Air pollution and architecture: Past, present and future

Abstract

Air pollution damages materials, but it has changed dramatically over the lifetime of our built heritage. There has been a decline in the primary corrosive pollutants over recent decades, but we have also seen changes in the sensitivity of materials to air pollutants. Climate has become somewhat warmer and less stormy in Britain since the Little Ice Age, so climate-driven weathering may have decreased. Architects have been obliged to recognize these external factors in their designs, but also the fact that social issues often control the costs of maintaining a rich heritage. © 2000, Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.