EMV 4236: Building Maintenance

Chapter One: Introduction

1.1 Definition of A building and Building Maintenance

A building is defined as any roofed structure that encloses space and is intended for
use as a shelter (for people, animals, or property) or for recreational, industrial,
commercial, or other functions.

Building maintenance is the practice of keeping the building in a proper and

acceptable condition and preserving/protecting it from failure in order for the building
to perform a required function that meets the business needs of the occupier.

1.2 Definition of Common Terms Used in Maintenance:

Assignment: Define each of the following maintenance related concepts:

 Refurbishment
 Renovation
 Rehabilitation
 Conversion
 Demolition
 Retrofit
 Façade Retention
1.3 Source/Options of obtaining Property Maintenance service
 Outsourced property maintenance service providers
 In-house property maintenance Team

N.B: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of the above

sources/options?

Advantages of outsourced property maintenance service providers

 Contracting property maintenance service provider saves significant time and

effort in taking care of every detail, no matter how minor it may be.
 If the property is rented by several tenants, having a property maintenance
crew in place presents an enormous advantage for prospective tenants
 Contracting professionals to do the job they are trained to do is cost effective
since it saves the owner from the cost of purchasing all necessary cleaning
tools and equipments which may be substantial.

Disadvantages of outsourced property maintenance service providers

Advantages and disadvantages of In-house property maintenance Team

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Group Assignment:

Choose a building of your choice within the University Campus, carry out a
comprehensive survey and inspection, prepare a detailed report that indicates all the
building defects and suggest the best possible measures to solve the defects noted
(15 marks).

QUIZ No: 1 (5 marks) 24th February, 2016

1 (a). Differentiate between Conversion and Demolition as the common terms used
in maintenance. (1 mark)

(b). Mention any Two (2) advantages and any Two (2) disadvantages of each of the
following options of obtaining property maintenance services

(i). Outsourced property maintenance service providers (2 marks)

(ii). In-house property maintenance Team (2 marks)

Chapter Two: Principles and Importance of Building/Property Maintenance

2.1 Building/Property Maintenance Needs

The prime aim of maintenance is to preserve a building or property in its initial stage,
as far as practicable, so that it effectively serves its purpose.

Some of the main purposes of maintaining a building or a property include:

 Retaining value of an investment

 Maintaining the building or property in a condition in which it continues to fulfil
its function
 Presenting a good appearance that is for aesthetic reasons

2.2 Key Criteria Influencing the Building/Property Maintenance Decision

These key criteria include but not limited to the following:

 Cost of maintenance works

 Age of the building/property
 Availability of physical resources
 Urgency to carry out maintenance works
 Future use
 Social considerations

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2.3 Reasons for carrying out Building/Property Maintenance

Property owners, property managers or occupiers may need to carry out

maintenance of their buildings/properties mainly because of the following reasons:

 Physical integrity. To keep the building/property in good working order so as

to minimise disruptions and downtimes.
 Risk Management. To keep the building/property in a state of good repair for
the occupiers’ or visitors’ health and safety.
 Aesthetic Preservation. To prevent the building/property from deteriorating
in appearance and to prevent it from becoming bad looking.
 Maximum Returns. To ensure that the building/property achieves its full
potential service life
 Fiscal Responsibility. To leverage efficiencies that can be reflected on the
owner’s balance sheet
 Duty of care. To satisfy a legislated duty that is owed to owners, occupiers
and visitors of the building/property
 Duty to mitigate. To prevent unnecessary damage to the building/property
that may result from premature failure.

Chapter Three: Building Maintenance Approaches and Types of Building

Maintenance

3.1 Role of Building Maintenance Officer

The key roles of a building maintenance officer include:

 Maintenance reporting
 The establishment of condition standards
 The costing, planning and implementation of maintenance works

3.2 Building Maintenance Approaches

3.2.1 Reactive Maintenance Approach

Definition: Reactive maintenance also known as breakdown maintenance refers to

where maintenance and repairs are done when an asset, machine or equipment has
already broken down.

Purpose: Reactive maintenance focuses on restoring the asset, equipment or

machine to its normal operating condition. The broken down asset is returned to
working within service specifications by replacing or repairing faulty parts and its
components.

Effect: Emergency repairs cost 3 to 9 times more than planned repairs, so

maintenance plans that rely on reactive maintenance are generally the most
expensive. Breakdown maintenance is so expensive because shutdowns happen
during production runs (instead of pre-scheduled maintenance shutdowns during
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downtimes); because expedited shipping for spare parts costs much more than
regular shipping; and because maintenance staff is often forced to work overtime to
repair machinery.

Advantages of Reactive Maintenance

 Lower initial costs. As your systems are new, they require little maintenance
so you save on parts and emergency labour.
 Requires fewer staff – Complex repairs tend to be outsourced reducing the
need for internal staff.
 No planning needed – Technicians repair equipment when it fails. As fails
are unpredictable, no time is spent planning the repairs.

Disadvantages of Reactive Maintenance Approach

 Higher maintenance costs and difficult to control budgets – As

equipment failures can be unpredictable, labour and spare parts may not be
readily available so organizations may end up paying a premium for
emergency parts shipping, travel time and out of hours support.
 Shorter life expectancy of assets – Reactive maintenance does not keep
the systems running in optimal “as new” condition. Over time, systems that
have been maintained deteriorate faster so don’t maximize their initial capital
cost investment.
 Safety and environmental issues – When work is scheduled, technicians
have time to review the standard procedures and safety requirements to
complete the job correctly. Technicians tend to take more risks when
maintenance work is reactive as they are under pressure to get systems
running without delay.
 Time consuming – Reactive repairs tend to take longer due to a number of
factors including time to diagnose, travel time, time to pull parts from stores or
emergency order, time to pull correct manuals and schematics etc.
 Sporadic equipment downtime – planned maintenance can be written into
the production schedule whereas unplanned repairs can happen anytime.
Also, there is the uncertainty around the length of delay due to the repair.
 Inefficient use of resources – Technicians spend time running around
looking for the correct manuals and schematics, ordering the right parts etc
trying to diagnose and fix the issue.
 Interferes with planned work – Emergency repairs are usually prioritized at
the expense of planned work. Planned work may be pushed or cancelled
completely.
 Collateral Damage – A minor issue could quickly into a major system repair.
If your engine is low on oil, it could result in a completely seized engine. I
personally had a water leak that spilt onto an electronics cabinet, causing tens
of thousands of dollars in damaged electronic boards.

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  Indirect costs – Unplanned downtime can lead to late orders if equipment
cannot be returned to production in time. This can damage reputations and
impact revenues.
 Repeat issues – Reactive maintenance does the bare minimum to get the
system up and running again. If not repaired correctly, the issue could reoccur
and cause more downtime.
 Higher energy costs – If you don’t service your car, it burns more fuel! When
equipment is not properly maintained, it uses more energy. Doing simple
things like greasing moving parts or changing filters can reduce energy
consumption by 15%.
 Asset availability problems

When Should Reactive Maintenance Be Used?

Reactive maintenance should only be performed in the following circumstances:

 Should be performed on components that are inexpensive

 Should be performed on components that are easy to replace

 Where the failure does not cause collateral damage in the system

 Where the cost of reactive maintenance is not greater than preventative

maintenance.

 Reactive maintenance is also ideal for business that cannot plan work due to
the nature of the industry. An example would be satellite communications. It is
too costly to send technicians into space to perform regular preventive
maintenance.

3.2.2 Proactive Maintenance Approach

Definition: Proactive is a preventive maintenance strategy for maintaining the

reliability of an asset especially machines and equipments.

Reliability is the ability of an item to perform a required function under a stated set of
conditions for a stated period of time.

Purpose: The purpose of proactive maintenance is to view asset failure and similar
problems as something that can be anticipated and dealt with before they occur.

Proactive maintenance consists of:

 Preventive maintenance
 Predictive maintenance

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Proactive maintenance focuses primarily on determining the root cause of asset
failure and dealing with those issues before problems occur.

It is often seen as a cost effective practice since it allows a company to avoid asset
failure and solve issues before they become problems

Home Assignment

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Proactive maintenance approach

3.3 Types of Building Maintenance

3.3.1 Planned maintenance: “The maintenance that is organized and carried out
with forethought, control and the use of records to a predetermined plan.”

3.3.2 Unplanned maintenance: “The maintenance that is carried out to no

predetermined plan.”

3.3.3 Preventive maintenance: “The maintenance is carried at predetermined

intervals or corresponding to prescribed criteria and intended to reduce the
probability of failure or the performance degradation of an item.”

3.3.4 Corrective maintenance: “The maintenance is carried out after a failure has
occurred and intended to restore an item to a state in which it can perform its
required function.”

3.3.5 Emergency maintenance: “The maintenance which is necessary to put in

hand immediately to avoid serious consequences.” This is sometimes referred to as
day-to-day maintenance, resulting from such incidents as gas leaks and gale
damage.

3.3.6 Condition-based maintenance: “The preventive maintenance is initiated as a

result of knowledge of the condition of an item from routine or continuous
monitoring.”

3.3.7 Scheduled maintenance: “The preventive maintenance is carried out to a

predetermined interval of time, number of operations, mileage etc”.

3.3.8 Routine maintenance: “The day to day building operational activities of the
property such as daily cleaning of premises”.

3.4 General Maintenance Classifications

These could be:

 Major repairs or restoration

 Periodic maintenance
 Routine or day to day maintenance

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N.B: Home assignment

Distinguish between building operational activities and building maintenance

activities?

HINT: Building operational activities are routine functions undertaken for hygienic,
aesthetic and security purposes and for supply of utilities. These activities are
necessary to keep the building in a habitable and usable condition.

Whereas,

Building maintenance activities…….?

Chapter Four: Building Components

4.1 Sub-structure: The structurally sound and watertight base upon which to build.
This includes:

 Foundations
 Foundation walls
 Hard core filling
 Slabs
 Damp proofing
 Floor structures
 Sub-soil drainage
 Service tunnels
 Ramps/steps

4.2 Super structure: The structural walling that supports the roof. This includes:

 Columns and beams

 Upper floors
 Staircases
 External and internal walls
 Windows
 External and internal doors

4.3 Roof: roof structure and roof covering. The structurally sound and watertight
structure and covering over the top of the building wall structure.

4.4 Finishes: These include:

 Wall finishes
 Floor finishes
 Ceiling finishes

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4.5 Fittings: Fitments-built-in or fixed items that furnish or equip a building.

 Cupboards
 Shelving
 Counters
 Kitchen worktopes
 Notice boards
 Signs and name plates
 Coat rails and hooks
 Mirrors
 Stages

4.6 Services

a). Sanitary fixtures: normal fixtures connected to the soil and waste plumbing
systems and all associated ancillaries includes; WC suites, urinals, wash hand
basins, sinks, tubs, showers, shower curtains, soap and toilet paper holders,
towel rails and hand driers.

b) Sanitary Plumbing System that allows disposal of all waste and soiled water
from fixtures and equipment out to the external face of external walls. These
includes: stacks and vents, all loose traps, floor wastes, internal sewer drainage
runs, pumps and ejectors

c) Water supply system to supply water from the point of entry to the building to
the points of consumption. These include: storage tanks, pumps, water treatment
plants, water heaters and coolers

d) Gas services system to supply gas from the point of entry to the building to
the points of consumption. Include: portable gas cylinders, booster compressors,
manifolds and regulators.

e) Space heating

f) Ventilation system

g) Evaporation cooling

h) Air conditioning

i) Fire protection system to detect or to extinguish fire. They include:

sprinklers and other automatic extinguishing systems, fire indicator boards,

manual and automatic fire alarm installations, fire fighting equipment, electric light
and power system to provide all light and power.

j) Communication systems to provide audio and video communication within

the building. Include: telephone cabling, internal telephones, public address

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system, call, emergency warning and intercommunication system, Clock and bell
system, TV antenna and closed circuit TV

K) Transportation system to move personnel and goods from floor to floor or

area to area. Include: lifts and escalators

l) Special services. These include: monitoring system, special conditioned

rooms, medical and industrial gas systems, dust extraction system, security
system (CCTV cameras), lightening protection (conductor), stage lighting, theatre
equipment, and laundry.

4.7 External services

 External storm water drainage-dispose of rain and surface water from site.
Include: culvers, pipe runs, inspection pits and trenches.
 External sewer drainage
 External water supply
 External gas
 External fire protection
 External electric light and power
 External communication
 External special services
 Roads, foot paths and paved areas-car parks, ply grounds, kerbs and
crossovers
 Gardening and lawn compound with lawn grass, flowers, shrubs and
shed/compound trees and fruits.
 Walls/fencing structures that enclose or define the extent of the site and
portions within the site
 Outbuildings and covered ways-small buildings supplementary to the
mains, bicycle sheds, garbage shelter, workshops, stores and garages.

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Chapter Five: Common Defects in Building and their Remedial Measures

5.1 Origin of Defects

The origins of defects can be categorized into five broad categories namely:

 Failure of materials
 Design defects
 Poor workmanship and errors
 Damage by external elements/forces
 Natural wear and tear of the buildings/structures

5.2 Common Defects and their appropriate Remedial Measures

 Cracks
 Rust
 Deformation of window/door frames and other structures
 Peeling off painting
 Failure of locking devices
 Broken glass panels-windows, doors and curtain walls
 Failure and loose of claddings such as glasses, aluminium and tiles cladding
 Rotting and decay of some building components such as roof and foundation
 Ponding/stagnant water on a flat roof
 Dampness due to moisture entering the building
 Roof leakage, etc

5.3 Structural Analysis of the Building Defects

When analysing the building defects, we consider the following:

 Cause of defects: What caused the fault/defect?

 Effect of the defect on the building performance. How is the defect going to
affect the performance of the building.
 The state of activity of the defect. Is the defect dormant or active.
 Proposed remedial action. What can be done to rectify the fault.

5.4 Remedial Measures

The above 5.3 is a take home assignment by students themselves

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Chapter Six: Demolition

This refers to the tearing-down of buildings and other structures.

6.1 Why Demolish?

We know buildings are costly and demolish involves bringing down what is already
costly?

6.2 Reasons for demolition

 Physical obsolescence
 Functional obsolescence
 Government policy change e.g master plan implementation
 Redevelopment and ensuring highest and best use of the land
 If the building can no longer be refurbished in any way
 Removing hazardous material such as asbestos
 Change of use to suite the new space requirements
 Structural failure
6.3 Survey before Demolition

What survey assessment that must be done before demolition? The following survey
assessment must be done before demolition:

 Impact of demolition on the immediate neighbourhood especially adjoining

structures/buildings
 Structural form of the buildings to be demolished
 Nature and type of services and utilities connected to the property to be
demolished
 Potential dangers and risks the demolition poses to the public and demolition
team
 Accessibility to the demolition site by both workers and their equipments such
as cranes and excavators
 Presence of hazardous materials on the demolition site such as asbestos and
other toxic substances.

6.4 Health and Safety Measures that must be ensured during demolition

 Fencing/hoarding of demolition site

 Installing of scaffolding
 Handling internal staff communication
 Ensuring personal protection measures such as use of protective gears like
gumboots, gloves, helmets etc
 Restricting access to only staff and authorized visitors

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  Local planning authority notification and securing demolition permit and
submitting a proper demolition proposal showing how demolition will be done,
how debris and hazardous materials will be disposed off
 Warning sign posts.

6.5 Hazards associated with demolition include:

 Noise
 Dust
 Vibration to adjoining structures/buildings/Structural damage
 Flying debris
 Uncontrolled collapse of the structures/buildings
 Escape of waste water to the surrounding environment due to damaged
plumbing/sewerage pipes
 Destruction of business activities around the site.
 Causing Traffic Congestion especially when there is enough accessibility.

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