An integrated condition assessment model for buildings

Building facilities are a major part of urban infrastructure, as they provide shelter, living space, and service areas to accommodate human activity. Despite their great economic, cultural and historical importance, many studies have shown that buildings are sick, deteriorating and considered to be a major source of pollution. Lack of funds and mismanagement are the principle reasons for the unsatisfactory performance of building facilities. Maintaining a building is essential to keep it performing and functioning for a longer period of time. Despite the importance of the condition assessment (CA) stage in the asset management process, a literature review reveals that there is no building assessment framework that considers both physical and environmental conditions. The objective of this paper is to develop an integrated CA model that integrates both the physical and environmental aspects of buildings. This model provides an accurate, reliable, and sustainable framework capable of assessing a building from both physical and environmental perspectives. The framework is to be implemented and tested using data collected from experts as well as from operation systems for existing office buildings in North America. Details of the proposed framework and its implementation are presented. The research work in this paper assists facility managers and owner's organizations in administrating such buildings.