Maintenance of heating, ventilation & air-conditioning (HVAC) system and its user satisfaction : a comparison between academic buildings in IIUM Gombak

Abstract

A constructed building and its system are expected to undergo wear and tear throughout its design lifespan. Hence, building maintenance is significant to ensure the building and its system can serve its function properly and preserve its value and appearance. Therefore, this research is conducted to identify the Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system's maintenance management and the related problems. In addition, the research seeks to identify the perceived level of user satisfaction with the maintenance of the HVAC system in the academic buildings in IIUM Gombak and strategies to improve user satisfaction. The study focuses on two perspectives which are the user and the maintenance management of the HVAC system for two academic buildings which are Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Law (AIKOL) and Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology (KICT) in International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Gombak. Hence, this research adopted a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interview as the method of data collection. In total, 100 valid responses from the survey and seven interview sessions were analysed and discussed. The findings show that both academic buildings used centralised and decentralised HVAC systems. The maintenance activities categorised under predictive, preventive and corrective maintenance strategies were practised for the HVAC system in academic buildings with an average of monthly and three-month frequency. Meanwhile, insufficient budget for maintenance, insufficient skills and knowledge of the maintenance staff, lack of expertise for the maintenance works, improper maintenance database, maintenance management issues and poor quality of maintenance spare parts and materials were found as the problems related to the maintenance of the HVAC system in the academic buildings. Moreover, the respondents were satisfied with the thermal comfort, acoustical comfort, indoor air quality, ability to control indoor temperature, safety, serviceability and operational management as the factors associated with user satisfaction in academic buildings. Furthermore, upgrade the maintenance management system with current trends and technologies, continuous improvement on the technique of maintenance management, frequent monitoring and inspection, enhance the communication among the key participants, provide a proper maintenance database, upgrade the staff competencies and ensure the sufficient resources for maintenance were found as the appropriate strategies to improve the user satisfaction on the maintenance of the HVAC system. Hence, this research presents the direction for further research aimed at improving the maintenance of academic buildings.

Keywords: Maintenance Management, HVAC System, Academic Building