Department of Education
Educational Facilities Unit
Dear Sir/Madam:
I am Jejomar U. Duque, masteral student of the University of San Carlos. Presently, I am working on my proposed research entitled “Reliability-based Assessment of Public School Buildings”. If available, my study will utilize the “visual inspection” structural assessment results from existing public school buildings, conducted by experts (i.e., DepEd Project Engineers, structural engineers). I would like to ask your good office with the following questions:
1. Is the DepEd Project Engineer conducts routine structural integrity assessment of our public school buildings via visual inspection? Most especially to our old school buildings?
2. Is there any standard structural integrity assessment form (i.e., visual inspection table, checklist, guide etc.)?
3. In the event that there is a standard form, may I request a sample copy (not yet filled-up) and the copies of actual structural assessment results of our existing public school buildings particularly in Cebu City?
The goal of my study is to improve the structural integrity assessment of public school buildings, in case if there is an existing standard in assessing the structural stability of public school buildings. However, if there is no standard assessement yet, my study will focus on the development of the structural assessment tool for public school buildings.
If hard copies of the assessments are not available, you can also send me information through my email address
[email protected] /
[email protected] will be a great help for me and on the success of my study. For the additional details of my research, I include the abstract and slight background of my research proposal. I look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely yours,
Engr. Jejomar U. Duque
Reliability-Based Assessment of Public School Buildings
Jejomar Ugsimar Duque 1 and Nophi Ian D. Biton 2,*
1 Department of Civil Engineering, University of San Carlos;
[email protected]
2 Department of Civil Engineering, University of San Carlos;
[email protected]
* Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +63919-676-4330
Overview:
The extensive use and deterioration of existing, aging buildings has become international problem particularly school buildings. The assessment and repair of these buildings in an efficient and cost-effective way are the challenges met by structural engineers. Condition assessment must be given first priority in the facility management and maintenance of buildings. Condition assessments of existing buildings should be methodical and scientific investigations inorder to provide reliable findings. In the development of an efficient condition assessment, the high subjectivity and lack of accuracy is one of the great issues. Since detailed condition assessments are time-consuming, the traditional assessment via visual inspection by experts is performed. Although imperfect, the focus of this study is the preliminary condition assessment through visual inspection. Inorder to reduce the subjectivity and inaccuracy of visual inspection, the study aims to determine the weight for the items in the assessment table using a reliability analysis and optimization method.
1. Theoretical Background
1.1 Background of the Study
1.1.2 The need for Efficient Condition Assessment
The schools buildings in the Philippines cater large class size and double shifts originated by recent expansion of education program and inadequacy of the allocated budget for public school building program. School buildings are also used as evacuation shelters during calamities, which once again caused by budget limitation. Thus, school buildings should be structurally resilient. The extensive use and function of school buildings requires consistent maintenance. However, public expenditures are generally sponsored by politicians, building maintenance are not given priority since it is not of greater impact in the public view than construction of buildings [24]. The school facilities that were constructed because of political agenda resulted to about 10% of public school buildings in the Philippines underutilized and dilapidated [14], causing a more serious problem. Therefore, inorder for school buildings to operate continuously and perform their role in the society, and to protect the lives of children at the time of occurrence disasters, accurate and proper maintenance of educational buildings is evidently needed.
Chandar (2014) describes structural audit/condition assessment as a preliminary step towards rehabilitation [28]. The condition assessment results are used establish the type and scope of the maintenance works required to elevate the condition of the building to the predetermined standard [29]. In India, condition assessment is mandatory and it has to be accomplished every 5 years for buildings aging between 15 to 30 years and once in 3 years for buildings having age above 30 years [28]. In New Zealand, each school is mandated to have a condition assessment as an input into the preparation of their 10 Year Property Plan which is a strategic capital investment plan [30]. Condition assessments of existing buildings should be methodical and scientific investigations inorder to provide reliable findings [31]. In the case of the Philippines, the public education sector is always faced with budgetary constraints, thus, maintenance activities should be precise and proper, inorder to minimize underutilization of the budget or the opposite. Hence, condition assessment must be given first priority in the facility management and maintenance of buildings.
This study is to add to the knowledge on the condition assessment of existing public school buildings. Moreover, the author proposes reliability-based condition assessment for buildings, from which the calculated condition rating from the assessment table will precisely reflect the actual condition of existing public school buildings.
