THE DISTRIBUTION OF FACADE DEFECTS AMONG PUBLIC HOUSING IN SINGAPORE AND THEIR INFLUENCING FACTORS

Abstract

Most Singapore citizens live in public housing managed by the government. Hence, it is important that the buildings are as safe and comfortable for its residents in order to provide Singapore citizens with the highest quality of life. Defects in buildings can not only cause damage to the structural integrity of the buildings, but also negatively impact the users’ emotional wellbeing, such as giving the users stress by thoughts that the buildings are damaged and worn out and will collapse upon spotting a defect. It can also negatively impact the buildings’ appearance, making it look old and worn out and hence, affect the image that the buildings portray to others.

By understanding the defects and its distribution, analysis can be done in order to determine the conditions in which the defects are more likely to occur in and hence, preventive measures can be developed for future buildings. Also, maintenance can be altered and updated based on the results in order to extend the building life even longer.

In this study, the distribution of defects in Singapore and several neighbourhoods are analysed in order to determine each area’s most and least common defect as well as the highest occurring area for each type of defect. Possible reasons for the distribution of defects are given so as to better understand the way defects occur and to develop better preventive, predictive and corrective measures.