building fabric
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building fabric
The entirety of the material and structural components of a building that determine its condition, stability, and value.
Das alte Fachwerkhaus hat eine erstaunlich gut erhaltene Bausubstanz.
The old half-timbered house has surprisingly well-preserved building fabric.
The word is composed of 'Bau' (building/construction, from 'bauen' (to build)) and 'Substanz' (substance). So it literally describes the material substance of a building.
Die Substanz dieses alten Holzes ist noch sehr gut.
The substance of this old wood is still very good.
'Bausubstanz' (building fabric) is a technical term from architecture, construction, and the real estate industry. In everyday conversation about a house, people would more likely simply speak of the 'Zustand des Hauses' (condition of the house).
Ein Gutachter prüft die Bausubstanz vor dem Kauf eines Hauses.
An expert inspects the building fabric before the purchase of a house.
The quality of the building fabric is often described with adjectives, e.g. 'eine gute/schlechte Bausubstanz' (good/bad building fabric). Typical verbs are 'die Bausubstanz erhalten' (to preserve the building fabric), 'prüfen' (to inspect), or 'sanieren' (to renovate).
Viele alte Gebäude in der Innenstadt haben eine marode Bausubstanz.
Many old buildings in the city center have dilapidated building fabric.
