Factors affecting maintenance of buildings and ancillary Services in the university of malawi:A case study of the polytechnic

Abstract

University buildings require maintenance in order to create conducive environment that supports and stimulates learning, teaching, innovation, and research. The prime objective of maintenance is to ensure, as far as practicable, the continued peak performance of the building throughout its design life. This thesis seeks to report the factors that affect maintenance of buildings in the University of Malawi with the Polytechnic, a constituent college of the University, as the case study. Primary data was gathered through the analysis of a case study. The objectives of the case study are to identify, describe and assess the maintenance management process used at the Polytechnic with a view to assessing its effect on the user and on university infrastructure. The major conclusion drawn from the case study is that the Polytechnic lacks a definitive maintenance policy, and a comprehensive maintenance management framework to guide the maintenance processes. The case study also reveals anomalies in the university’s maintenance management system.