DESIGN AND MAINTENANCE OF BUILDINGS

It is every one’s dream to own a house of his liking, but it needs a thorough and vigorous planning right from the beginning. Various steps in such planning can be as under:

Planning and Designing:

The perfect planning comprise of knowing all the details of planning and design of the house. These aspects should be taken into account for proper orientation to ensure that

benefit of natural daylight;
adequate natural ventilation;
soil analysis and treatment for termites;
adequate plinth height and slope to allow for satisfactory sewage and waste water flow from the premises to the municipal main drains;
provision for rain water harvesting;
provision for installation of solar water heaters and solar cookers asw part of energy conservation;
use of energy efficient construction materials;
easy maintainability;
aesthetics;
facility for extension/modification;
facility for old people and physically handicapped persons;
environmental improvement; and
economy.

The buildings should confirm to the various statutory regulations with regard to:

setbacks;
clearances;
FAR/FSI, etc.

Of late, emphasis is laid on Vaastu aspect also.

Interior furnishing:It should be ensured that the interior furnishing shall be done with ergonomic aspects in view, proper selection of colours for wall paint and drapery and effective carpenting.

Exterior finishings:The exteriors should include the right of plants, trees and laws.

Safety measures:

Several factors related to multi storied buildings, apartments and clusters of interconnected buildings with regard to safety measures, are mentioned hereunder:The buildings and associated services should invariably keep safety aspect as one of the most important, vital and fundamental considerations: This includes, among other things

Proper approach;
Slope;
Correct width;
Tread and rise of staircase steps;
Elevators of proper rating/grading;
Emergency staircase;
Proper illumination for stairways and corridors;
Marking of exit routes in case of fire / other hazards;
Non-skid flooring for kitchen and bath room areas;
Use of BIS marked materials and fittings and fixtures;
Use of fire-resistant and eco-friendly materials;
Provision of standby power supply for elevators and water pump sets; and
stair case and corridor lighting.

Besides the above, it is also equally important to take into consideration, the following:

Fire detection and alarm system;
Proper storage of garbage;
Parapet walls/barricades in terrace area;
Emergency first aid facility.

Maintenance:

Proper effective and timely maintenance is the key to long life, good and nice appearance, comfortable living and safety. This aspect also assures besides other factors, good market value for the property.

The maintenance of buildings includes:

Periodic window cleaning;
Repainting of internal and external surfaces;
Painting/polishing of doors, windows and ventilators;
Lubrication of rolling shutters and other metal doors;
Floor polishing;
Cleaning of pipes and storm water drains,
Cleaning of water and septic tanks,
Fumigation/extermination/pest control;
Checking of electrical installation including earthing and recalibration of safetrip mechanism and burglar alarm system;
Checking plumbing system for leaks and corrosion;
Checking for leaks in walls / roof and taking corrective measures.

The maintenance of the building also should cover not only the internal areas, but also the external surfaces and surroundings.

In the case of multistoried apartments and clusters of buildings attention should be paid to the common areas; and common utilities like:

* Elevators,

* Water storage tanks (underground and over head) and pumps;

* Standby power supply plant,

* Lawns,

* Garbage disposal area,

* Playground, etc.

However, these are normally taken care of by a committee set up for the purpose by the Association of Apartment owners’.

Besides the above, following are some of the suggestions to ensure a safety, comfortable and trouble-free dwelling place:

Ensure that the building plan is approved by the statutory authority and that it adhered to the various regulations/laws prescribed;
Entrust the design of the building to a competent designer;
Get the work executed by a suitable person with proper license and expertise;
Draw out contract specifications clearly to avoid disputes at a later stage;
Inspect the construction materials and workmanship periodically during execution and progress of the work to ensure adherence to stand specifications;
Insist on proper safety precautions to be taken by the persons engaged in the construction and maintenance and repair jobs.
Do not allow engagement of child labour and inefficient labour / workmen in the construction works.
Ensure that only three-pin sockets and plugs of correct rating for use of all electrical appliances.
Never allow use of bare wires without pins for taking electrical connections.
Use only approved brand fittings and fixtures for electrical, plumbing and sanitary works.
Ensure only weather proofing is done only by reputed specialist agency and obtain written warranty without fail.
Ensure to use only rubber mats while working with electrical connection appliances.
Proper heights should be considered for mounting of electrical outlets and bolts and fasteners to avoid access by children.
Avoid sharp edges in furniture and preferably have them castor-mounted for easy shifting.
Use energy efficient light fittings and supplement with job lighting wherever required.
Most importantly ensure that proper earthing is done for entire electrical installation in the building.