A framework to determine a climate-dependent durability index for the building enclosure

Building enclosure components are exposed to extreme weather shocks. Currently, component properties are measured based on existing standards. The majority of standards account for neither the occurrences of weather shocks nor variations in the climate zones. The development of a protocol combining the measured properties of the building enclosure components with the climate severity can provide a single attribute as an indicator of the component’s long-term performance. To address this, a climate-dependent durability index (CDDI) framework is developed and presented in this article.