile of potential
occupants or buyers.
NOTE See ISO 15686-10:2010, Table 2, which outlines actions required by ISO 15686 (all parts) at each stage
of the whole life.
This document can be used:
a) directly as an aid for performance surveys when no other working documents exist, or as a
supplement when the working documents are incomplete;
b) to prepare general working documents;
c) to prepare specific working documents.
5.2 Registration level and user-oriented types of inspection
There are four levels of registration as follows.
a) Level 1 (preliminary): Performance registration of a general character consisting of visual
observations combined, if necessary, with simple measurements.
b) Level 2 (regular): Performance registration of a general character, but more exhaustive and detailed
than Level 1. It includes examination of supporting data, e.g. drawings, specifications and other
documentation. More extensive registrations or measurements should be carried out to establish
the construction and performance of the item when required.
c) Level 3 (maintenance-driven): Performance registration of the conditions that exist at the time of
a loss of function. Dependent upon the significance of the component or system being considered
and the severity of the failure, the requirements of the registration and measurements should be
carried out to either Level 1 or Level 2.
8 © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

d) Level 4 (detailed): Performance registration of a special character that includes only specific items
(building elements, construction elements, work sections) or specific problems. Such performance
registration implies the application of especially accurate measurement or test methods and, if
appropriate, laboratory testing.
Types of inspection should be designed from these various levels of registration according to user needs
and required competence of inspectors, as given in Table 3.
Table 3 — Type of and purpose of inspection
Level of inspection Purpose
Preliminary Introductory inspection of a general character consisting of visual observations
and basic measurements to get a very rough overview
Regular Inspection at regular intervals, such as:
a)  every 1 to 2 years, for analysis of weak points or failures in the construction; and
b)  every 3 to 10 years, for:
— design and preparation of tenders in restoration and rehabilitation project,
— defining the inspection plan, programming the object-individual questions
for inspection, and
— planning of renovation, control of adequate use, and cost estimates for
maintenance measures.
Maintenance-driven Inspection following an unexpected minor failure (loss of function), e.g. water
penetration through building envelope, operating limit warnings.
Specific/detailed (ordered from Special tasks, such as:
the levels above)
— detailed specification of the extent of any damage;
— difficult and/or unusual situations; and
— research work.
NOTE  Inspections should be conducted by personnel having the relevant technical credentials for the domains being
surveyed. Competency requirements of inspectors should be in accordance with the jurisdiction having authority.
5.3 Phases and activities in the performance survey
5.3.1 General overview
A performance survey should consist of the following main phases:
a) defining the task;
b) planning;
c) examination;
d) evaluation;
e) reporting.
NOTE A more detailed analysis of this process is given in Table 4.
Performance surveys should be carried out by personnel having the relevant technical background
within the field being surveyed (see Note to Table 3). All fields that are relevant to the purpose of the
performance survey should be covered.
5.3.2 Defining the task
5.3.2.1 General
The purpose, extent and resources required for the performance survey should be established,
described and documented.
5.3.2.2 Purpose
A prerequisite of the performance survey is to define the purpose of the survey, i.e. to clarify what the
survey should be used for. For example, the purpose of performance surveys in relation to construction
works or construction work elements can be to:
a) provide performance documentation and RSL data for manufacturer’s product documentation;
b) form the basis for maintenance plans;
c) determine (in the case of urban city renewal) whether construction works should be demolished or
renovated;
d) inspect for completion and for notification of defects;
e) assist with purchase and sale;
f) assist in undertaking valuation (technical part); and
g) assist in preparing conservation documentation.
Table 4 — Phases and activities in the performance assessment protocol
Main phase Activity/content Examples/elaboration
Planning of maintenance, repair and renovation. Evaluation of
Purpose damage and Residual Service Life. Valuation. Conservation docu-
mentation.
Defining the
task Item: field, building, construction work, elements. Evaluate, define
Extent/level
the registration level. Sampling. Cost calculation of action.
Cost of analysis Own cost and purchased services
Basic material Drawings, specifications, performance documentation
Planning Registration scheme Systematic, orientation system, statistical selection, aids
Plan Examination, inspection, meetings information, access
Recording of age, in-use
conditions and perfor- Symptoms, in-use conditions
mance levels
Examination
Performance degree Description of performance via pictures and measurements
Documentation Photographs
Critical properties and performance requirements/prediction of
In-use conditions
service life
Requirements set by authorities, regulations. Requirements set by
Performance control
the client/user requirements.
Failure Definition from reference level, insufficient documentation
Evaluation
Probabilities and conse- Reconsider the extent of the registration, failure distributions and
quences consequence degrees
Risk Evaluated and used as a basis for action profiles
Actions Recommendations, priorities/costs if appropriate
10 © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Table 4 (continued)
Main phase Activity/content Examples/elaboration
Purpose. Identification of the item, main structure, construction
Introduction age, extent/level, time of survey, client and contractor, other parties
involved.
Reporting Main conclusion, summary, performance, recommended actions,
Executive Summary
costs, economy, recommendation for further progress
Definitions, reference level, registrations, inspections, evaluations,
Main report
recommendations and conclusions, costs
Basic material, supplementary material, drawings, photographs,
Enclosure
forms
5.3.2.3 Extent and costs
The extent of the survey is determined by:
a) what items and fields are included in the performance survey;
b) the registration level; and
c) whether a calculation of costs of the recommended actions is to be carried out.
The extent of the performance survey should be subject to continuous reassessment. The choice of
registration level is dependent on the purpose of the performance survey and on the performance of
the construction works. Before the registration level is chosen, it should be considered whether there
is a need for a preliminary inspection. An estimate of quantities should be included if the costs of the
recommended actions are to be calculated.
In the use of sampling examinations, i.e. that the performance registration only includes a limited
selection of items on the network level, or a limited part of a larger item on the object level, the number
of samples should be determined based on the:
a) required reliability/certainty;
b) consequences of failure (economy, safety); and
c) costs of extended examination (larger number of samples).
It should be decided whether all items of each type that exist within the area covered by the performance
survey (the entire population) should be included in the performance registration or whether a selection
(sample) should be made. If the area for performance survey includes a large number of identical items
or large areas of identical structure, it can be appropriate, in terms of both work and costs, to limit the
performance registration to a selection.
For some items, there might be standards or regulations that determine the sample size.
Costing calculations of the recommended actions is a highly comprehensive task involving the
preparation of an estimate of quantities and research into the cost of earlier similar work. In order to
determine the extent of the overall task and the required use of time, it is important to clarify whether
costing calculations are necessary at all.
5.3.3 Planning
It should be established whether drawings and/or specifications of the item “as built”, and/or “as”
commissioned or rebuilt exist, and whether there is any documentation on operating and maintenance-
related performances, e.g. repairs, maintenance work and improvements that have been made. The
amount of basic material that needs to be provided or prepared should be determined, depending on
the type of documentation that exists and on the extent of the performance survey.
If compliance with ISO 15686-3:2002 was required prior to construction, there will be audit and/or
review reports on the detailed design stage, and if ISO 15686-3 was in force at later stages (initial
design, construction, commissioning, operation, and alteration), reports of comparable format will be
available for the building in the latter stages.
The collection of data via Building Information Modelling (BIM), ranging potentially from initial “as-
built” information, reference service life data to current inspection conditions, provides a consistent
structure for the retention and use of service life prediction information and predictions (see
ISO 15686-4:2014, Clauses 6 and 7, Annex A, and Annex B).
NOTE To-date, the typical specification and application of BIM has been focused upon retention of initial
contract documentation and as-built information. The capabilities of most BIM frameworks encompass strong
processing and computational capabilities that will: coupled with the application of ISO 15686-4, enhance
the usefulness of survey information collected with the procedures described in this document; assist with
estimation of service life; and ultimately lead to improved service life planning.
ISO 15686-8:2008, 5.2 provides guidance on the provision of reference service life data. The historical
performance data should first be assessed in accordance with ISO 15686-8:2008, 5.2.3 and it should be
ensured that data are appropriate to use for the object of the service-life planning process. If necessary,
the available general data shall be formatted into appropriate reference service life records by applying
the procedures described in ISO 15686-8:2008, 5.4.
For sampling examinations, the items should be selected at random, i.e. selected without the influence
of any prior knowledge about the items.
A plan for the performance survey should be prepared that includes:
— preliminary meetings;
— inspection forms;
— reporting, including documentation level;
— any presentation of results; and
— suggestions for further action.
It should be agreed who is responsible for notifying the user and for providing the necessary access.
5.3.4 Examination
5.3.4.1 General
5.3.4.1.1 In-use conditions
As stated, RSL data comprise service-life data and reference in-use conditions, as well as corresponding
data on critical properties and performance requirements for subsequent service life evaluations. For
each individual in-use condition listed, the factor category it belongs to should be indicated. Statements
indicating the data quality should be included, for instance, information that the RSL data have been
generated on the basis of a systematic study, or that data are critically reviewed by a third party.
A quantitative description of the reference in-use conditions in terms of the factor categories shall be
given in accordance with ISO 15686-8:2008, Annex A.
The reference in-use conditions corresponding to Factor category D, indoor environment, and/or Factor
category E, outdoor environment, whichever is applicable, are to be quantified in terms of degradation
agent intensities characterizing the reference in-use environment. Alternatively to discrete values,
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ranges of such intensities or standardized classes corresponding to certain ranges of intensities are
accepted (see Annex D).
NOTE For further information, references are given to systems for classification of exposure environments
for families of materials in terms of corrosivity, i.e. ISO 9223 (which classifies time of wetness, SO and chloride),
ISO 12944-2 and ISO 11844-1. Such systems can be directly applied.
Recording environmental exposure and impact should consist of collecting existing or in-
field measurements and models of important climatic and pollution degradation agent’s data
(i.e. temperature, rain, wind, local pollution). Models should be used directly for assessment on network
level, while evaluation of the microenvironmental conditions should be carried out for single objects.
In order to do so, local exposure conditions such as topography, shelters, surroundings, etc. should be
registered (see A.3.4).
5.3.4.1.2 Grading of Factor categories A, B, C, F and G
For the reference in-use conditions corresponding to each of the Factor categories A, B, C, F and G,
quantitative information provided by the source should be used whenever available.
If possible, a detailed description of the material or component should be given for Factor category A:
quality of components.
When, but only when, quantitative information is lacking for the in-use conditions within any of the
Factor categories A, B, C, F and G, a grading of the in-use conditions within that factor category should
be made. Any qualitative information provided should be valued and interpreted to correspond to one
of the in-use condition grades 1 to 5, in accordance with Table 5. If no information is available, this is
indicated by the grade 0. Occasionally, if the factor category is not applicable, it is indicated by NA.
NOTE In-use condition grading is a means to quantify qualitative (or fuzzy) information of reference in-
use conditions. An in-use condition grade is not the same as, and is not to be confused with, the value of the
corresponding factor, but is information required to estimate this factor.
From general information of the material or component tested, it should always be possible to quantify
the in-use condition corresponding to Factor category A into one of the in-use condition grades 1 to 5 (if
no quantitative information is provided by the source).
Table 5 — Options of grading in-use conditions of Factor categories A, B, C, F and G
In-use condition
Description Comment
grade
0 not available Should never be applied for Factor category A. Not to be applied for
Factor categories B, C, F and G when service life data are based on
ageing tests in accordance with systematic studies such as ISO 15686-8.
1 very high/mild —
2 high/mild —
3 normal —
4 low/severe —
5 very low/severe —
NA not applicable Should not normally be applied.
NOTE An in-use condition rating is not the same as the value of the corresponding factor, but a piece of information to
estimate this factor.
5.3.4.2 Performance recording
5.3.4.2.1 Critical property and performance requirements
As the service life of a component is always related to a required function of that component, the service
life should be defined and related to a critical property; see ISO 15686-8.
5.3.4.2.2 Performance degrees
The performance recording should be done on building and/or component level and is expressed by
means of performance degrees (PD). The performance degree should be based on an evaluation
of one
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