Understanding the Construction and Physical Space of Flood Cleanup Projects
Building science is one of the most important branches of a water damage professional’s education. Building science is defined as the sum total of deductive knowledge relating to the physical laws, systems, and phenomena that affect buildings. Essentially, building science is about how buildings are constructed, work as an integrated system, and relate to the wider environment.
This scientific knowledge is understood and used by water damage service experts to restore a damaged building to it’s pre-loss state. The field of water damage restoration is actually very complex, technical, and scientific, requiring a trained eye, adept mind, and advanced training to perform the work.
Building science is very important to water damage experts, dealing with how buildings are constructed and affected by environmental changes.
Building Science and the Weather of San Diego
Building science addresses the materials used to create the structure as well as how the building reacts to climatic changes and weather conditions. Some of these climatic changes include:
Rainfall
Temperature fluctuations
Relative humidity
Frost and snowfall
Wind patterns
In San Diego, we tend to view our environment as static, temperate, and calm. There are relatively few changes throughout the year, leading to San Diego’s moniker as “The city without seasons.” Communities such as Coronado, La Jolla, and Rancho Bernardo tend to have somewhat fair weather year-round, but even the most mild of fluctuations have an effect on buildings and other structures.
San Diego, despite having a temperate reputation, does experience hot summers and mild, wet winters. The field of building science explains how these seasonal changes affect our homes and offices.
How Weather Changes Affect Water Damage Projects
Flood cleanup and water damage projects will sometimes introduce the external environment to the interior of the building, so it is important that the season and current weather conditions are considered. This is where a contractor’s experience and understanding of building science comes into play.
Introducing the external climate to the building’s interior could have a positive or negative effect on the building materials and the drying process. Drying techniques are modified and altered depending on the temperature and moisture content of the air, so a combination of science, art, and the water damage expert’s experience will determine the best course of action.
One of the principles of building science is the fact that the entire structure is an interconnected system, and one small change could affect the entire building. This makes this field of knowledge incredibly important, and one of the hallmarks of a great water damage flood restoration company is a deep understanding of the subject.