Building Survey

BE 3102 Building Surveying

B.Sc. (Hons) in Facilities Management and Quantity Surveying

Group 3 Athurugiriya R.M. Asmone A.S. Madusanka H.G.V. Samarakoon S.B.R.G.K. Suganya T. Thileepan T.

092660 T 092404N 092459 K 092660 T 092445 N 092693 V

Introduction
Land and the building has always been a valuable commodity The survey and the assessments of the buildings, which combine the diagnosis of defects in Structure Fabric Services Forecasting of how such problems might develop in the future

The Building
St Anthonys Building

Current Occupier - Nor Lanka Pvt. Ltd.

Situated on the west side of the Negombo-Colombo main road, Wattala

The building has been constructed in later part of 2009

Comprises a three-storey building with a basement and a rooftop available for expansion

Each floor is of 6500 square feet of usable floor area

Construction details
Exterior walls are of solid 225mm concrete-block construction, having been rendered with cement plaster and painted, and having the front elevation of Aluminium wall cladding Internal walls - Non-load bearing block walls and gypsum plaster board partitions Main lobby floor covering is 4 by 4 granite tiling Sample room floor covering is wooden panels Common walk way areas and bathrooms are of 2 by 2 ceramic floor tiling where as the office areas are carpeted

Construction cont.
Building foundation is of combined pad foundation type. The roof is a concrete flat room with provisions of columns to future vertical expansion All doors are electronically lockable The emergency fire exit staircase is of 1m width.

Foundation condition
Condition of foundation was not assessed due to the lack of available exposed foundations at the premises. Symptoms of serious defect in the foundations were not directly visible Foundation failure can be predicted by nature of cracks in walls and slabs

Wall and structure condition

Walls were mostly tested for dampness and cracks Damp spots Severe damp spots were found in the basement Damp spots found in ground floor fabric laboratory wall adjacent to the washroom Damp spots in stairway Cracks There were cracks in all sizes and types (horizontal, vertical and diagonal) all throughout the building

Walls and structure cont.

Cracks have appeared on walls, beams, and boundary walls at basement Cracks in coloumn joints of the walls at ground floor Diagonal cracks were visible on upper portion of the wall as well as towards the lower parts of the wall, showing poor workmanship of the building contractor Very distinctive slight vertical cracks were visible due to lateral settlement

Roof condition
The roof of the building is of flat nature Improper maintenance of the roof space led to the stagnation of water on top of the roof Roof top is not properly waterproofed, therefore water seeping through to the level below.

Floor condition
Basement floor consists with slight floor cracks all throughout the car park area. Due to Loads and vibrations imposed by the regular vehicle traffic Inadequate compaction, and/ or any slight lateral settlement of the subsoil underneath the foundations. Skirting along partition walls were not properly fitting with the floor, and cracks have occurred between the joints The poor quality of the timber panels used which are degrading

General matters
Other general issues persisted throughout the building were; the dampness in the ceilings, damaged ceilings and slabs, and water leaks in water distribution lines and AC condensed water drain lines

Services
Available building services - Electrical distribution, lighting system, fire safety system, AC system and water distribution and drainage system. Visually inspected the high voltage and low voltage power panels An adequate fire detection and protection system has been incorporated in this building In second floor fire hose reel water piping was damaged due to negligence

Proposed remedial actions

Conduct test for dampness/ damp proofing with chemical treatments or paints Grouting and re-pointing wall cracks Fixing proper rain water gutters Repair the damaged plastering Replace the damaged ceiling sheets Re-decorating internally and externally Water proofing paint or bitumen treatment for the rooftop Remove unnecessary projection of steel bars

Remedies cont.
Consider refurbishing the A/C system Re construct the existing suspended timber floor Expanding the drainage system Servicing the electricity distribution system before occupying Repair the electrical wiring system and damaged equipments Considering about other services; generators, fire fighting system, water distribution system etc

Summary of cost estimations

Conclusions
Building surveying covers a broad spectrum of work The survey report is a valuable tool for potential investors Professional judgement The building has several issues with its faade and general areas, but nothing severe as to depict a structural failure Cost of remedial action for these issues are not a substantial amount put against the cost of building acquisition It was proposed to Mr. A. Gunawardena to purchase the building as the professional judgment

References
Ian McCall TD, FRICS, Pre-purchase building survey reports. [Online] Available at: <http://www.surveywork.co.uk> [Accessed 1st June 2012] Ransom, W.H., 1995. Building Failures: Diagnosis and Avoidance, 2nd ed., London: E & FN Spon. Staveley, H.S. and Glover, P.V., 1983. Surveying buildings. London: Butterworths.

Thank You