Building Maintenance Engineer and Estate Manager

 

Architecture is concerned with buildings that are practical economical and remain beautiful during their life span. Today's economic conditions require this to be most important consideration. Buildings start to deteriorate from the day they are completed just as human beings get older right from birth. 

Seepage, leakage, cracks in walls, weathering, corrosion and chemical action due to pollutions, structural and thermal movement, behavior of the user, bad housekeeping, termites and rodents are some of the reasons for deterioration of buildings. Visual sign of such deterioration are swelling and shrinkage of materials, surfaces attack by air and waterborne chemicals and dirt effect of wear and tear. Loosening of fixtures, discoloration of surfaces, leakages of water through pipes, bathrooms and toilet floors. Stuffy nose, dry throat, lethargy, chest tightness, block runny or itchy eyes, dry skin, headache, loss of concentration are some of the symptoms which can cause genuine distress to some building occupants but cannot be clinically diagnosed and therefore cannot be medically treated. 

Work related to this is done by World Health Organization (WHO).It is stated that the above symptoms are said to disappear soon after the affected people leave the defective building. It is essential to check the temperature and humidity control settings, provision f regulation for fresh air, routine servicing of HVAC and dust control capacity of a building. 

Design considerations to reduce maintenance, selection materials, fixtures, study of building services and plumbing services and preparation of maintenance program with following details is essential. 

1. Standard proforma for inspection report. 
2. Diagnosis of defects. 
3. Use of moisture meter, a camera to record evidence, corrosion of MS bar. 
4. Observations in pre-monsoon and post monsoon periods. 
5. Painting work schedules. 
6. Water proofing, damp-proofing, termite proofing schedules. 
7. Maintenance of spaces between and around the buildings. 
8. Maintenance of old and historic buildings. 
9. Equipment for maintenance. 

A new branch that needs civil engineers is related to building maintenance. Tremendous construction activity is related to housing, construction of ownership flats/apartments etc. The serious question tenants are to face is regarding the maintenance of buildings. Construction done by untrained labor, inferior quality of materials, inferior type of concrete work and lack of supervision, are some of the reasons for bad quality and workmanship. This will definitely be reduced if owners, promoters and builders sincerely decide to give better returns to the flat owners, promoters and builders sincerely decide to give better returns to the flat owners by accepting and keeping strict quality control and realizing the importance of each and every consultant connected with the integrated constructional requirements. 

In flats/apartment buildings, nobody is an overall personal owner. They are tenant owners. Hence, the co-operation of all concerned is essential which requires a basic mental set-up essential for living and surviving together. Daily, monthly and yearly maintenance is needed to avoid future serious problems. Leakage in tapes causes waste of water, encourages water leakage through slabs and toilets, increases cost of pumping of water and reduces life of pumps. Pumps need repairs. 

Same as electrical wires need total renewal after 10-15 years depending upon the quality of wires, otherwise these may cause short circuits or increase in the bill of electrical consumption. Drainage and water tanks need periodical cleaning. Painting, internal and external, is essential which gives an opportunity to fill cracks in the plaster and improves the life and look of the building. The garden needs new soil, manure, care of trees and plants regularly. Therefore, maintenance engineer is needed who will take the responsibility of repairs and maintenance with the help of a carpenter, mason, plumber, electrician, gardener for garden maintenance and also someone who will care for waterproofing and other works periodically. Reliable service to the customer is the main quality of the maintenance engineer. 

At last, building maintenance require the service of an experienced engineer. His experience related to planning, designing, construction, landscaping and information about new products for maintenance is useful not only to protect a building, but also to keep it graceful and attractive throughout its life.