Proceedings pro020 : 1st International RILEM Workshop on Microbial Impacts on Building Materials

The microbial action on building materials is a recent subject studied in some countries. This kind of attack has been studied on natural stones of historical monuments, on soil, on timber, on metals and, recently, on concrete and other materials.

RILEM approved the TC-MIB (Technical Committee Microbial Impacts on Building Materials) during the Annual Meeting in Ballarat, Australia, in September 1998. The committee begun its activities with the first meeting held in Madrid last April.

The objective of the TC-MIB is to carry out a global study of the obtained results concerning the biophysical and biochemical impacts on the deterioration of building materials and their relevance to construction and conservation treatments. Worldwide experts in this field will participate in this discussion.

The tasks of the TC-MIB can be summarized as follows: to write a State of the Art (STAR) Report; to try the unification of the technical terms and the methods used for studying this matter; and, finally, to produce a database for an information network.

To achieve its objectives, the TC-MIB will organize international meetings in order to promote the necessary discussions.

The 1st International Workshop Microbial Impact on Building Material is the first of these meetings and is directed to help the production of the STAR Report as well as the unification of techniques and terms

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