Expertises

BIFF is a member of:

CHAMBER OF EXPERTS UTS + SWISSEXPERTS

SWISS ASSOCIATION OF THERMOGRAPHY (THECH)

SWISS PLANT WINDOWS AND FACADES (CSFF)

SWISS ASSOCIATION OF WINDOW AND FACADE MANUFACTURERS (FFF)

MANAGEMENT + ECONOMICS OF CONSTRUCTION (MANECO)

Thanks to its thorough knowledge of the field, but also as a Member of the Chamber of Experts UTS Swiss Engineering and SWISSEXPERTS, BIFF and its facade specialists are entitled to provide a complete technical analysis of the building envelope and issue an authorised notice to individuals, institutions, insurance companies or the courts.

Our certified expert in glass constructions provides all the expertise related to glazed elements.

We determine the origin of the disorders that affect a work, research the causes and define the remedies and costs.

BIFF is able to perform all types of expertise, findings and analyzes on the facades:

• Attachment and anchor points
• General statics of profiles or structures
• Deformation excess
• Deviation from specified tolerances
• Glass breakage
• Visual and optical effects
• Working order of openings and moving parts
• Health and safety
• Etc.

BIFF experts rely on their experience, the documents necessary for the case study and sometimes further tests in order to make a detailed report. In this report, the causes of the disorder are described to identify responsibilities and determine corrective action.

Recherche et localisation des infiltrations d'air parasites au moyen d'une caméra thermique

Expertise en atelier

Sondage pour déceler les désordes d'exécution

Remontée d'eau par capilarité

Mise en évidence de la condensation de verre par caméra thermique

Casse de verre trempé

Casse thermique

Dégradation couche réfléchissante

Calcul de déformation d'un panneau à l'ELS

Décrochement de bardage

Nowadays, airtightness of new buildings is regarded with increased importance in order to cut down energy losses and ensure the thermal comfort of the occupant.

Parasitic air infiltration into the building during the winter months cause movement of cold air indoors, which in turn is a very common source of thermal discomfort for the occupant.

As a thermal specialist of the building's envelope, BIFF steps in to identify, localise and quantify air infiltration in premises, a building, a villa... For this task, the BIFF team uses the blower door device (see picture).

The blower door device is installed in an opening of the tested premises. Once all other openings are closed, the fan is activated. The air of the room is either sucked or rejected. The tested premises are pressurised / depressurised.

The thermal camera and the smoke pen are two tools which help identify an air infiltration.

Faulty fittings, windows poorly tightened and technical introductions are often the cause of air infiltration. Improvement measures can then be taken to compensate the leaks observed thanks to the observations and analyzes.

Blowerdoor contrôle des débits d'air

Recherche de fuite en façade à l'aide d'un fumigène durant un test Blowerdoor

Direct infiltration, capillary attraction, hydrostatic pressure, poor ventilation are several factors which lead to non-desired humidity indoors.

Water infiltrations must be quickly detected and monitored to ensure comfort of the occupant and limit the damage caused by the presence of water in some materials.

Various causes may be at the source of water infiltration in a building. Here are a few examples:

• cracks in walls;
• leaks in plumbing;
• waterproofing issues (roof, walls, window frames,...);
• aging of joints (windows, facade stones, bathtubs,...);
• porosity of building materials.

The BIFF office of engineers has a long experience in the finding and analyze of disorders caused by water infiltration. Its role is to determine the causes at the origin of water infiltrations and advice on measures to take in order to correct them.

Testing in situ for water leaks is a classic procedure to detect and spot the points of origin of water infiltration in the envelope. Several tests are sometimes necessary, especially where the entry point of water infiltration is away from its exit point.

Infiltration d'eau dans le cadre d'une fenêtre

Test d'étanchéité à l'eau suivant SIA 329.007 et NF EN 13051

Essai d'étanchéité à l'eau des fenêtres - Détail rampe de test

Cooking, drying laundry and showering are only a few activities in the house that generate humidity. Man, himself releases large quantities of water in the form of steam even when resting. Surface condensation appears when humidity in the vicinity of the surface is 100%.

Mould can appear when relative humidity is lower as soon as a surface is exposed for a long period of time at a relative humidity of 80%.

Mould must absolutely be treated because it can cause health problems such as chronic respiratory infections.

BIFF staff have the adapted tools to carry out necessary findings and analyses. The analysis of surveys will allow to identify the origin of mould: poor management of moisture, serious thermal bridge, lack of ventilation.

Very simple gestures ensure good air quality. Thanks to optimal ventilation, you will avoid moisture damage in living rooms.

Condensation d'un panneau de bois au droit d'une fenêtre

Moisissure dûe à la condensation

Comfort is a very subjective concept. Ensure comfort of the inhabitant means maintaining a pleasing operative temperature inside the premises, neither too low nor too high, an ideal humidity rate, a sufficient level of natural light, isolating the premises from external noise and guaranteeing the quality of indoors acoustics, managing the quality of the air... All of these parameters must be taken into account for any construction or renovation project in order to satisfy the user, come summer and winter. The envelope plays a major role in the maintenance of the comfort of the inhabitant.

Comfort impacts significantly on the morale, and therefore, on the behaviour of the user. For example, the productivity of employees in the tertiary sector can decrease due to incorrect setting of a parameter which influences thermal comfort.

The BIFF team makes all the necessary observations and analyzes to helps you determine the causes of your discomfort and offers solutions to change that.

Confort thermique

BIFF SA as a building envelope specialist now offers asbestos diagnosis before works and in normal use. This concerns buildings for a major renovation that are subject to authorization. Asbestos materials were frequently used in the construction of buildings before 1991 (the year of the ban on asbestos in Switzerland).

Adequate protective equipment is essential for performing asbestos diagnostic tests.

Each canton has special legislation concerning asbestos diagnosis.

By clicking on the cantonal icon, you are interested in, you will be redirected to the cantonal official page.

Echantillon de carrelage lors d'un test amiante

Carbonatation