Maintainability of reinforced concrete flat roofs in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Purpose

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 reinforced concrete flat roofs. They 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. Therefore, the aim of this paper is focused on identifying problems and risks and proposing a model to enhance the maintainability of flat roofs.

Design/methodology/approach

The existing maintainability problems were collected from 50 multi‐storey buildings. The inherent risks of flat roofs' maintainability were identified and analyzed through their problem‐causing factors. A scoring system using artificial neural networks is developed to forecast the level of maintainability.

Findings

The paper found 721 maintainability problems of flat roofs and a further 12 maintainability risk conditions related to the flat roofs were elicited. The model showed the level of maintainability of a typical flat roof shown is only 51 percent. The risk factors are also prioritized to give guidance.

Originality/value

The paper provides useful information to the designers and users on maintainability problems related to flat roofs. Also it highlights important risk conditions in order to minimize these problems.

Citation

De Silva, N. and Ranasinghe, M. (2010), "Maintainability of reinforced concrete flat roofs in Sri Lanka", Structural Survey, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 314-329. https://doi.org/10.1108/02630801011071000