Common Defects of Lavatory Space in Institutions of Higher Learning: Analysis of Building Condition Survey

• Published in: Journal of performance of constructed facilities 2015-12, Vol.29 (6)
• Main Authors: Che-Ani, A. I, Nasir, A. R. M, Kamaruzzaman, S. N, Tawil, N. M, Surat, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Technical Papers
• ISSN: 0887-3828; 1943-5509
• DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000542

AbstractLavatory-based facilities or lavatory space is an important basic facility of any building. Its functional importance, as well as additional components and facilities to support its function, contrast with other spaces in a building. The uniqueness of lavatory space can be seen after the building is occupied. At this stage, issues relating to its maintenance emerge—in public buildings in particular, including lavatories in higher education institutions. Because of the large number of visitors and staff, lavatories in public buildings and the corresponding high intensity of use, breakdown of, or malfunction of lavatories are common. Hence, use and maintenance of lavatory space is often argued. Cleanliness and functionality is the main goal of lavatory maintenance. In the life cycle of lavatory maintenance, certain stages of building inspection are needed to ensure the physical status of the building. In a wider context, the theory of building assessment also emphasizes the inspection of the building based on appropriate level and performance indicators. This study was conducted to identify existing building assessment standards as to develop a conceptual framework for assessing building performance. Physical inspection was conducted to analyze the current performance of lavatory spaces in faculty buildings. Inspection of the 66 lavatory spaces have been conducted at Faculty 1, Faculty 2, and Faculty 3 in the main campus of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor. The method used is visual inspection based on the CSP1 Matrix building condition measurement tool. Analysis based on the frequency of defects found the connection and damage factors between the components and elements in lavatory spaces.