Naturally Oxidizing Metal Surfaces

The selection of building materials to be used for roofs and façades is governed by many aspects. Today besides durability and economic efficiency also ecological criteria are certainly of particular importance. The materials must comply with strict standards, from the production of the materials to the period in which they are in use, all the way until they are recycled. Copper and zinc have been used in building applications for a long time. Both metals have proved to be particularly durable and are conceived of as being rather noble, also in an esthetical sense. Both metals form a protective layer under the influence of weathering which protects them from unintended corrosion. How this cover layer and its runoff reacts is, among other issues, the subject of this publication. This work is a comprehensive handbook summarises, on the basis of current knowledge, the complex interactions when using copper and zinc in building applications, and therewith provides an aid for adequate assessment of the matter.