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Water damage occurrence in Swedish public buildings

Mattsson, Christian LU orcid ; Nordquist, Birgitta LU ; Johansson, Dennis LU ; Wallentén, Petter LU orcid ; Janson, Ulla LU and Bagge, Hans LU (2026) In Journal of Building Pathology and Rehabilitation 11.
Abstract
Water-related damage represents a major challenge in the built environment, with consequences for building performance and occupant health. While external factors can contribute, this study focuses on damage originating from internal sources. Deficiencies and failures in building service systems, water supply, sewage, and technical installations, constitute a substantial problem, leading to repair costs, operational disruptions, material degradation, and health risks linked to mold and poor indoor air quality. Publicly owned buildings in Sweden lack centralized data on such incidents, limiting understanding of their frequency, causes, and economic impact. This study analyzes more than 3 000 reported cases of water-related damage across... (More)
Water-related damage represents a major challenge in the built environment, with consequences for building performance and occupant health. While external factors can contribute, this study focuses on damage originating from internal sources. Deficiencies and failures in building service systems, water supply, sewage, and technical installations, constitute a substantial problem, leading to repair costs, operational disruptions, material degradation, and health risks linked to mold and poor indoor air quality. Publicly owned buildings in Sweden lack centralized data on such incidents, limiting understanding of their frequency, causes, and economic impact. This study analyzes more than 3 000 reported cases of water-related damage across three Swedish municipalities. Causes were categorized at the system level, occurrence was normalized by building category, and repair cost distributions were examined where cost data were available. Results show recurrent water damage across all public building categories. Schools and nursing and care facilities display the widest spread of repair costs, including outliers exceeding 400 000 €. Appliance and membranerelated incidents are less common but sometimes highly cost intensive. Inconsistent reporting and many uncategorized cases limit crossmunicipal comparisons. On average, 13% of buildings had a reported case each year. A standardized, systemspecific reporting scheme would support prevention, risk prioritization, and management. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Building Pathology and Rehabilitation
volume
11
article number
159
pages
33 pages
publisher
Springer International Publishing
ISSN
2365-3159
DOI
10.1007/s41024-026-00828-4
project
Improving Sustainability by Reducing Water Damage - A Holistic Perspective on Sustainability, Causes, and Effects
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
067f8997-7cad-4a5d-9190-642bb4ffbebb
date added to LUP
2026-05-05 13:26:57
date last changed
2026-05-19 13:13:14
@article{067f8997-7cad-4a5d-9190-642bb4ffbebb,
  abstract     = {{Water-related damage represents a major challenge in the built environment, with consequences for building performance and occupant health. While external factors can contribute, this study focuses on damage originating from internal sources. Deficiencies and failures in building service systems, water supply, sewage, and technical installations, constitute a substantial problem, leading to repair costs, operational disruptions, material degradation, and health risks linked to mold and poor indoor air quality. Publicly owned buildings in Sweden lack centralized data on such incidents, limiting understanding of their frequency, causes, and economic impact. This study analyzes more than 3 000 reported cases of water-related damage across three Swedish municipalities. Causes were categorized at the system level, occurrence was normalized by building category, and repair cost distributions were examined where cost data were available. Results show recurrent water damage across all public building categories. Schools and nursing and care facilities display the widest spread of repair costs, including outliers exceeding 400 000 €. Appliance and membranerelated incidents are less common but sometimes highly cost intensive. Inconsistent reporting and many uncategorized cases limit crossmunicipal comparisons. On average, 13% of buildings had a reported case each year. A standardized, systemspecific reporting scheme would support prevention, risk prioritization, and management.}},
  author       = {{Mattsson, Christian and Nordquist, Birgitta and Johansson, Dennis and Wallentén, Petter and Janson, Ulla and Bagge, Hans}},
  issn         = {{2365-3159}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  publisher    = {{Springer International Publishing}},
  series       = {{Journal of Building Pathology and Rehabilitation}},
  title        = {{Water damage occurrence in Swedish public buildings}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41024-026-00828-4}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s41024-026-00828-4}},
  volume       = {{11}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}