BUILDING PATHOLOGY: A TOOL FOR RESOLUTION OF DEFECTS IN BUILDINGS

Abstract

Buildings are essential part of human existence and ranks second to food.However, in spite of the crucial role of buildings to mankind, they are left to deteriorate as a result of negligence of building pathology and lack of building maintenance culture. This paper, therefore, defines and explores the term building pathology and evaluates building defects. The methodology involved survey research design, structured questionnaire, and review of related literature. A questionnaire was administered to a convenient sample of respondents. Data generated were analyzed using frequency, percentages and mean score. The paper identifies a number of defects on buildings and their causative factors, effects and how to mitigate the defects. The study has revealed that building pathology is a tool that can be used to search and discover defects, their causes, consequences and mitigations. lt also revealed that building pathology has a significant impact on building maintenance. The paper recommends among others, that building pathology be given substantial attention and also be part of the procurement process of buildings. The study points to the need for designers, constructors and maintenance managers to acquire skills on critical aspects of building pathology. 

Keywords: building pathology, building defects, building maintenance culture, procurement.