DEVELOPMENT OF A FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGING THE MAINTENANCE OF UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS IN MALAYSIA

Buildings exist in order to satisfy the user’s space requirements. All activities, processes and
operations must be carried out in a building for higher productivities. The essence of building
maintenance is, to maximize the service life of a building, by delaying deterioration, decay and
failure. Building maintenance management involves planning, directing, controlling organizing, and
making use of resources for the sustenance of the building performance. A number of studies have
investigated maintenance management for buildings; however, most of the studies have observed
maintenance management systems that are cyclical, corrective and inspection-based. However, these
practices are adversely affecting the building performance, users’ satisfaction and productivities and
maintenance needs. This paper reports a study that aimed to offer an alternative maintenance
management model for university buildings in Malaysia. Although the research specifically concerns
university buildings, many public and private sector institutions face similar maintenance
management problems. Thus, this research has broader applications. The outcome of this research is
to come up with a comprehensive maintenance management model that can facilitate universities in
achieving better value in their investments in building maintenance.