How to upgrade PAMOL’s housing scheme

The MAAK Design Group Ltd led by Architect Atem Abangma Maurice, recently presented to PAMOL Plantations Plc, a special presentation on the management and maintenance of buildings of the company and by extension State Corporation.

INTRODUCTION The seminar paper is to introduce to the Staff of PAMOL Plantations Plc the management and maintenance of State Corporation and their different systems involved.

The seminar paper describes our activities which lie dormant within us, as we use our buildings and also to re-awaken the activities and create awareness of how occupants of buildings contribute to its deterioration.

Buildings are in three categories, permanent, semi-permanent and make-shift. All these categories can be used by the staff of PAMOL as need arises.

The management of buildings is based on the character of the occupants and how the everyday activities affect the buildings. This is very important because most of us use buildings only as a structure to relax and sleep. If we can look at a building as a contributing factor to our health, finance and well being then it will go a long way to help us to manage buildings correctly.

This is why what we call the palour, is referred by professionals in building as a living room. The buildings become part of man and as a “living organism”. What we do and how we appreciate the property of the corporation goes a long way to add value and reduces cost.

Take a hypothetical analysis of PAMOL Plantations Plc having two hundred (200) houses and these houses because of poor management of the building PAMOL has to paint every two (2) years. If to paint one building costs twenty thousand (20,000) francs cfa, the cost of painting two hundred (200) houses will be four million (4,000,000) Francs cfa.

For four years, PAMOL will spend Eight Million (8,000,000) francs cfa. But if PAMOL paints once in four years because of good management, of the buildings by occupants then PAMOL has saved four million (4,000,000) francs cfa. The participants of this seminar presentation will help to explain the details of how buildings are managed.

Management of buildings

1-Abstract The management of buildings is an exercise that permits us to have an overall view and knowledge on corporation buildings or a group of buildings so as to properly have an appropriate and profitable output. As per the definition of a building given by the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, which states thus: “A structure such as a house or school that has a roof and walls”, managing such a structure will require technical and administrative knowledge.

2-Introduction A building is constructed to solve the problem of shelter for the population or an individual person and or moral body. A structure with such an important function requires its total mastery, technically and administratively.

A building being an accommodation structure for security against the harsh nature that surrounds us, and equally against human enemies made mostly of other human beings who have decided to act against the common and republican society. The building deserves to be well managed for the total satisfaction of the occupants. It is from this angle that the first part will be presented.

I-1-Building in the concept of housing Housing as a building facility, refers to a concept more than a physical unit of walls enclosing a space and having a roof to keep off rain, sun, wind etc which is desirable. It comprises that unit which is a building, the services that go with and a gamut of relationships.

We will not certainly emphasize totally on housing as per the above definition but commenting on building shall have a link with the large context of its environment which refers to the housing situation of its geographical location.

A building to properly be identified shall have itself located in its geographical area (Country, Region, Division, Subdivision, Town or Village, Quarter), its proprietor shall be known and its characteristics well defined and presented.

1-2-Identification of a building

To properly have a good and effective management over a building or group of buildings, it should be identified and must be censored like it is the case of population. Its geographical situation must be well defined, and the characteristics and types equally well underlined. It shall also be named generally with a code / number. This brings to our knowledge some questions in relation with the characteristics and types of buildings.

– The characteristics of buildings that prevail in our towns and villages are defined in reference to the materials used in their construction. These materials are mostly made of sun dry, sandcrete blocks, stone and wood. The construction technique is also a parameter to classify a building in its characteristic group. We can refer here to traditional and modern construction technique.

– The building types refer to poor and precarious buildings made of old structures built of ramshackle wooding materials and modern improved housing units made of cement, sun dry, blocks that go along with durability, beauty and even prestige for the owners of such modern shelters.

A building shall therefore be identified and recorded in a document that could be referred as its identity card.

This document can have the below format: I-Name or Number of the Building Example LCBO26 meaning Lobe Camp Building NO O26 II-Category i) Category 1 made of high standard buildings

They are built with cement blocks, plastered, painted with oil paint, floors tiled, the toilets and bathrooms tiled and equipped.

The doors and windows are of metallic type, with glass and hardwood or aluminum frame. The construction is well done with an adequate finishing; the roof and ceiling are of good materials, aluminum or zinc roofing sheets(4.5mm thick).

The landscape is carefully designed and adequately drained. The compound is fenced. Boy’s quarters and external firewood kitchens are attached. The main house is quite big and can carry more than the ground floor. It has at least 04 bed rooms and two parlors, (Senior Managers).

ii) Category 2 made of medium high standard buildings Almost the same like category 1. But the finishing materials are of lower grade. The main house has at least 04 bed rooms and a single parlor. External boy’s quarters may exist or not. It may be fenced or not (Managers).

iii) Category 3 made of standard buildings Here, we may have adjoining buildings of durable materials with an average finish. It has a maximum of 03 bedrooms without any external attachment. It can be a semi detached bungalow (senior supervisors).

iv) Category 4 made of low standard A semi detached bungalow or a small single house with a maximum of 02 bed rooms, made of permanent building’s materials, toilets and kitchens can be internal or external and a small parlor (supervisors).

v) Category 5 made of temporal buildings These buildings may be constructed with permanent or semi permanent materials (hard wood). The general finishing is of a low grade even though as complete as possible. These units comprise of one or a maximum of 02 bed rooms. Toilets and kitchen may be internal or external, and can even be common for group of houses (overseers, headmen)

I- TECHNICAL FOLLOW UP OF A BUILDING A building must be followed up technically with a proper and detailed assessment of the components of its identity in a regular period well defined to intervene if need be in case of deterioration and decay.

This shall be done by a qualified technician, who will produce a technical report specifying the decayed parts, the estimates to carry out the necessary repairs and the appropriate recommendations for the responsibility of the occupants towards the decay or deterioration.

After these assessments the building owner shall repair to bring the buildings to its previous state as such, it will definitely last long and offer continuously good living conditions to the occupants. The painting of a building is recommended on a two years basis.

II- ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT OF A BUILDING The administrative management of a building implies the relationship between the officer in charge of its allocation and the various occupants. This relationship includes both the technical part of the exercise and the usage of the building; this taking into account the conditions both financial and administrative of this usage and allocation.

i) Administrative conditions for the occupation of a building The conditions to occupy a building or a group of buildings depend mostly on the proprietor who defines these conditions so as to properly and satisfactorily make a good use of this property.

Generally, a private proprietor always request occupants to pay rents, the amount defined in accordance with the type of building and the geographical location or quarter where it is located.

It can be quite understood that two houses of the same quality but located in two different quarters with one a high standing, due to its facilities and finishing. Good roads network, water, electricity, telephone networks, markets, leisure facilities etc. available and the other situated in a neighborhood without these facilities cannot have the same rent.

For the case of a corporation which has acquired through construction a real estate for its personnel, the owner will take into consideration the category of the workers. But the allocation will continue to be made in accordance with the internal regulations of the state corporation.

1. DEFINITION OF MAINTENANCE OPERATION 1-Definition – What does maintenance mean? Maintenance is an operation that is carried out on a building infrastructure in order to identify, isolate and restore the particular defect / faults.

Maintenance need of a structure arises from: a. Failure to perform b. Aging c. Actions of the users d. Actions of management e. Design

1.2 Maintenance arising from failure to perform This type of maintenance arises when a part of the structure suffers from failure or break down that leads to disruption in the functioning of the facility and nuisance to the users. Usually it could occur as a result of an accident or the normal wear and tear of the materials used in the construction of the component. Failure to perform will always require immediate or deferred maintenance.

1.3 Aging Building materials do not last forever. After being in use for many years, defects begin to appear. This is quite normal as everything has a life span. Aging of a property comes with lost of strength, and unpleasant appearance depending on the level of care.

1.4 Actions of the users Appearance of a structure will always give us an understanding of the extent to which the users handle it. Actions of careful users of a structure will not greatly affect its appearance.

1.5 Actions of the management This is when management fails to conceive or implement a policy for the maintenance of the structure, due to outright neglect or budgetary constraints.

1.6 Design Poor design of a structure will always create serious problems during its life time.

Poor design will be as a result of: 1. Inaccurate studies 2. Wrong use of materials 3. Absence of proper technology 4. Use of unqualified personnel

2. TYPES OF MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS

2.1 General There are different types of maintenance of systems. These include: a. Preventive maintenance (PM) b. Corrective maintenance (CM)

2.2 Preventive maintenance (PM)

Preventive maintenance (PM) is a fundamental, planned maintenance activity designed to improve the life of structure and avoid any unplanned maintenance activity.

This maintenance includes: • Systematic inspection • Detection • Correction • Prevention of incipient failures

Preventive maintenance is the foundation of the entire maintenance strategy. Unless the PM program is effective, all subsequent maintenance strategies take longer to implement, incur higher costs, and have a higher probability of failure.

2.3 Benefits of Preventive maintenance (PM)

Preventive maintenance aims to: • Eliminate unnecessary inspection and maintenance tasks • Implement additional maintenance tasks when and where needed • Focus efforts on the most critical items

In addition, preventive maintenance measures can drastically reduce errors day-to-day operations, as well as increase the overall preparedness of actor in the case of an emergency.

The ideal preventive maintenance program would prevent all failure before it occurs.

Preventive maintenance has the goal of improving the structure life by preventing excess depreciation and impairment. This maintenance includes but is not limited to: • Adjustments • Clean • Repairs • Replacements • Extension of equipment life

In preventive maintenance, the structure is repaired and checked before failures occur. The frequency of maintenance activities is predetermined by schedules. The delay in reporting preventive maintenance, the higher the failure consequences.

2.4 Corrective maintenance Corrective maintenance is a maintenance task or operation done in order to identify, isolate or separate and rectify a particular fault. This is performed in order to restore the failed system to an operational condition. Corrective maintenance can be either planned or unplanned.

Corrective maintenance can be subdivided into: • Immediate corrective maintenance – in which work starts immediately after a failure • Deferred corrective maintenance – in which work is delayed in conformance to a given set of maintenance rules.

Corrective maintenance is a form of maintenance that is performed after a fault or problem emerges in the system, with the goal of restoring functionality.

In some cases, it can be impossible to predict or prevent a failure, making this type of maintenance the only option.

Corrective maintenance refers to action only taken when a system or component failure has occurred. It is thus a retroactive strategy. The task of the maintenance team in this scenario is usually to effect repairs as soon as possible.

The process of corrective maintenance begins with a diagnosis of the failure to determine why it occurred. The diagnostic process can include: • Physical inspection of a system • Use of a diagnostic computer to evaluate the system • Interviews with users • Numerous other steps

It is important to determine what caused the problem in order to take appropriate action and to be aware of multiple component or system failures that may have occurred simultaneously.

3. Procedure for maintenance assessment 3.1 Maintenance plan

In order to effectively manage the maintenance of a building or structure, or maintenance management plan should be established. This plan should indicate the following: Schedules of Condition, Schedules of Dilapidations Maintenance cost And Interim repairs notices

3.2 Preventive maintenance checklist Example: ROOFING Inspect and or report at least twice a year, and after any severe storm. Create a roofing file for each building; review warranty information. Clear roof drains of dirt. Walk the perimeter to examine sheet metal, coping, and previously repaired sections For bituminous roofs, check for splits in the stripping plies. Keep traffic off of the roof to avoid membrane damage. Plan a moisture survey every 5 years to detect wet insulation or leaks. HVAC.

Inspect at least twice a year, with seasonal start-up and run inspections 3.2 Typical maintenance checklist See typical checklist

Conclusion Permit us to state that if we report leakages, on time both on roof top, water closet (WC) and shower; if we avoid touching our walls with dirty hands, if we move our furniture’s stencils carefully around the buildings, if we don’t smoke our houses with burnt wood, if we keep our environment clean etc. this will save cost, save energy, add valued to the property and keep us healthy if we manage our buildings allocated to us properly.

Contributors: Atem Abangma Maurice (Architect) MONAC, Tchangou Joseph (Engineer) MNOCE, Agbortar Godlove Agbor (Engineer)MNOCE.