Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69

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Automation in Construction
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon

Computer-aided building maintenance with “BASE-FM” program

Dijana Dukić ⁎, Milan Trivunić, Anka Starčev-Ćurčin
University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Department of Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 6, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This paper is written as a consequence of building monitoring in a longer time period in the area of Southeast
Accepted 3 October 2012 Europe. This had resulted in creation of the software program for the preventive building maintenance. The
Available online 12 December 2012 software program “Base-FM”, presented in the paper, increases the quality of building maintenance by en-
abling better building control. Its application also reduces the maintenance costs since it facilitates the main-
Keywords:
tenance activity planning. The base of the program is a digital database about building elements. The overview
Database
“Base-FM”
of the database can present characteristic problems on certain building types and their elements, which can
Report then be avoided with adequate designing in the future.
Sorting Crown Copyright © 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Maintenance
Management

1. Introduction Behavior analysis on a larger number of residential, industrial and

According to the UN estimate, more than 50% of the world's popula-
tion has been living in the cities since 2005, where 2/3 of the population
in Europe has been living in the cities, and even 80% of the population in
the US [1]. Furthermore, the natural growth of population, with a need
for providing existential demands [2], including the living area, is rising.
Apart from the occupation of land, which is a nonrenewable natural
resource, construction is a great polluter and energy consumer, from
the raw material exploitation, through construction material produc-
tion, all the way to structure building, its exploitation and removal.
In order to decrease the construction of new buildings, a special
emphasis is placed on maintaining the existing buildings to prolong
their durability and feasibility [3]. Building maintenance has its price,
that is time changeable, and depends on the design quality, workman-
ship quality, built-in materials [4], building usability and numerous
other factors which can be rather little influenced on once the structure
is built. Hence, the life-span prolongation can be influenced only by
quality maintenance.
Quality maintenance of buildings implies preventive measures [5]
that obstruct the appearance of major damages which can lead to the
loss in function of a part of a building or for the entire building. In
order to prevent this, it is necessary to monitor the behavior of a build-
ing, i.e. all its elements separately. This can be achieved by gathering
data about the building, recording them and sorting the data ade-
quately [6].
⁎ Corresponding author at: Laze Nančića 1/11, 21 000 Novi Sad, Serbia. Tel.: +381 21
639 7486, +381 64 2749 886, +381 69 27 49 878.
E-mail addresses: dizo30@gmail.com (D. Dukić), trule@uns.ac.rs (M. Trivunić),
astarcev@uns.ac.rs (A. Starčev-Ćurčin).
business buildings in a long-term time period on the territory of the
former Yugoslavia and the region, as the data necessary for monitor-
ing the behavior of buildings, has been observed, regardless of their
structural system or building function. The research of these data and
the detailed analysis on the possibilities for their application led to the
formation of the software program “Base-FM”, which provides quality
building maintenance with the reduction of maintenance costs.
2. Costs of buildings' maintenance
The costs of buildings' maintenance are not always unambiguously
determined. There are many so-called hidden costs that manifest
themselves only over a longer time period and can not be attributed
directly to a building. People spend 90% of their time in closed spaces
and the influence of a building on their users' functioning and behav-
ior has been studied for a long time. Different approaches for the
assessment of environmental phenomena began to appear in the liter-
ature with increasing frequency in the 1960s [7]. Factors that affect
the housing quality are: socio-economic, functional and technical.
Characteristics of a building have a significant impact on mood, anxi-
ety, alertness, craving for cigarettes, quality of sleep, stress and the
like. Numerous economic studies consider the funds invested in the
“healing of a building”, energy-savings and social losses are caused
by the loss of working hours due to illness, allergies, particularly the
growing number of children's allergies and numerous other health
problems attributed to inadequate buildings. Hence, a special atten-
tion should be attributed to the influence of closed spaces, i.e. build-
ings, on the behavior, health and productivity of the building users.
The quality of maintenance for office buildings proved to be an effec-
tive means of improving the comfort, health and productivity of build-
ing occupants. As stated in researches [8], poor maintenance, more

0926-5805/$ – see front matter. Crown Copyright © 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2012.10.001
58 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69
precisely, poor cleaning of buildings, can reduce productivity by 22%
(corresponded to 22% dissatisfied). The World health organization
has been investigating the quality of buildings from the aspect of
their influence on human health for a longer time period. A study
done by the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that indoor
air pollution poses a greater risk than outdoor air pollution [9]. Micro-
bial agents in indoor air are considered a serious health hazard and it
has been a major topic of attention in recent years. The materials used
for construction of buildings and materials and substances for their re-
pair and cleaning are studied in particular. The nosocomial infections
associated with poorly maintained buildings [9], increase the cost of
healthcare for a government, so building maintenance costs should
be perceived with much wider aspects than just the direct financial
ratios of maintenance costs.
Buildings have to be maintained in order to fulfill the users' de-
mands qualitatively. Maintenance costs have an effect on up to 12%
of the overall costs of a company's functioning [10], and these costs
can be reduced for even 30% [11] by introducing the system in the
form of building maintenance management.
The cost analysis on preventive, corrective and condition-based
maintenance, conducted on the area of the Southeast Europe, has
shown that the building maintenance costs can be reduced by preventive
maintenance. Building maintenance has its costs, and the maintenance
quality is defined accordingly. In Serbia, the housing and maintenance
of residential buildings are regulated by the Law on maintenance of res-
idential buildings. It obliges users of the buildings to organize themselves
into Tenants' Council (TC) and to take care of building maintenance.
Maintenance includes regular works on protection of the building and
its common and separate parts and devices, installations and equipment,
Fig. 1. a) Diagram of the regular maintenance costs, maintenance management costs
and the variable costs and b) percentage of costs in maintenance of building 1.
and repair of damaged or worn parts to ensure their safety, serviceability
and durability [12]. This law, which is generally written on the model of
the same law of the former Yugoslavia, anticipates regular maintenance
works, works on investment maintenance and emergency responses.
Building maintenance management is entrusted to the Tenants' Council,
which is the administrative authority of the building and the legal entity
that deals with contracting and controling building maintenance process.
Decisions are made at meetings, by majority vote, which are held as nec-
essary. TC has president, one or more vice president, cashier, clerk, etc.
and they receive financial compensation for their work that is charged
monthly for each housing or business unit in the building, according to
the tariffs predefined for each building independently. These funds are
used to pay the costs of telephoning, contracting work, office supplies
and other expenses of TC. All results of the case study conducted to
explore the building maintenance management in Novi Sad are not
presented in this paper, but numerical parameters obtained in this
survey are presented. The maintenance costs for the 30 buildings for res-
idential housing in Novi Sad had been analyzed. The costs are monitored
continuously in period of 60 months, i.e. 5 years. The graphs presented
in Figs. 1–3 are based on this study. They show the costs of regular
maintenance (red), the costs of maintenance management (blue) and
variable costs (green), ie, according to the law [12] emergency
activities in maintenance, for the three typical residential buildings in
Novi Sad. The buildings are different in structure, age, and area, and
the monthly maintenance costs, expressed in US$, are very different.
Therefore, the percentages of certain costs are shown in the price paid
by the building tenants, for the building to perform its function, i.e,
ensure safe living. The quality of maintenance is very questionable, be-
cause many things are dealt randomly and good maintenance manage-
ment quality is missed. Regular costs include the cost of regular cleaning
inside the building, regular pest and rodent control, providing lighting
in the common building areas, some interventions on installations and
Fig. 2. a) Diagram of the regular maintenance costs, maintenance management costs
and the variable costs and b) percentage of costs in maintenance of building 2.
 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69 59

during the longer time period through variable maintenance costs.

The analysis specifically detected a problem of repeating the same
unforeseen intervention in some buildings. This means that the per-
formed works did not repair an error in the building in the right way,
so the problem occurs again soon. This is due to the lack of expert anal-
ysis of the defect in the building, and the lack of proper record about the
interventions that would draw attention to the wrongdoing of the
building management. The increase of even 50% in paying regular main-
tenance would still mean to pay less for residential building mainte-
nance, as can be seen from three displays for the percentage share of
costs [13]. This price would, apart from regular maintenance works,
be used to pay the costs of preventive inspections as a mean to prevent
damages. The including of preventive maintenance would reduce the
overall maintenance costs, and the service quality would be significant-
ly better. It means, for the users of the building no. 2, there is a total re-
duction of maintenance costs for even 19%, while increasing service
quality. It means that the building maintenance should be treated as a
set of planned and coordinated actions leading to the increase in the
performance quality offered by the designed building, with the simulta-
neous decrease in costs of its functioning.

3. Maintenance by data management

In order for the building maintenance to be successfully managed,

it is necessary to obtain an accurate data on the building condition in
every moment. It means that the data has to be available, uniform and
sorted, i.e. there has to be a database in the digital form. By overviewing
Fig. 3. a) Diagram of the regular maintenance costs, maintenance management costs the information on a building, it is possible to control and direct its func-
and the variable costs and b) percentage of costs in maintenance of building 3.
tioning. The usage of these data is possible only with the existence of a
digital database organized and sorted in a quality fashion. The survey of
the sorted data leads to the information [14] that is processed and sub-
equipment and regular elevator inspection. The practice is that the sequently leads towards the knowledge, as presented in Fig. 4.
maintenance costs are recognized in the account received by each Quality database should contain not only all the documentation
household separately for the previous month. The graphs below show related to the construction of a building, but also all interventions
the cumulative value for the entire building, not the individual prices and activities performed on the building in the past during the main-
for households. Individual household annualy pays from 70 US$ to tenance period. Computer networking allows these data to become
235 US$, and per year for the complete building maintenance costs available to a larger number of users, i.e. maintenance managers. A
amount from 1865 US$ to $ 9164 US$, as determined in the analysis company can have numerous benefits from the experience reported
of 30 different residential buildings. and saved by using digital databases for maintenance and then using
The increase of the maintenance costs recorded in the analyzed that experience as one of the most feasible resources [16]. It is clear
buildings is the result of inflation, not the increasing building age. that regular inspections are the bases for preventive maintenance,
The observed period of 5 years is minor compared to the projected not only of structural elements, but also of all other elements in a
lifetime of buildings, so the increase in maintenance cost due to in- building. Interventions that may follow have to be uniformly coordi-
creased building age can not be recorded in this, for the building, in a nated and based on experts' opinions. By sorting the input data in an
relatively short time period. The buildings' maintanance cost analysis adequate manner, one can follow the behavior of individual building
in continuous period of 5 years concluded that the Tenants' Council is
not an appropriate entity to manage buildings' maintenance. Financial
resources allocated for the work of this entity amount even to 30% of
the total maintenance cost, as seen from the diagram in Fig. 3. Because
of the evident lack of expertise and organization, TC is unable to prop-
erly manage the maintenance of residential buildings. The diagram
in Fig. 2 shows that in this case even 46% of costs paid by the building
tenants is wasted for the organization of the Tenants' Council and for
unforeseen interventions. Unforeseen interventions are charged from
the dwelling unit owner as variable costs, as shown in the diagrams in
red color. Variable costs include all unplanned interventions on residen-
tial buildings. The reason for that is frequent interventions on damages
occurring in buildings, which can be prevented by planned building
inspections. Red field marks the difference in regular and variable main-
tenance costs. The users of residential buildings actually pay both the
values of regular and variable maintenance; hence, the final price is
twice as much as the one listed as regular maintenance costs. Further-
more, the maintenance quality is on the level of regular maintenance
only, since the accidental interventions are not being prevented and
they are relatively common, while the payment for their repair occurs Fig. 4. Scheme of the process “from data towards knowledge”.
60 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69

elements and predict their behavior in the future, which is the objec-
tive of the maintenance management. Based on these findings, a
model for data collecting has been formed [11] and presented in Fig. 5.
The model presents the base for the process of building rational
usage and facility management, as for this and the environmental
management. The designed program is not a decision making tool
and it does not contain algorithms that will affect its outputs. The
basis of its use is the collection, selection of data and their presenta-
tion in a proper manner. It is not designed to predict future costs of
building maintenance, since it is not anticipated that the program
makes decisions about future activities. It was conceived as a tool
for maintenance managers that facilitates planning of maintenance
activities and, in many ways directly and indirectly, contributes to
the reduction in maintenance costs. Since it sorts all the information
about the activities on the object in several different manners, the
program has the potential to be developed towards the establishment
of reports about the planned intervention prices. It is planned that in
the future use, among other things, by selecting specific interventions
from the existing databases and their prices, the program predicts
future maintenance costs. In the shown model of the database, all
elements in a building are divided into construction, installations,
finishing works and equipment. Within each element type, the cate-
gory of the element is defined, and within each category, elements
are defined by a name and a code.
Input data used while working with the database are, at first, precise-
ly defined in the Figures tab. In the Figures tab options for the types of
buildings, types of inspections, types of elements in buildings, types of
damages on building elements, and types of measurements performed
at all possible building elements are to be defined. Furthermore, there
is a possibility for correcting the database by inputting new options
into the Figures, which is to improve the working quality and adapt
the base to any new demands. By defining new possibilities, the base
is constantly supplemented and improved, hence being adequate for
every newly established situation, e.g. in the case of additional building
extension. In the scheme shown in Fig. 5, these options of returning and
redefining input data are presented by the dotted line. Then, it is neces-
sary to define the characteristics of building in maintenance, as well
as input data on designers, constructors, surveillants and controllers,
i.e. all persons performing any type of inspection. Finally, inspections
and measurements performed on a building are entered, followed by in-
terventions on demand, logically. All input data can be presented and
sorted in reports, which directly contribute to controlling the mainte-
nance management process and its planning. Overview of the necessary
input data for maintaining buildings is presented in Table 1. Data is di-
vided into primary information about a building, data related to inspec-
tions and measuring on building elements, and data on interventions
performed. The maintenance costs are reduced if the possibility for fail-
ure and loss due to failure is reduced. These values can be influenced by
planning the activities that can lead to decrease in the possibility for sud-
den failures. It actually means that it is necessary to repair on time the
damages that can lead to a failure. In order to notice damages on build-
ing elements in time, in the period when complete failure and function
loss are not yet possible, it is necessary to perform preventive inspec-
tions of elements in a structure. Inspections are characterized as: regu-
lar, annual, main, additional and emergency.
The time intervals needed to perform a certain type of inspection are
defined in dependence on the category, i.e. the type of elements on a
building facility. This method of preventing sudden failures is the basis
for establishing the software program “Base-FM”. The overview of data
inputted into the program is possible via numerous reports that simplify
the process of managing and maintaining the built facilities.
3.1. The concept of the software program “Base-FM”
The work in the program is achieved via five main tabs and a larger
number of subtabs. “Base-FM” allows individual preparation, i.e. the

FIGURES TYPES OF BUILDINGS

TYPES OF INSPECTIONS
TYPES OF BUILDING ELEMENTS
TYPES OF ELEMENTS INACCURACY
TYPES OF MEASUREMENTS
USERS

BASIC DATA BUILDING PRIMARY DATA

DESIGNERS ADDITIONAL DATA
CONTRACTORS ELEMENTS FOR INSPECTION
DESIGNERS
SURVEYOR CONTRACTORS
CONTROLLER SURVEYORS
COMMITTEE DOCUMENTATION

INSPECTIONS/MEASUREMENTS INSPECTIONS PRIMARY DATA

MEASUREMENTS INSPECTION DETAILS
DOCUMENTATION

INTERVENTION INTERVENTION PRIMARY DATA

INTERVENTION DETAILS
DOCUMENTATION

REPORTS LIST OF ALL BUILDINGS IN MAINTENANCE

BY BUILDING
BY INSPECTION
BY INTERVENTION
MEASUREMENTS
LIST BY ELEMENTS TYPE
OBJECTS IN STATUS OF RECTIFICATION

Fig. 5. Diagram of the building maintenance management database [11].

 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69 61

Table 1
Data needed to be recorded within the qualitative building maintenance [15].

Building
Elements for
Primary data Additional data Designers Constructors Surveillants
inspection
–Structural system, –Structural system and –Type and category –Name of the –Name of the –Name of the
–Location and address of material of the building, of elements, designer, constructors, surveillant
the building, –Period for performing the –Category of –Type of the –Type of works, –Type of works
–Date of beginning and main building elements, project –Date of beginning being under
finishing construction, surveillance, –Name of the –Date of the the works surveillance
–Date for technical –Data on the usability elements, project –Date of finishing
reception of the building, manners of the building, –Construction elaboration the works
Primary data

–Date of obtaining the –Environment location

usability license,
–Name of the investor
–Name of the user,
–Type of building,
–Purpose,
–Designed life
expectancy,
–Number of floors,
–Outline of the building,
–Gross and net
construction area of the
building
aggressiveness, –Results of zero
–The existence of measurements
maintenance, demolition
and removing projects,
–The existence of the final
condition project,
–Performance of the final
structure inspection,
–Special comments related
to the construction period
–Special maintenance
demands

Documents

Designers Constructors Surveillants Controllers Committees Committee members

–Code, name and surname
of the designer,
–Identification number
and license number,
–Type of the designer,
–Contact phone and
address
–Code, name and surname –Code, name and surname –Code, name –Code and name –Code of the member
of the constructor in charge, of the surveillant, and surname of the committee of the committee,
–Name of the company, –Identification number of the person, –Date of –Names and surnames
–License number, and license number, –Identification establishment of the members of the
–Contact phone and address –Occupation number, committee
–Contact phone and address –Occupation
–Contact phone
and address

Inspection

Primary data Inspection details Documentation

–Code of the inspection, –Type, category and name of the structural element Input of any type of documentation
–Type of the inspection, –Controller, i.e. name of the person performing the inspection, in the digital form related to the
–Date of the inspection, –Type of errors being controlled, inspection:
Inspections/measurements

–Committee performing the inspection,
–Demands for interventions,
–Intervention in progress
–Errors and demands for interventions, –Photographs,
–Location and numerical value of the error, –Reports,
–Used inspection method and possible cause of the error, –Expert opinions,
–Comments and the date of commenting –Measurements,
–Proposition for the solution –Statements

Measurements

–Code and type of measurements,

–Type, category and name of the elements under measurement,
–Date of measurement,
–Name and surname of the controller, i.e. the person performing the measurements
–Measured value,
–Range of permitted limitations for the measured value,
–Repair in progress
–Is the drawback removed after measuring

Interventions

Primary data Inspection details Documentation

–Code of the intervention, –Type, category and name of the structure Input of any type of documentation in the digital
–Name of the inspection after element being under intervention, form related to the supervision:
Interventions

which the intervention occurred
–Total costs of the works in the
intervention
–Name of the person that perhaps –Photographs,
performed the work projection for the –Scanned construction journals,
intervention, –Measurements,
–Name of the constructor, –Accountant papers, construction books,
–Name of the surveillant, –Situation,
–Date of beginning and finishing the –Projects
works,
–Short description of the intervention
62 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69
formation of the drop-down menus used while working, by data input
on the main tab Figures. Here, one can define the options for the type
of buildings, type of inspections, type of elements in a building, type of
damages on building elements, and type of measurements that can be
performed in a building. Figures tab is universal for all buildings being
maintained. The advantage of such work is that tab Figures does not
need to be defined anew for every building separately. During further
work in the program, it is possible to input data supplements in the
drop-down menus via the main tab Figures, so there is no possibility
for wrong program preparation or the fear that certain incorrectly de-
fined input data may cause problems during further work. This con-
cept allows greater possibilities for adapting the program to users,
i.e. changes on a building, so, for example, if one wants to additionally
build an annex to a building it is necessary only to add new elements
for inspection and the program is suited for the newly presented
conditions.
The subtab Types of inspections defines inspections performed on
a building, i.e. building elements. Data on the necessary inspections
are defined in the project and technical documentations. The forma-
tion of this figures by, for example, the senior maintenance manager,
enables the administrator, who is not completely introduced to the
legal provisions and maintenance of every equipment, installations
or a construction element, to monitor the qualitative maintenance
of the building by observing in this tab Figures the type of inspection
needed to be performed in the due time interval. The tab Type of
elements defines the types of elements that can be found in the build-
ing and that can be a subject of maintenance. In the “Base-FM”, ele-
ments are divided into four groups, those being construction, finishing
works, installations and equipment. Within groups, elements are divid-
ed into categories, as it can be seen in Fig. 6, and later each individual
element is defined by a name and a code.
“Base-FM” enables the synthesis of knowledge of diverse technical
and technological professions available to a wider range of users.
Hence, when the experts of different professions precisely define all
the elements in the tab Figures, they also enable a person without
higher education to qualitatively input data and maintain the build-
ing by using this software program.
It is predicted that the program “Base-FM” also contains database
on: designers, constructors, surveillants, controllers and inspection
committees. By entering main and contact information for these per-
sons in adequate cards, a database is formed and it can serve for future
contact with these external associates. By hiring the same persons
based on the common database for a larger number of structures,
their work can be rapidly and easily evaluated. This enables hiring
Fig. 6. Interface for data input on the elements for inspection in the tab Figures.
more qualitative persons, since quality external associates are a pre-
requisite for the quality building maintenance.
3.2. Working with the program “Base-FM” for buildings
Data input for the building in maintenance is done within the tab
Building, and subtabs Primary data, Additional data, Elements for inspec-
tion, Designers, Contractors, Surveillants and Documentation. When the
name of the building is entered, a numerical code is automatically
attributed to the building, enabling the possibility for a large number
of buildings to be monitored. Table 1 presents primary and additional
data on a building needed to be recorded.
The program “Base-FM” is made in such manner as to enable the
establishment of a database for a building with all relevant docu-
ments as well. Documents are entered via the subtab Documentation,
in the tab with the primary data about the building, as well as in the
tabs Inspections and Interventions. Thus, data is sorted according to
their function, i.e. the activities linked to their appearance, as shown
in Fig. 7.
The bases for the quality building maintenance are preventive
inspections. The program is designed to enter projected inspections.
It is common that the regular inspections of equipment and installa-
tions are carried out every 6 months, for finishing work once a year,
while elements of construction are subject to regular inspection
once every 2–5 years, depending on the building itself. The ongoing
inspections can be defined on a monthly or weekly basis, the main
inspections are defined by the project of maintenance and special
inspections are dependent on the circumstances in which the build-
ing functions. All examinations are designed individually for each
building, as shown in Fig. 8. Through the program the frequency of
the ongoing preventive inspections is defined depending on the
maintenance price: if the investor for the building pays a lower main-
tenance price then the ongoing inspections and for them following
repairs will be performed less frequently, and inversely. “Base-FM”
makes it possible to enter in advance the planned dates of preventive
examinations in the tab Inspections, as can be seen in Fig. 8. In this
way, the person responsible for the building maintenance has not
to be highly qualified to manage building maintenance because his
actions are pre-defined by the program. Projected inspections are de-
fined by the top maintenance manager and can be registered up to
several years ahead. Inspections can be performed by a person who
maintains the building, and when it comes to highly specialized in-
spections, then a board of experts is formed according to a predefined
schedule. It is anticipated that within 5 days from the projected ex-
amination date a Commission should be established to complete the
preventive inspection and the entry of its results should be started.
If the projected period of 5 days is exceeded, in the report By inspec-
tion, the examination for which the deadline was not respected, will
be shown in red color. In the same report all completed examinations
can be seen, as well as those that need to be performed, which is in-
dicated in green color, as shown in Fig. 10. All data about inspections
are being recorded. In the tab Committees, data about forming the
committees have to be recorded together with personal information
about the performers of the specified inspection. The program is spec-
ified to record all valid data related to the elements of inspections,
and especially the following: members of the committee performing
the inspection, data on recorded inaccuracies with the detailed
sketches and adequate photodocumentation, observations and rec-
ommendations for repairing the recorded damages. For information
to be more legible and for avoiding misunderstandings in their trans-
fer, it is necessary for every part of the building to be uniformly
defined. Hence, the inspections are recorded for every element on a
building separately. In the card Inspections/Measurements, one enters
data on inspections performed in a building and measurements on
the elements being inspected.
 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69 63

Fig. 7. Access to all documentation in the digital form.

On selecting the tab Inspections, one can observe all inspections on
a building in question until the set date. In the program “Base-FM”,
main technical reception of the building is referred to as the first in-
spection of the building and the time related to other inspections is
measured from that date.
Data input on the performed inspection is done individually for
every element being inspected, and necessary information are shown
in Fig. 9. Possible cause of the inaccuracy is defined by the person
performing the inspection, and based on their experience and expert
knowledge in the field in which they do their controls. The controller
enters the observations, which can be comments related exclusively
on the element under inspection or related to other suggestions for
more qualitative building maintenance. The proposition for the solution
for recorded damages on elements is entered by the controller after the
inspection. The program thus enables the formation of a database of
expert records which can be used in the future to solve similar minor
problems, without additional payments to the usually expensive expert
opinions.
All these inputs and data sorting related to the inspections can
be utilized to observe the reappearance of causes, which can imply
a conclusion on the permanent problem solving. The list of causes is
formed and they have to be eliminated for the building to be qualita-
tively maintained and for reducing the number of imperfections in
the future. Furthermore, it can provide directions for designing new
buildings, since segments and modalities that should be avoided in
order to design buildings better, are easily observed.
The tab Measurements contains the following information on
every element being under any kind of physical measuring: name of
the person performing the measurements, type and date of measure-
ments, measured value and the comment whether the value is within

Fig. 8. Working interface for the definition of inspections.

64 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69
Fig. 9. Review of the input data for the elements under inspection with the emphasis on the possible causes of errors.
the permitted limitations. This information is provided to the mainte-
nance manager or the administrator by the expert performing the
measurements.
To enter data on the inspections, it is only necessary to enter the
code of the building and the program automatically presents all in-
spections on the building from its database. On selecting an inspection
after which the intervention was needed, one enters data on the
parameters significant for every individual intervention: name of the
designer, contractor and surveillant, date of beginning and finishing
the works, description of the intervention and the value of works.
Hence, all interventions are defined in details, enabling future moni-
toring and behavior analysis of every structured element individually.
3.3. Data overview and sorting
It is predicted for the “Base-FM” to have a larger number of users
mutually networked. The appearance of the interface, i.e. the dimen-
sions of the working window, is set in such manner that the usage of
notebooks is also easy and possible. Thus, the maintenance process
control can be monitored from any place in the world having techni-
cal possibilities for it. All program applications are related to a unique
database, so that the super user, i.e. general maintenance manager,
can observe all alterations on any building in maintenance only by
viewing the reports available in the program. By selecting the ade-
quate report in data overview, it is possible to see quickly the activities
on the building maintenance and direct their flow, which actually is
the maintenance management. Reports are sorted according to build-
ing, inspection, intervention, measurement, type of elements and
buildings in the process of rectification. Report List of buildings in
maintenance presents all buildings that are or have ever been in main-
tenance with this program, with their name, address, date of finishing
works, name of the investor, name of the user and purpose of the
building. There is also the date for the last inspection and the date
for the last measurements, which provides the general manager the
information whether inspections are done according to technical nor-
mative and in adequate time intervals, all with the goal of preventive
maintenance. Hence, one can also control the work of each individual
building maintenance manager.
For the report about the building, data are sorted by the following:
elements of inspections, inspections and interventions. By selecting to
see the report named Building + Elements of inspection, one obtains
the elements for inspections defined by the code and the name, and
sorted by type and kind. There is also a location of construction of
these elements and the result of zero measurements, if any. An exam-
ple of the report with the data on Building + Inspections, for a tobacco
warehouse that is presented in this paper, is shown in Fig. 10. The re-
port lists the code of the inspection and the type of every individual
inspection, projected date for inspection and the date when inspec-
tion was performed, name of the committee that performed the
inspection and whether there were any demands for interventions.
Thus, one can follow the speed of defects increasing, and the time
passing between the appearance of an inaccuracy and the need for
its repair. This report allows control of work in maintenance through
insight into the performed inspection date in relation to the projected
date. The program signals irregularities in the work by printing in red
color the inspection date that is not in accordance with the projected
deviation of 5 days. In the report all future projected inspections that
should be organized are shown in green color. Therefore necessary
maintenance activities are pre-defined for a long time, and the need
for communication among the participants in the process of mainte-
nance and maintenance management is reduced.
In the report Data on a Building + Interventions, there is a list of
interventions on a selected building, as it is shown in Fig. 11. There
is a date of inspection after which an intervention was performed
and particular and the total financial costs of the intervention. The
program has an option of summing the costs for all interventions in
a building in an observed time period, so the costs of interventions
can be controlled. If users want to view details of an inspection, they
can do it by selecting the report By inspection, while in the report By
intervention one can observe details on a selected intervention.
A report named Measurements gathers data according to the cat-
egory of elements it refers to, and, as a segment, according to the type
of measurement. Data on the same measurements are listed chrono-
logically and hence one can see a table overview on the values of
demanded measurements with the date they were performed. Thus,
one can easily, through numerical data about certain inaccuracy, follow
 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69 65

Fig. 10. Report about preventive inspections in the building.

the behavior of every individual building element through time. Fur-
thermore, one can use it to predict the elements' behavior and future
activities for their better maintenance.
A report named Inspection by type of elements presents all details
related to the elements in a building. Listed here are all elements and
all activities performed on them. Information on elements are gath-
ered in a manner that first all data on inspection are listed, followed
by data on measurements, and finally all interventions performed.
Within the groups, data are listed chronologically. This report is suit-
able for the comparison of elements. One can observe advantages and

Fig. 11. Report on building + interventions presents individual and summary costs of interventions.
66 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69
drawbacks of individual elements that are the same or similar, and
hence, the change of inadequate elements can be planned by utilizing
the elements proven to be more qualitative in the exploitation. This
type of overview enables the possibility to notice drawbacks that
are most common on certain types or kinds of elements and buildings
and to plan activities for their better maintenance. A List of buildings
in status of rectification is a report where all buildings needing an in-
tervention are listed.
Buildings are divided into tables with the following information,
as it is presented in Fig. 12:
1. Code of the inspection after which an inaccuracy needing a repair
is detected. Inaccuracies that do not have a demand for an inter-
vention will not be listed in this report.
2. Elements on a stated building that need an intervention.
3. Date of inspection is the date when the inspection was performed.
Activities in an intervention begin with the moment the demand
was stated, and imply the process of hiring the contractor, and if
needed, a surveillant and a designer.
4. Intervention status confirms that physical activities related to the
repair of the inaccuracy have begun. If the column Intervention
status is not active, it means that the activities on the physical re-
moval of the inaccuracy have not yet started and that preparation
is still in progress. When the intervention is completed, the ele-
ment and the building are automatically removed from the report.
This report provides a direct working control to the maintenance
manager. If the time duration of the Intervention in progress is too
long, or if there is a long period from the moment the building occurs
at the list until the moment of the beginning of the status Intervention
in progress, it implies that there are problems in this building mainte-
nance. Longer time period implies lower degree of the maintenance
quality, and vice versa.
4. Implementation of the digital database into the preventive
maintenance management
The formation and application of database about buildings can im-
prove the process of their maintenance. Although it is not a decision
making program, it helps the building maintenance manager in de-
ciding. This concept of collecting and sorting the data allows one per-
son to maintain quality up to 10 buildings, depending on their spatial
Fig. 12. Overview of the buildings in status of rectification.
distance. Furthermore, the program allows control of such person by,
for example, general manager or owner of the company that deals
with the maintenance. It means that, by applying this concept of
work and the designed computer program, the company can success-
fully maintain and manage the maintenance of over 100 different
buildings with only 15 employees, on condition that the actual phys-
ical works on the maintenance are performed by the outsourcing
companies. The program is designed to suit all types, sizes and all
kind of building structures, and for its application there is neither
space nor time limits, so it could have an international implementation.
This is especially important for the companies that have international
business and which should have a unique concept of maintenance of
buildings under its ownership which often is a source of income for
companies. It should be emphasized that the benefits of the use of qual-
ity data base for building maintenance can be felt only after a long peri-
od of time, as shown in Fig. 4. Also, companies that have this data can
have advantages from quality sorted information and keep them as
one of their greatest resources. The utilization of the reports enables a
rapid overview of activities on the building maintenance and a decision
on directions for future maintenance. The role of certain reports in the
process of building maintenance management is presented schemati-
cally in Fig. 10. The data sorting possibilities indicated into the flow
chart represented in Fig. 13 assist the general maintenance manager
in control of maintenance process and in planning activities. It is well
known that the managing process is the circular process in which the
three interrelated phases are always present: planning, implementation
and control, for which, upon inspection of defects, a new plan follows,
the new implementation follows, etc. The planning refers to the predic-
tion of future states and actions which should be taken to achieve the
expected results. The base of any planning is the analysis of past and
present state which consists of comparison of the corresponding data.
Precisely a manner of sorting the data shown in the program allows to
the general maintenance manager high-quality analysis and compari-
son, and thus the planning of future activities. As shown in the diagram
in Fig. 13, reports 1, 3 and 7 allow direct control of the realization of
maintenance. Reports numbered as 2, 4, 5 and 6 make possible the com-
parisons of adequate data, and thus the planning of future activities.
Application of “Base-FM” in building maintenance management pro-
vides an insight into the technical and financial conditions of the build-
ing at any time, which, in fact, is the subject of the work in the building
maintenance management. Indirectly, the use of data sorted in this
 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69
ENABLES REDUCES MAINTENANCE COSTS THROUGH:
LIST OF BUILDINGS IN Controlling the work of
1 MAINTENANCE individual maintenance managers
Comparing same or similar
BY BUILDING
2 elements
Monitoring the speed of deterioration
BY INSPECTION
3 of defects noticed on elements
Controlling the intervention costs
BY INTERVENTIONS
4 in preventive maintenance
Predicting the behavior of elements
MEASUREMENTS
5 based on numerical indicators
REPORT BY THE TYPE Noticing most common drawbacks
6 OF ELEMENTS on individual types of buildings
BUILDINGS IN STATUS Controlling the quality degree
7 OF RECTIFICATION in building maintenance
Fig. 13. Possibilities for data sorting in reports, their influence on management process and reduction of building maintenance costs.
manner impacts on reducing the building maintenance cost through:
reducing the number of workers employed in the maintenance of a
large number of buildings, reducing the need for highly qualified
workers in the maintenance management since the activities are in ad-
vance specified in the program, the introduction of standard, and there-
fore cheaper, solutions for the rehabilitation of certain defects which are
frequently recorded. The activities planning allows the favorable con-
clusion of contracts with outsourcing companies, cheaper procurement
of materials, planning of maintenance funds and their acquisition under
favorable conditions. The third column in Fig. 13 indicates how the soft-
ware program can reduce the maintenance costs. The program has a di-
rect impact on reducing unpredicted interventions, which in building
maintenance in Serbia is as high as 27% of the annual maintenance
cost, through the establishment of the preventive inspections which
outline defections prior to reaching their crush level. The best example
is the preventive inspection of plumbing in the building, for example, by
checking the pressure in the pipes which decrease will be indicative of
network errors. The examination locates and then repairs the deficiency
before the total failure of the defective part of the network and flooding.
Often, the financial consequences of unforeseen events in the building
can not be fully considered and calculated. The human victims, for ex-
ample, of the fire on The Workers' University in Novi Sad in 2000th,
which is attributed to an inadequate maintenance of the television stu-
dio equipment, have no price.
“Base-FM” can be used as a bank of all necessary information
about a building. The survey of reports on inspections and interven-
tions can provide a list of drawbacks most commonly occurring on
certain types of elements and buildings. The observations of draw-
backs occurring on elements in the past and the monitoring of their
development or repair can be helpful in planning the activities on
their maintenance in the future, as well as related to financial means
necessary for maintaining buildings and their elements.
67
FORMING A BASE OF EXPERTS OPINIONS
WHICH WILL NOT BE PAID IN THE FUTURE
ESTABLISHING UNIFORM SCHEMES
FOR DEFECTS REPARATION
PLANING FUNDS FOR FUTURE
MAINTENANCE
REDUCING NUMBER OF UNEXPECTED
INTERVENTIONS AND TREIR COSTS
DISCOUNT IN MATERIALS SUPPLY BECAUSE
THE NEED FOR THEM IS DEFINED IN ADVANCE
REDUCING PRICES FOR OUTSOURCING
COMPANIES SERVICES
REDUCING NUMBER AND COSTS OF PEOPLE
IN CHARGE OF BUILDINGS MAINTENANCE
On implementing this program into the maintenance of the facility
of Tobacco industry Čoka in Čoka, Serbia, it has been observed that the
overview of interventions can present a demand for certain materials
and certain constructors, so this material can be always on stock and
the contracts can be signed more advantageous, as annual maintenance
contracts. Based on the case study in implementing the program
“Base-FM” for maintaining a residential building in Novi Sad, with the
area of over 2.000 m 2 and 44 residential units, it has been observed
that the maintenance control is significantly simplified. Also, in the
same case, the loss of time in the communication among the partici-
pants in the maintenance process has been reduced, while the commu-
nication itself has been significantly improved. During the testing
period for this program, tenants did not have to pay the costs for Ten-
ants' Council, what also reduced their costs. Implementation of the
new method of the building maintenance has started with a detailed
examination and repair of defects that could cause major problems in
the functioning of the building. In this way unforeseen interventions
are prevented and they did not occurr in the testing period. The pro-
gram for the maintenance “Base-FM” was also implemented on a facility
of the Centre for Daycare in Mali Iđoš, Serbia. The successful data gath-
ering in a longer time period has provided an insight into the previous
drawbacks on some elements in the building and allowed the observa-
tion in modes of the building behavior and eliminates the causes of
inaccuracies, leading to the significantly more qualitative functioning
of that building. Based on the research, it can be specified that the
reports available in the program have a positive influence on the main-
tenance management process through the following:
1. Improving the communication among the participants in the process
(reducing the need for meetings, video conferences or phone con-
versations, since all the information related to technical maintenance
are available in reports);
68 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69
2. Simplifying the control of work for individual managers in mainte-
nance (in controlling the reports one can notice the regularity in
inputting data about the activities in a building and stream of
those activities);
3. Reducing the risk in the management process (all activities are
transparent and any drawbacks in the maintenance process are
easily noticed through controlling the inspection and intervention
procedures on individual elements in a building);
4. Preventing errors in a building;
5. Simplifying material and equipment procurement for repairing
inaccuracies, as well as easier hiring of external associates;
6. Reducing time consumption in the management process;
7. Saving material means and means for operative costs (by saving
financial means for controlling certain maintenance managers, but
also saving means for the repair of accidental damages that can be
prevented by surveying reports).
The role of the database created by the program “Base-FM” in the
maintenance management system can be graphically illustrated in
Fig. 14. As shown in the figure, database directly facilitates and accel-
erates the control and planning process. Indirectly, it also influences
the more qualitative process of realization of the building maintenance
by selecting quality associates for constructing, designing, surveying
and inspecting in the building. Quality outsourcers have a positive
impact on the fast, successful and qualitative realization of activities
which relates to the maintenance and they present a prerequisite for a
good building maintenance.
Building maintenance and maintenance management are more
qualitative and safer by utilizing the software program “Base-FM”.
The program selects and presents the gathered data in a manner
that ensures better relations among activities in maintenance, thus
also achieving the better quality of transferring and evaluating infor-
mation among individual segments in maintenance. The quality of in-
formation is of essential importance in building maintenance process
management. The database provided by this program facilitates the
maintenance control, while the adequate sorting of necessary data
ensures the evaluation of optional solutions in the decision-making
process as an integral part of management.
5. Conclusion
The program “Base-FM” is utilized for maintaining a large number
of buildings in a quality manner by performing preventive inspections
in order to significantly reduce the costs of technical maintenance.
This also increases the quality of the maintenance, since smaller dam-
ages on a building are rapidly eliminated. Preventive inspection and
recording information about their results enables the prevention of
elements' failure in a building, and, sometimes, even the loss of func-
tion of the building. Preventive inspection costs are relatively small
Fig. 14. Program “Base-FM” in the maintenance management system.
in relation to the costs of emergency interventions. The presented
software program enables this manner of saving the means intended
for building maintenance by reducing the number and scope of inter-
ventions necessary for a building to function properly. Besides, the
formed database provides a possibility to monitor the behavior of
building elements and hence the possibility to foresee future costs in
maintenance. According to all the above, the influence of the program
“Base-FM” onto the reduction of maintenance costs is performed in six
manners:
1. The use of this program reduces the number of unexpected inter-
ventions. Inspection costs are small in comparison to the interven-
tion costs, so significant savings of material means is attributed to
canceling variable maintenance costs. The practice in Serbia has
shown that 30% to 40% of the intervention cost was wasted on ma-
terials, so that the material savings, by the reduction in the number
of unforeseen interventions, are from 2.4 to 11%.
2. Costs of preventive inspections within the preventive maintenance
are reduced through the possibility of forming a base of expert
opinions which can be used in the future without paying the ex-
pensive experts. The base of expert opinions, as presented in
Fig. 9, is formed by entering detailed information on the inspec-
tions for every individual element in a building, with expert data
on the causes of damaged origin, professional propositions for so-
lutions and technical comments provided by the expert committee
hired for inspection.
3. If the input data in figures are well defined by technical experts,
current inspections on building and data recording can be done
by persons with minimum technical knowledge. Thus, building
maintenance can be done by staff without higher education de-
gree; employing these people is cheaper, which directly influences
the maintenance costs. The control of these managers' work by a
superior manager, i.e. general manager, which is exactly what
this program offers, ensures the high quality of maintenance
with cost reduction. The organization costs for rehabilitation of
drawback in a building may be up to 30% of the total cost of the
building maintenance, as can be seen in Fig. 3 that presents the
analysis of the building in Novi Sad maintaining costs. The program
allows reduction of the costs for the people envolved for the evi-
dence of errors, for finding appropriate solutions, contracting work,
controlling work, its payment and keeping the necessary documen-
tation. The introduction of the new building maintenance method
can reduce the costs of personnel engaged in such business up to
70% in the territory of Serbia.
4. Based on the common base of external associates formed in the
“Base-FM” and the data on contractors, surveillants, controllers and
designers, the conditions are created for the formation of more qual-
itative contracts for outsourcing. Using the program, there is a possi-
bility for reducing the individual service cost of these external
associates due to the increase in their work while being hired on a
larger number of buildings in maintenance. Practice in civil engineer-
ing in Serbia allows reduction of even 20% in the performing of the
same work on multiple buildings in a continuous period. The price
reductions are individual and they depend on the quality and repu-
tation of the contractor company.
5. The control of drawbacks and behavior of individual elements in a
building, on the insight into reports available in the program, can
aid to avoid unpredicted activities. Buildings, in which the pro-
gram has been tested, over a period of one year had no accidents
that resulted in the termination of the functioning of a part or all
of the building. This means that, compared to the previous period
of 5 years, there were no emergency activities in maintenance.
Savings from 8% to 27% of the total costs of maintaining price are
realized, depending on the type, size and structure of the building.
It, among other things, also means that the emergency damages
that have an impact on the loss or decrease in the function of a
 D. Dukić et al. / Automation in Construction 30 (2013) 57–69
building, which presents a source of income for its owner, or inves-
tor, can be avoided. Thus, it provides continual usage of a building
as a resource, and also financial benefits from the building.
6. In monitoring the behavior of a building, one can foresee possible
interventions in time, so the investors or the owners can be pro-
vided with a timely warning on a demand for more investment
in the building. They then can be able to plan in time the budget
necessary for the quality function of the building, which, in that
case, may be obtained under significantly better terms.
The presented program can be regarded as a basic version of the
software program “Base-FM” for building maintenance. The idea is
for the program to find wider application with building users in the
sense that dwellers in residential buildings or administrative person-
nel in offices can themselves report the observed damages [17]. These
reports would increase the maintenance quality, and the users could
give an insight into which damages are most often noticed, directing
further designer and project practice towards creating buildings that
better fulfill their functions.
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