POTENTIAL PROBLEMS OF RUNNING BUILDING MAINTENANCE PROJECTS IN CONSTRUCTION

The problem of urban decay in Hong Kong has drawn much attention of both practitioners and academics. Poorly managed buildings not just give a negative image to the Pearl of the Orient in the region, but also pose potential risk hazards to the health and safety of the general public. While it is necessary to devise a comprehensive plan on redevelopment and urban planning, preserving the existing buildings to maintain their conditions for habitation can be a short-term option to safeguard quality standard. With the increasing number of ageing buildings in Hong Kong, a lot of research efforts have been devoted to managing repair and maintenance projects properly (for example those initiated and funded by the Construction Industry Institute, Hong Kong; and the current study financially supported by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University). Given the short duration and more diversified nature of work, building repair and maintenance works are found to be more difficult to monitor and regulate when compared with new works. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis on the problems of running building maintenance projects. An extensive review of contemporary literature was firstly conducted, which forms a solid basis for developing an empirical study on the problems and difficulties of running building maintenance projects from the viewpoints of industrial practitioners with a view to formulating effective strategies for managing maintenance projects successfully.