Building condition assessment and defect analysis at a pre-school building in Kelantan

Abstract

This research is intended to investigate the main issue that commonly arise in relation to the school buildings Kelantan. This study focuses on the pre-school building that is typically designed as an additional building to accommodate the increasing number of students due to current the inadequacy space of the current building. The school management has to find ways to improve the condition of the building in order to meet Malaysia's Ministry of Education (MOE) requirements. Most of the affected schools use the existing buildings and renovate them to make another room or another preschool building. A large number of additional building structures or renovated buildings will contribute to damage of the building after operation. There are a number of building defects that are often found in renovated annex buildings. Building defects are, in reality, a common phenomenon in the construction industry which has a negative effect on schools in terms of performance building, health and safety aspects as well as the overall teaching and learning environment and process. Thus, a research was conducted to classify building defects frequently faced by pre-school buildings in Kelantan, Malaysia. This study aims to evaluate the conditions of the building and find a solution in the arrangement of suitable methods by prioritizing students' safety during the maintenance phase of existing buildings, in particular pre-school buildings selected. The Public Works Department of Malaysia 's Standard Guidelines for Building Condition Assessment (BCA) (JKR 21602-0004-13) will be used as a reference in this report, and improvements will be made to the list of building inspection standards in accordance with Kelantan and Malaysia's soil and weather requirements of Kelantan and Malaysia. A comprehensive inspection and investigation will be carried out and any defect and damage will be reported using a camera to take pictures of the building's condition. The result of the inspection as well as the interview session between the researcher and the individual responsible for the building will be determined by using Software BCA (Building Condition Assessment), established by University of Technology Malaysia. Additionally, suitable remedies will be proposed for building defects as well as key factors leading to building defects will be identified and evaluated. New design of the essential buildings or structures will be suggested using manual methods and Esteem Software to enable the school management to apply for government allocation to fix the building and preserve the value of a healthy environment.