An investigation of plant growth in residential concrete building / Ivvan Jalie Julies

Plant growth is not a new defect that can be found in a concrete building or in timber houses in Malaysia. Because of Malaysia climate is always rain all year, this type of defect usually occur on building element. Not only natural causes, this type of defect also can cause by the leaking piping system which usually infected the element of the building. Plant did not simply grow on element of the building. The seed or spore of the plant somehow being transfer to the element of the building. With the present of the water and exposed to the sunlight, the plant can continue to grow. This creates other problem suck as cracking to the surface of the concrete, decay to the element of the timber houses, and also fungus attack. Further study about this phenomena will be made by choosing a building that having problem on plant growth. This study is focusing on how the plant can grow on building without the root attached to the soil. The case study will be on concrete building and also timber houses.