PUBLIC INSTITUTION BUILDINGS MAINTENANCE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Physical infrastructure consumes a disproportionate amount of the country’s investment. It is therefore critical to keep these facilities, which include public buildings, in good condition so that they can continue to serve the architectural and aesthetic functions for which they were designed. The physical appearance of public institution buildings serves as a starting point for society’s initial assessment of the quality of services to be provided.

Inadequate maintenance practices are one of the most serious problems confronting Ghana’s housing industry (Afranie & Osei Tutu, 1999). The significance of public institutions in a country’s development cannot be overstated. Despite significant investment in public buildings, public institutions allow their structures to care for themselves without establishing a long-term maintenance program to ensure the buildings’ quality.

The efficiency and effectiveness of public institutions are dependent on the nature of their buildings, as well as other factors such as improved service conditions, the provision of necessary tools, and so on (Afranie & Osei Tutu, 1999).

Public institution buildings are classified into two types: dwellings (residential accommodation) and non-dwellings (office accommodation). As a result of their continuous and prolonged use, both residential and commercial buildings are prone to defects. Depending on the materials and methods of construction, the surrounding environment, and the intended use of the building, all building components degrade at different rates (HMSO 1972).

According to Seeley 1987, maintenance neglect has cumulative effects, resulting in rapid deterioration of a building’s fabric and finishes, as well as negative effects on its contents.

and the people who live there. Buildings are therefore far too valuable to be neglected in this manner. In his hierarchy of needs theory, Maslow (1954) identified five fundamental wants that are grouped in escalating order of significance. He defined physiological demands as the most basic need of humans, which include access to oxygen, food, drink, shelter (housing), sex, and sleep.

Maintenance is defined as “the collection of all technical and associated administrative actions intended to maintain or restore an item to a state that allows it to perform its required function” by BS 3811(1984).

Maintenance increases facility use while maintaining the highest safety standards. It must be emphasized that more maintenance work, not less, is required to preserve the value and amenity of the nation’s building stock. A properly maintained system

is also a well-protected system against natural disasters. Furthermore, in terms of cost and facility utilization, a well-managed system of building and equipment maintenance has the effect of being a highly effective disaster mitigation measure. Given the original design and materials, it ensures the most cost-effective method of keeping the building and its equipment in good condition for routine use (http://www.oas.orgencdmp).

Corrective maintenance, which is required to bring a building up to an acceptable standard, can be classified as maintenance, which can also be defined as the continuous protective care of a place’s fabric, contents, and settings. Planned maintenance, such as gutter cleaning or painting, is work done to avoid failure that occurs predictably over the life of a structure. The focus of Emergency Corrective Maintenance is

Work that must be started right away for reasons of health, safety, or security, or that, if left unattended, will result in rapid deterioration of the structure or fabric (for example, roof repairs after storm damage, graffiti removal, or repairing broken glasses) (Afranie & Osei Tutu, 1999).

1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT

According to Okoh (2012), many public buildings in Nigeria are routinely neglected, and windows, doors, and other architectural elements and amenities frequently show signs of neglect and repair.

Certain public-owned residential and office buildings have received little or no maintenance since their construction, some dating back to the colonial era. As a result, many of these structures have deteriorated and some have been abandoned. This lack of upkeep by

The failure of the authorities and occupants of these facilities to maintain these structures frequently results in a reduction in their life (Melvin, 1992), which invariably defeats the purpose for which they were erected, namely to ensure that the nation’s stock of buildings was used as efficiently as possible as a factor of production and as housing.

The ownership issue with these structures has primarily resulted in the situation in which the majority of public buildings find themselves. Tenants perceive them as state property and treat them carelessly. In other cases, residents do not regard the structure as their property and thus have a passive attachment to its effective use and maintenance (Okoh 2012).

The vast majority of workplaces, particularly those located outside of Abuja,

As a result of the office’s degeneration, they are outdated and lack basic necessities and amenities such as toilets. New structures, on the other hand, are being built on a regular basis, with no regard for the neglected older structures. Frequent visits by this researcher to the Ministries area, which houses these public institutions, reveal deplorable conditions in some of the buildings, such as cracked walls, rotten wooden members, leaking roofs, and missing louver blades, as well as faded and discolored surface coating (painting) (Okoh 2012).

In recent years, a lack of maintenance of some police buildings, including police cells, has resulted in jailbreaks at several police stations across the country, allowing hardened criminals in custody to escape, as well as some educational institutions, particularly primary schools, holding

Classes held outside and exposed to the elements.

A number of these public institutions’ vital papers have been destroyed as a result of poor building upkeep or non-maintenance. The deterioration of the residential facility has also exposed the personal property of the tenants to the elements. These issues that arise as a result of the current state of building maintenance in the public sector reduce employee morale and significantly contribute to employee inefficiency (Benjamin 2013).

Given these considerations, it was deemed necessary to conduct a study of public building maintenance in Nigeria in order to identify the factors that contribute to the current state of buildings in public institutions, as building owners increasingly recognize that it is not in their best interests to do so.

It is not in the best interests of the company to conduct maintenance in a purely reactive manner, but rather to plan and manage it as efficiently as any other corporate activity.

1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of this research is to look into the upkeep of public institution buildings. Other objectives of this research include:

i. To determine the extent to which public institution buildings are maintained?

ii. Determine the current condition and status of public institution buildings.

iii. To identify the root causes of poor public building maintenance.

iv. To propose solutions to the causes of public building neglect.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

The research questions listed below will be addressed:

i. To what extent are public institution buildings kept in good condition?

ii. What is the current state and status of public institution buildings?

iii. What are they

What are the causes of public building neglect?

iv. What are the solutions to the causes of public building neglect?

1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE

This research is important because it will contribute not only to knowledge and theory, but also to good maintenance practices in Nigeria’s public institutions. This is because the research will seek to identify the factors that contributed to the current state of non-maintenance of public buildings, some of which have been abandoned due to their deteriorated condition, and will recommend appropriate corrective actions.

Furthermore, the study will help public-sector managers become aware of the current state of their building infrastructure and its impact on employee safety and health, as well as implement appropriate innovative measures.

to prevent the deterioration of newly constructed buildings, which ultimately results in increased costs associated with restoring these buildings to their original state.

It will provide a critical and analytical lens through which to view the factors influencing maintenance decisions. Furthermore, the research will highlight the significant impediments to public building maintenance in Nigeria.

With the public’s increased desire for efficiency and effectiveness from public sector employees, this study will attempt to establish a link between the current quality of public buildings and their social and economic effects on public employees.

1.6 STUDY SCOPE

This research looks into the upkeep of public institution buildings. This study is specifically focused on determining the extent to which public institution buildings are maintained, as well as determining the current condition and future prospects.

determining the causes of public building poor maintenance and proposing solutions to the causes of public building poor maintenance.

Buildings in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, will be assessed.

1.7 THE STUDY’S LIMITATIONS

Data collection deteriorated as a result of response delays caused by GPS workers’ work schedules in particular. Furthermore, record keeping was difficult for all of the institutions evaluated, to the point where the researcher had to count the number of buildings himself in some cases. This further complicated the process of identifying the buildings.

Despite these constraints, the research findings are trustworthy, dependable, and appropriate for any purpose of assessment and feedback. The researcher’s assistance to the GPS, in particular, made this possible.

in establishing a data base for its residential structures in the study region.

1.8 TERM DEFINITION

Any entity established or controlled by the federal government, a state government, or a local government or municipality is considered a public institution.

A structure with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory.

Maintenance, in its technical sense, refers to functional checks, servicing, repairing, or replacing necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure, and supporting utilities in industrial, commercial, and residential settings.

 

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