Assessment of defects associated with altered and converted institutional buildings in Gombe State, Nigeria

Abstract

Many buildings have been altered and converted for use in various tertiary institutional in Gombe state. It was however, observed that most of those converted and altered buildings are characterized by some common defects. The aim of this study is to examine the common types of defects associated with altered and converted buildings in some selected tertiary institutions in Gombe state with a view to making recommendations for improvements. A mixed method approach involving the use of quantitative and qualitative methods was employed in collecting data for the study. A questionnaire survey strategy was employed in the quantitative stage of the study to collect data from construction professionals involved in the supervision of altered and converted buildings in three selected tertiary institutions in Gombe state (Gombe State University (GSU), Federal University Kashere (FUK) and College of Nursing and Midwifery (CNM)). In the qualitative phase of the study, a checklist and physical field observation was employed to collect data from fifteen (15) identified altered and converted buildings in the selected tertiary institutions. Findings reveal that most alteration and conversion works are carried out through manual methods. It was discovered that cracks, defective plasters, dampness and peeling of paints were the most common types of defects associated with altered and converted buildings. Based on the physical examinations of the buildings, it was revealed that most building altered and converted using predominantly manual method do develop severe defects compared to those altered and converted using mechanical techniques. The study concludes that the techniques adopted in alteration and conversion work significantly affect the quality of the resulting building. It was recommended that more use of mechanical aids should be adopted in carrying out alteration and conversion to minimize defects and ensure quality outputs from buildings.