Thermal, moisture and microbiological boundary conditions of slab-on-ground structures in cold climate

Coarse-grained fill or drainage layers beneath heated slab-on-ground structures are warm and moist throughout the year. According to the in situ measurements, the relative humidity of the fill layer is high at RH ≈100%. High relative humidity of the fill layer is not a sign of an un-functional drainage or capillary break layer, but a natural boundary condition for a slab structure adjacent to the moist subsoil. Due to the favourable conditions, microbe growth is very common in fill layers. Fungal or bacterial growth, in general, was detected in 98% of the test specimens taken beneath the ground slabs of heated buildings. Indicator species, either fungal or bacterial, were detected in 79% of the specimens. Yet, no moisture damage related to the ground floors was ever detected or recorded in the test buildings. The high microbe concentration in the fill layer beneath ground slabs is not a sign of moisture damage, but a natural state of the moist and warm fill layer.