Deterioration of a Building through Environmental and Anthropological Causes

Abstract

The aim of the construction of a building is to provide a secure and private space for a number of activities which would span a long period of time. During the life cycle of the building, regular maintenance by the users will ensure its proper functioning. However, its life span decreases with respect to time and usage, thereby leading to the deterioration of the building. The deterioration of a building can also be caused due to lack of proper maintenance and the absence of maintenance practices in a building thereby decreasing its life span than its optimum time period. Such non-maintained buildings tend to be vulnerable to various internal and external factors thereby developing a number of defects in each of their materials and structure. This paper focuses on the study of building defects to specify the importance of building maintenance. It is carried out by the study of an old abandoned building by the identification of defects in its current state through observation and the study of various factors and reasons that led to its deterioration. This study will be applicable to understand the importance of a building maintenance that is to be carried out together by the occupants, in identifying the maintenance practices to prevent or protect the building against similar defects and for the proposal of repair strategies required to restore any building to a functioning state in case similar defects are caused.