BUILDING DESIGNS AND PLUMBING FACILITIES: THE IMPLICATION FOR RISING MAINTENANCE COST

Afolabi, A.O. and Ojelabi, Rapheal A. and Omuh, I. O. and Tunji-Olayeni, P .F and Afolabi, A. (2018) BUILDING DESIGNS AND PLUMBING FACILITIES: THE IMPLICATION FOR RISING MAINTENANCE COST. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology (IJMET), 9 (8). pp. 1336-1344. ISSN 0976-6359

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Abstract

The design of buildings plays a crucial role on how the structure/ facility would be utilized and maintained after completion of the project. The way the buildings are designed and maintained thereafter may determine the performance and fulfilment of client’s objectives. However, there seems to be an inherent non-alignment between the building design and future maintenance of the building because design teams frequently neglect the consideration of maintenance aspects especially plumbing facilities. The study examined the influence of building design of plumbing facilities on rising maintenance cost. The questionnaire instrument data obtained were presented using stacked bar charts and Mann-Whitney U Test. The study revealed that the main cause of faulty designs of plumbing utilities in buildings was as a result of not involving plumbing engineers at the design stage. Non-consideration of maintenance of plumbing facilities at design stage pose high influence on design discrepancies resulting in rising maintenance cost. This can majorly be addressed by creating adequate and easy accessibility to plumbing facilities for maintenance purposes. It was noted that designers and maintenance experts are not in agreement on the causes of building design faults of plumbing utilities. It was recommended that proper attention be given to plumbing utilities that are designed for buildings through the integration of plumbing engineers at the design stage for plumbing services. Design agencies must ensure the use of experienced Designers whom should consider maintenance as a core activity at the design stage to actualize a more comprehensive design with contributions from other professionals in the built environment.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Building Design, Building Life Cycle, Construction Industry, Maintenance Cost, Plumbing Facilities
Subjects:	T Technology > T Technology (General) T Technology > TH Building construction
Divisions:	Faculty of Engineering, Science and Mathematics > School of Engineering Sciences
Depositing User:	Mrs Hannah Akinwumi
Date Deposited:	10 Sep 2018 12:13
Last Modified:	10 Sep 2018 12:13
URI:	http://eprints.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/id/eprint/11533

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