A model to support long-term building maintenance planning for multifamily housing

Abstract

The authors put forward an optimization model to assist condominium managers in defining the sequence of maintenance and improvement measures to be executed within a predefined planning horizon to achieve predefined levels of the building performance. The required input are: results of the building elements survey, the desired criteria-wise measures of building performance, and the proposals of maintenance/improvement measures to select from, with the assumption that at least some of them are complementary and must be conducted in certain order to avoid rework. The product of the analysis is a schedule: a selection of technically justified and financially viable sequences of repair/improvement activities and their allocation to consecutive periods of the planning horizon. The optimization module of the model, being the focus of the paper, bases on the mixed integer linear programming. Its unique feature is the approach to constraints. The model operation is illustrated by a numerical example. Using the model, the planner is able to assess how the settings (target performance levels and the scale of the planning horizon) affect the choice and schedule of maintenance/improvement measures and the scale of the sinking fund to be systematically collected from the flat owners. The relative simplicity of the model makes it a practical tool for developing long-term maintenance plans for residential buildings as well as justifying maintenance fees.