Despite growing concerns with construction quality, as manifested by the introduction of specific regulations in the area of comfort, many recent buildings are clearly not up to standard as regards quality. Indeed, thousands of dwellings have been built recently with serious pathologies that restrict their use.

Factors that contribute to the poor quality of buildings include the ever-increasing complexity of constructions; the unsystematized nature of the knowledge available; the lack of an effective system of guarantees and assurance; demands for speed in the building process; new architectural concerns; the application of new materials, and the fact that planning teams rarely include specialists in Building Physics.

The Pathology Catalogue, prepared by the Building Pathology Study Group (PATORREB) and coordinated by the Building Physics Laboratory of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Oporto (FEUP), aims to contribute to the systematization of information in the field. Seven other Portuguese universities have been involved in the project: the Technical Institute of the Technical University of Lisbon; the New University of Lisbon; the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Coimbra; the University of Minho; the University of Beira Interior; the University of Aveiro, and the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro.

The Editorial Board, which is made up of specialists in the area of Building Pathology and Rehabilitation, serves as the foundations for the quality work that we aim to carry out.

Access to PATORREB’s website is free to anyone interested.

We hope to conduct this project as effectively as possible.

           Vasco Peixoto de Freitas
Coordenador do Grupo de Estudos – PATORREB