Maintainability Risk Factors of Flat Roofs in Multi-Storey Buildings in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The research into the issue of maintainability of multi-storey buildings in Sri Lanka is still in its adolescent stage. One of the critical building elements that requires immediate attention for maintainability is flat roof areas. The flat roofs are often subjected to alternate drying and wetting cycles under tropical conditions, causing many defects and subsequent deterioration when proper detailing related to design, construction and maintenance actions are lacking. The inherent risks of maintainability of the buildings can be identified by analyzing their defects causing factors. In this research, 12 such risk factors related to the maintainability of flat roofs were identified. Further, a scoring system using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) is developed to forecast the level of maintainability, which is projected, based on risk analysis. The level of maintainability of a typical flat roof is shown as 51%. The risk factors are also prioritized to give guidance.