1 Sensor-led maintenance

A clear maintenance strategy is needed to ensure that the repairs are working efficiently and that a building continues to meet the needs of customers and owners. It is not enough to carry out preventive maintenance alone, that is, to fix it only when there is a problem.

Schedule routine inspection and preventive maintenance of buildings usually saves costs and ensures that building requirements are met.

1.1 To Forecast Maintenance

Determining the frequency of preventive maintenance is not easy. After all, a trade must be made between the high costs of periodic repairs on the one hand, the risk of disabilities on the other, and the costs incurred on the other.

Since the intensity of use is a factor that determines the need for maintenance of many installations, one can try to schedule maintenance activities based on actual use. This is called usage dependent maintenance.

To further optimize repair planning, efforts can also be made to predict defects by closely monitoring several critical parameters. This is also called unpredictable or condition-dependent maintenance.

For example, the repair of an automatic door can be scheduled based on its actual use (repair depending on the use). This can be done with a sensor to monitor how often the door opens and closes. As a result, the door to intensive use will be more regularly maintained. To predict the same door, you can, for example, monitor the time it takes to open the door. If it is too long, it indicates that there is wear and tear and that repairs are needed.

1.2 Architectural maintenance

Although sensor-operated repair is usually focused on technical installations, it offers many possibilities for architectural applications. For example, sensors on flat roofs or roof drains can monitor snow or water levels to avoid overload or detect obstructions. Moisture sensors in wood construction can then be used to indicate problems and prevent premature damage to the wood.

Although it has not yet been figured out how to detect leaks in roofs, such an approach already seems to be conceivable in green roofs because it measures the electrical resistance between the substrate and the substrate. After all, it will be affected by holes in the non-conductive foil.

2 Remote maintenance

As buildings and installations with sensors are increasingly connected to the Internet (the Internet of Things), they can be remotely monitored and, in some cases, configured (see photo above).

This allows the contractor to diagnose a problem from his office, which saves a lot of – often unnecessary – travel. The technician can (temporarily) adjust the installation settings and anticipate the need for spare parts from his computer so that he can better prepare for the customer.

3 Other testing technologies

Despite the increasing number of sensors that permanently monitor buildings, comprehensive on-site inspection is critical to systematic maintenance. New technologies are increasingly being used to ensure that these tests are not only efficient and safe, but also as objective as possible.

For example, drones with standard and infrared cameras make it possible to visually and thermographically inspect inaccessible areas. They can also be used to perform some simple maintenance tasks, such as cleaning the face. Drones can also be used to detect damage to construction components with the help of automated image analyzers.

Finally, augmented reality (AR) and building information modeling (BM) can also be useful for a better approach to building maintenance and operation.

The need for further cooperation

While these new and better technologies will help the contractor maintain the maintenance of his or her buildings more efficiently and effectively, close cooperation between the contractor and various parties, including the developers of these new technologies, is required. . BBRI’s Smart Buildings Use Cluster is promoting this collaboration. To help companies implement innovations in their day-to-day operations, Smart Buildings in Use brings together clusters, contractors, building managers, manufacturers and integrators of new technologies. In this cluster supported by VLAIO, opportunities for collaboration are sought. For more information, visit This website.

Bron: Contact WTCB 2019/3, p. 12-13