Rising damp is a recurrent hazard to ancient buildings in Europe and its relevance is expected to increase in the future, due to climate changes. The presence of rising damp in walls does not only create an unpleasant climate in buildings, but it also enhances damage processes such as frost action, salt crystallization and biological growth, with possible consequences on the health of the inhabitants. The relevance of this problem is reflected by the large variety of products on the market. The wide and differentiated offer and the scarce scientific information on the effectiveness of the methods make it difficult, (even) for professionals working in the field, to choose a suitable intervention on a sound basis. The JPICH-financed project EMERISDA (2014–2017) [1] aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of different intervention methods against rising damp. The project involved universities, research institutes, heritage agencies and companies (producers and contractors) in Belgium (BBRI, co-ordinator), Italy (CNR-ISAC, Universita’ Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Restauri Speciali s.r.l., Diasen s.r.l.) and The Netherlands (Delft University of Technology and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands). The research methodology included the use of an on-line questionnaire and experimental research in laboratory, on scale models and on-site. Both traditional methods, such as chemical injection, and more recent techniques, such as the so-called “electro-physical” methods have been investigated. [2] The following results of the EMERISDA project are presented in this paper: - Results from on-line questionnaire.- Definition of an experimental procedure for the assessment of the presence of rising damp and of the effectiveness of the intervention.- Prototype of decision support tool, which provides insight into the feasibility and risks of existing methods against rising damp and supports actors involved in conservation in the choice and application of the methods against rising damp.

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Optrekkend vocht is een vaak voorkomend fenomeen in gebouwen. Vooral oude gebouwen die geen waterkerende laag (zoals bijvoorbeeld een trasraam) hebben, lijden aan dit probleem. De relevantie van optrekkend vocht blijkt ook uit het grote aanbod van producten voor het bestrijden van dit probleem. Het grote, gevarieerde aanbod en de beperkte literatuur over de effectiviteit van de bestrijdingsmethoden maken het moeilijk voor mensen werkzaam in de praktijk om een keuze te maken tussen de verschillende methoden.
Binnen het project EMERISDA, gefinancierd door het Europese Joint Program Initiative Cultural Heritage (JPI-CH), is onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de effectiviteit van de verschillende methoden met als uiteindelijke doel een beslissingssysteem te ontwikkelen ter ondersteuning van de praktijk.
Het onderzoek bestond uit literatuuronderzoek, een online enquête om de tevredenheid van de gebruiker (gebouweigenaren en instanties werkzaam in de conservering van cultureel erfgoed) te meten en experimenteel onderzoek in het laboratorium en in situ (aan schaalmodellen en aan gebouwen). De resultaten van het project zijn samengebracht in een digitaal beslissingssysteem. Dit systeem is ontwikkeld om gebruikers te ondersteunen in het vaststellen van de aanwezigheid van optrekkend vocht in gebouwen en in het kiezen van een geschikte interventie.@en

The treatment of rising damp is an important issue when dealing with the conservation and restoration of historic buildings. The most effective solutions for the problem of rising damp are usually very ‘invasive’: depending on the method, there might be a substantial loss of authentic materials, the intervention may have a significant impact on the stability of the construction, there could be a mild to very important visual impact, and the intervention might be irreversible. An efficient treatment for rising damp, without these disadvantages, would therefore be more then welcome. Several companies offer nowadays such a solution, in the form of so-called ‘electrokinetic’ methods. Within the research project EMERISDA (www.emerisda.eu) (Effectiveness of Methods against Rising Damp), on-site measurements have been carried out on more sites, in order to evaluate their effectiveness. On one of the sites, the effectiveness of such an electrokinetic method has been compared to more conventional injections of water repellent agents.@en