• Building defects and common sources of common building

defects
• Building defects due to material failure
• Remedial actions to minimize or avoid building defects
• Importance of construction related tests to minimize material
fails
• Building maintenance
• Different methods of building maintenance
• Maintenance plan to identify and avoid future building defects
and deteriorations
• Factors affecting the effective building maintenance
 Introduction to the session 02
The objective of this session is to predict and evaluate future
building defects occur due to quality issues and material failure in
the construction industry. Also to identify the available different
techniques for building maintenance as a preventive method to
maximize the lifecycle of the building.

Learning outcome LO 02- Predict the mechanisms by which the

construction materials fail in use and propose preventative and
remedial measures to deal with these.
 Building defects
A building defect is defined as a material, component or finish
which does not meet its expected performance criteria.

Defect

Latent Defect Patent Defect

Hidden defect in material
and/or workmanship of an
item which may cause failure
or malfunction, but is not
discoverable through general
inspection. Also called hidden
defect. See also patent defect.
Defect in material and/or
workmanship that may cause
failure or malfunction of an
item, and is discoverable upon
its inspection. See also latent
defect.
 Latent Defects Examples
• Soils that were not properly compacted.
• Improperly installed flashing and/or the total lack of flashing
within the building envelope assembly.
• Lack of reinforcing in structural concrete footings, walls and/or
slabs.
• Lack of brick ties and/or masonry reinforcement in a
brick/masonry veneer wall.
• An improperly installed weatherproofing system.
• Improperly consolidated concrete.
• Reinforcement not fully embedded in the concrete structure
 Patent Defects Examples
• Weep holes not installed in brick veneer walls.
• Handrails omitted in stairways.
• Missing control and/or expansion joints.
• Cracking and/or signs of distress in the building envelope.
• Lack of roof drainage and/or roof slope.
• Lack of proper roof/attic ventilation.
Building defects
Common Building Defects and Their Causes
Defects may occur because of;
• Design deficiencies,
• Material deficiencies,
• Specification problems,
• Workmanship deficiencies

Common building defects can be categorized as;

1. Common building defects
2. Common defects in building services
3. Defects due to Water leakages
4. Defects due to Material failure
5. Defects while site preparation
 Common building defects and Causes
• Defective concrete- Defective concrete as a result of ageing is
commonly found in old buildings. Persistent water leakage may
affect the steel reinforcement. Weak concrete caused by the use
of salty water in concrete mix, or overloading are also common
causes in spalling

• Water seepage from external wall, window, roof, or from

ceiling - External water seepage could be due to a variety of
reasons including cracks on external wall, honey comb concrete,
defective sealant at window, defective waterproofing membrane
at roof, defective external water and drainage pipes, etc
 Common building defects and Causes
• Structural cracks in walls, columns and beams- Structural cracks
may be caused by many factors, e.g. excessive movement of the
building structure, unwanted ground settlement, serious
overloading, weaknesses caused by corrosion/deterioration of
materials, or damage by accidents, or poor design/ construction,
etc. Detailed investigation must be carried out to identify the
cause(s) which must be removed or rectified before the cracks
are repaired
• Non-structural cracks - (usually in plaster or other finishes with
cement sand rendering as base): Cosmetic shrinkage cracks in
plaster or other forms of finishes will affect the appearance only
and do not pose any safety concern. They are small hairline
cracks developed within the finishes layer not penetrating down
to the reinforced concrete structure
 Common building defects and Causes
• Defective external wall finishes/mosaic tiles/ceramic
tiles/stone cladding/curtain wall - The defects could be due to
ageing, structural movements, defective workmanship during
installation, thermal movement, defective or missing expansion
joints, damage by external factors, ingress of water into the gap
between the finishes or tiles and the structure,
Common building service defects and Causes

• Water Supply- Blockage or leakage of components of the supply

system such as pipes or valves, Rusty pipes or dirty supply tanks,
Pump failure and breakage of supply pipes
• Electricity Supply-Overloading, Uneven distribution
• Fire Services- Improper service coordination
• Lift and Escalator- Landing misalignment
• Air Conditioning / Heating- Poor filtration of solid contaminants
 Construction related tests to minimize
material fails
Quality Manager is responsible to ensure the quality of materials and
activities performed in projects. There are material technicians
including Quality Control Inspector/ Quality Control Manager, Quality
Assurance Inspector, and Document Controller etc. They are
responsible for performing the tests related to construction activities
as well as materials used for constructions. Ultimately they should
responsible for implementing a better quality assurance system
throughout the project. Laboratory books shall be maintained
separately for different tests.
 Construction tests
Example tests For soil earth works:
• Sieve Analysis Test
• Proctor Compaction Test
• CBR Test
• Liquid Limit Test
• Plastic Limit Test
• Field Density Test
• Field Moisture test
Example tests For materials:
• Slump Cone Test
• Concrete Crushing Test 
Construction tests
 Avoiding building defects
Design Phase :
• Production Management
• Peer Review of construction documents
• Owner Involvement
• Design Schedule
• Design and Construction Coordination
• Value Engineering
 Avoiding building defects
Construction Phase :
• Total Quality Management
• New Building Technology
• Awareness
• Investigation and Inspections
• Evaluation
• Treatment and Remedy
 Avoiding building defects
Post Construction Phase :
Defect liability of Parties
Building Maintenance
 Building maintenance
Building maintenance is a process by which a building is kept usable
at a pre-determined standard for the use and benefit of its
occupants or users. The standard may vary according to the
function of a building. Maintenance practically begins the day a
builder leaves the building site. Design, materials, workmanship,
function, use and their interrelationships, will determine the
amount the maintenance required during the lifetime of a building.
The prime aim of the building maintenance is to preserve a building
in its initial state, as far as practicable while retaining, where
appropriate, its investment values, and presenting a good
appearance; so that it effectively serves its purpose.
 Building maintenance techniques
• Planned Maintenance- Planned maintenance is defined as major
repairs, organized and carried out with forethought, control and
the use of records to a pre-determined plan

• Preventive Maintenance- Systematic inspection, detection,

correction, and prevention of incipient failures, before they
become actual or major failures. Contrasted with corrective
maintenance.

• Cyclical Maintenance- Cyclical maintenance is defined as work

that requires to be carried out on an agreed cycle and can be
annually or every number of years.
 Building maintenance techniques
• Reactive Maintenance/ Breakdown Maintenance- Reactive
maintenance (also known as "breakdown maintenance") are
repairs that are done when equipment has already broken
down. Reactive maintenance focuses on restoring the
equipment to its normal operating condition
• Emergency Corrective Maintenance- Maintenance tasks
initiated as a result of the observed or measured condition of an
asset or system, before or after functional failure, to correct the
problem. Corrective maintenance (CM) can be planned or
unplanned.
 Building Defect Survey
A Building defects Survey provides advice on specific building elements
or on a particular defect. The survey can be tailored to address specific
concerns or can provide an overall condition of a building / site; and is
often used as a precursor to developing a planned maintenance
schedule.
The Survey contains technical information on the construction and
structure of the property. The surveying team should consists of
experienced and skilled persons in assessing and diagnosing building
defects. By doing the survey, assessors can identify defects and
comment on their significance, as well as assess the potential of future
problems occurring and provide recommendations for remedial or
preventative works. Situations where the extent of a defect cannot be
determined or seen, in the report may suggest that further
investigation works or exploratory works are required.
 Maintenance Planning
Characteristics of a Effective Maintenance Plan
• Backlog data of works
• Prioritization system
• Proficient planning of and practice
• Functioning scheduling between operations and maintenance
• Inspection log
• Management Training and Supervision
• Health and Safety practice

For more information please refer to the;

http://www.bd.gov.hk/english/documents/code/bmg/ch3-1.pdf
 Factors affecting Building maintenance
management
• Technical problems
• Management and administration problems
• Financial problems
• Human behavior and attitudes
• Problems related to lack of tools and spare parts required for
maintenance
• Lack of institutional and training facilities
Questions?

Thank you!