Building management is among the most crucial tasks of organising the functioning of any residential, commercial premises, or industrial facility. Regular maintenance guarantees the preservation of a building substance, and the avoidance of hazardous occurrences, which cause obstruction to operations and prevents costly repairs and downtime. Building maintenance services meet the needs for ordinary and emergency maintenance functions that may occur in any structure.
At its core, building maintenance means the work that is done to ensure that a building is in its optimal condition. These include matters of repair, inspections, general maintenance and servicing of machinery.
The purpose is to make sure that all the components of the building operate correctly and that the building continues to be secure for people. It is the permanent endeavour that must be made to avoid the major repairs to be done frequently and to keep the look as well as the stability of the construction intact.
The importance of building maintenance cannot be overstated. An organisation that fails to maintain its buildings increases the chances of incurring high repair bills as well as exposing its occupants to health and safety hazards and even potential legal liabilities. This makes building maintenance services (BMS) particularly important as they are responsible for ensuring that all the infrastructure in the building – electrical, plumbing etc., is functioning in the way it should.
Effective maintenance of buildings involves various methods depending on specific circumstances and requirements. The types of maintenance differ in terms of when they are applied and their overall purpose in maintaining the building's infrastructure. Let's break down each of the 5 types of maintenance in detail:
Preventive maintenance refers to routine checks that are done with an objective of preventing potential failures before they happen. This type of maintenance includes routine checks, minor repairs and other necessary services done on the equipment. The main objective is about preventing large scale failures or expensive repairs by reacting sooner than later.
For instance, in a building, some of the Preventive maintenance that might be done include Cleaning of the HVAC systems, greasing mechanical parts and checking of Electrical connections. Through proactive approach, property managers can prevent the likelihood of these problems, consequently lengthening the lifespans of your building’s equipment and systems.
Corrective maintenance is carried out after an equipment or system has developed a fault. While using preventive measures, corrective actions are taken only after an error has been committed. If something breaks down, then repair or overhaul is done to correct the defective parts.
Specifically, corrective maintenance refers to the repairs carried out on a faulty component, such as repairing a broken door lock, mending a leakage on the pipeline or replacing a faulty light switch. The objective here is to bring the building or system back to its normal state of operation as soon as possible.
Predictive maintenance is a further enhancement of maintenance where you use data collected or trends to determine when equipment or the building will likely to fail. The evaluation of the condition of the building systems in real-time gives the property managers the foresight as to when maintenance will be required so that it is carried out before a failure occurs.
This method is based on elements containing sensors and monitoring systems where the performance of the equipment itself and signs of wear and tear are identified. For example, vibration analysis or thermal imaging could be relevant in monitoring machinery and then maintenance calls are set to occur after achieving a given level of degradation.
Routine maintenance is the recurring activities that are carried out every day or several times per week to guarantee the proper functionality of a building. This type of maintenance usually consists of several simple tasks that do not necessarily demand professional education but are crucial for the proper functioning of the building.
Common examples include:
Sweeping and mopping floors.
Replacing light bulbs.
Cleaning and maintaining areas like lobbies and bathrooms.
As much as it may sound more of a basic practice, routine maintenance plays a crucial role in ensuring that the building is not wrecked and that major repairs are not required more often than necessary.
Emergency maintenance is random and occurs when an immediate problem arises that poses a risk on the users of the building or even the building itself. Such problems usually present themselves in a tender where they demand immediate intervention to mitigate losses and or prevent any incidents.
Examples of emergency maintenance include:
Fixing a burst pipe.
Dealing with electrical problems.
Assisting in repair of structural damages which occurs after natural calamities.
Essentially, emergency maintenance is usually expensive since the repairs are needed in an emergency and can call for complex work. It sometimes requires the use of a specialist to come and address the situation and ensure the building is made safe for working within a short time.
There are many firms that offer building maintenance and services that involve electrical, plumbing, HVAC system checks and other general repairs.
For instance, GTB Batiment is a famous building maintenance company available in the market that provides suitable and acceptable service tailored to the specific needs of different structures.
These services can be categorised under different types based on the needs of the building. There are:
Building maintenance repairs, which involves the fixing of the building once it has developed some problem.
Building maintenance and management, which involves proactively avoiding problems through frequent assessments and upkeep.
In addition to these, some companies also provide build maintenance, ensuring that the entire building structure, both inside and outside, remains in good condition throughout its lifecycle.
Preventive maintenance through inspection to avoid occurrences of problems.
Compliance to legal requirements as formulated by the safety code and the environment conservation agencies.
Promote energy efficiency by optimising HVAC and lighting systems.
Perform maintenance and repair services for emergencies when some parts of the building require immediate attention.
Ensure that property safety inspections are carried out to meet the goal of staying safe and free from hazards.
In conclusion,
Building maintenance plays a very important role in ensuring the safety, durability, and efficiency of a structure. Through building maintenance services, the owners of buildings can always guarantee functionality and compliance with existing laws. From understanding what is building maintenance to managing building repairs & maintenance, therefore, maintaining a property for both its commercial and residential uses would demand good planning and coordination. Either for prevention, correction or as an emergency basis, the different types of maintenance are all crucial to ensure the best operating condition of any building.
If you want to learn more about maintenance, the British Academy for Training and Development offers a Maintenance Management Training Programme. Through this course, one can learn practical knowledge on how to maintain equipment and systems and bring about efficiency and reliability. Get industry recognised certifications that fit your career needs!
What are the four types of maintenance?
The four types of maintenance are:
Preventive Maintenance: It is regular maintenance for the purpose of not causing breakdowns.
Corrective Maintenance: The repair after a fault or a failure has occurred.
Predictive Maintenance: Monitoring the condition of equipment to predict and stop future failures.
Condition-based Maintenance: Real time condition of equipment or system on which equipment is maintained, based on sensors to detect wear or failure risk.
How many types of maintenance are there in a building?
In a building, there are typically five main types of maintenance:
Routine Maintenance: Things like daily or regular upkeep tasks like cleaning and repair of minor types.
Preventive Maintenance: Preventing task failures defined in scheduled tasks.
Corrective Maintenance: Responding to problems once they appear.
Predictive Maintenance: Predicting when maintenance should be done by monitoring systems.
Emergency Maintenance: Repair without any delay which can be done immediately when there is a sudden breakdown.
What are the factors of building maintenance?
The key factors of building maintenance include:
Age of the building: Older buildings will need more frequent maintenance.
Usage: Maintenance frequency is dependent on building use.
Weather conditions: Materials can wear and tear under the influence of climate.
Materials used: Material quality and type depends on how often maintenance is necessary.
Budget: The money that is set aside for maintenance activities.
Safety standards: Following safety guidelines requires ongoing evaluations and repairs.
What is construction maintenance?
Construction maintenance is preservation and repair of buildings or infrastructure so they will continue to be functional and safe. Routine tasks such as fixing and cleaning, and bigger works like building structural repairs, repainting, and to upgrade systems (e.g. HVAC or electrical). An extension of the structure lifespan and avoiding costly breakdowns is the goal.