NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
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The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
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The National Research Council was established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and of advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
Funding for the project, under the Federal Construction Council Technical program, was provided through the following agreements between the indicated federal agency and the National Academy of Sciences: Department of State Contract No. 1030-270106; National Science Foundation Grant No. MSS-9203138, under master agreement 8618641; and U.S. Postal Service grant, unnumbered.
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COMMITTEE ON FACILITY DESIGN TO MINIMIZE PREMATURE OBSOLESCENCE
Chairman
DONALD G. ISELIN, Rear Admiral, U.S.N., Retired, Engineering Consultant,
Santa Barbara, California
Members
J. PHILIP ANDREWS, FAIA, Principal,
Damianos Brown Andrews Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
GARY G. BRIGGS, Senior Vice President,
Charles E. Smith Management, Arlington, Virginia
R. ELIZABETH EVERS, Senior Attorney,
Marriott Corporation, Bethesda, Maryland
WILLIAM K. GAY, Department Manager,
Special Systems Integration, Sverdrup Corporation, Arlington, Virginia
GEORGE E. HARTMAN, Principal,
Hartman-Cox Architects, Washington, D.C.
MIN KANTROWITZ, President,
Min Kantrowitz and Associates, Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico
ROGER E. PANTHER, Ph.D., President,
Facility Development Division, Quorum Health Resources, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee
LESLIE DEAN PRICE, AIA,
Georgetown University Architect Emeritus, McLean, Virginia
GARY L. REYNOLDS, Director of Facilities Management,
Facilities Planning and Management, Iowa State University, Ames
JAMES RICH, Vice-President,
Sigal/Zuckerman Company, Washington, D.C.
WILBUR H. TUSLER, FAIA, Senior Vice-President,
Stone Marraccini Patterson, San Francisco, California
FCC Liaison Representatives
BENGT ANDERSON,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
ALFRED BREITKOPF,
Department of State, Arlington, Virginia
GEOFF FROHNSDORFF,
Building and Fire Research Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland
DOUGLAS C. HEINEN,
U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories, Champaign, Illinois
DANIEL HIGHTOWER,
Public Health Service, Rockville, Maryland
JAMES JACKSON,
Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C.
JAMES D. LONG,
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Department of the Navy, Alexandria, Virginia
JACK METZLER,
U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.
PFC Liaison Representatives
MIKE BERENDZEN,
Missouri Division of Design and Construction, Jefferson City, Missouri
MARY K. DONAHOE, Architect,
Montgomery County Government, Rockville, Maryland
JAMES Y. PAO,
Division of Building and Construction, Trenton, New Jersey
WILLIAM W. SCOTT,
Bureau of Capital Outlay Management, Richmond, Virginia
DALE STRAIT, Director,
Maryland Department of General Services, Baltimore, Maryland
Project Staff
ANDREW C. LEMER, Ph.D., Director
DAVID MOG, Ph.D., Consultant
THOMAS WALTON, Ph.D., Consultant
PATRICIA M. WHOLEY, Staff Associate
SUZETTE CODY, Project Assistant
MARY T. McCORMACK, Project Assistant
BUILDING RESEARCH BOARD (1991–1992)
Chairman
HAROLD J. PARMELEE, President,
Turner Construction Company, New York, New York
Members
RICHARD T. BAUM, (Retired) Partner,
Jaros, Baum and Bolles, New York, New York
LYNN S. BEEDLE, University Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering and Director,
Institute for the Study of High-Rise Habitat, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
GERALD L. CARLISLE, Secretary-Treasurer,
International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftsmen, Washington, D.C.
NANCY RUTLEDGE CONNERY, Consultant,
Woolwich, Maine
C. CHRISTOPHER DEGENHARDT, President,
EDAW, Inc., San Francisco, California
ELISHA C. FREEDMAN, Regional Manager,
The Par-Group-Paul A. Reaume, Ltd., and Executive-in-Residence, University of Hartford, Connecticut
DONALD G. ISELIN, U.S.N., Retired, Consultant,
Santa Barbara, California
FREDERICK KRIMGOLD, Associate Dean for Research and Extension,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Alexandria, Virginia
GARY T. MOORE, Professor of Architecture and Director,
Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
WALTER P. MOORE, President and Chairman of the Board,
Walter P. Moore and Associates, Inc., Houston, Texas
J. W. MORRIS, U.S. Army, Retired, Engineer Advisor,
Zorc, Rissetto, Weaver & Rosen, Washington, D.C.
BRIAN P. MURPHY, Senior Vice President,
Prudential Property Company, Prudential Plaza, Newark, New Jersey
LESLIE E. ROBERTSON, Director,
Design and Construction, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, New York, New York
JEROME J. SINCOFF, AIA, President,
Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri
JAMES E. WOODS, William E. Jamerson Professor of Building Construction,
College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
APRIL L. YOUNG, CRA Coordinator,
First American Metro Corporation, McLean, Virginia
Staff
ANDREW C. LEMER, Director
HENRY A. BORGER, Executive Secretary,
Federal Construction Council
PATRICIA M. WHOLEY, Staff Associate
SUZETTE CODY, Project Assistant
LENA B. GRAYSON, Program Assistant
MARY T. McCORMACK, Project Assistant
PREFACE
The term "obsolescence" calls to mind automobiles and washing machines, record players and watches—a range of consumer products that we discard, typically long before they have broken or worn out, simply because newer, more advanced, and (presumedly) better replacements are available. In our buildings and other facilities constructed to stand safely for decades, obsolescence is more difficult to comprehend.
We and the committee whose work is presented here questioned at first whether the term has useful meaning in the context of facilities. Many professionals seemingly use the term whenever they judge that substantial action is needed to return a facility to fully useful service, and they do not distinguish among the factors giving rise to this need.
Yet, new facility users and their new demands; new materials, technology, and procedures of construction and operation; new air pollutants; and new laws and regulations exemplify changes that lead us to alter design methods and our expectations of acceptable service long before older facilities are abandoned. Similarly, changes in organizations, variations in urban real estate markets, and the opportunities presented by new equipment and materials often lead us to renovate long before facilities and their parts are worn out. That we can accommodate change and yet retain at least some portion of the investment of capital, history, and culture embodied in our facilities is a great benefit. That we must do so, often at substantial cost, is a problem, particularly in times of fiscal stringency.
The ancient Roman designer Vitruvius advised that architecture should be possessed with "Firmness, Commodity and Delight," that is, well constructed, responsive to the functions the owners intend, and pleasing to the eye. This remains sage counsel today. However, although many of the edifices of ancient Rome continue to evoke wonder, few of them serve their original function. Successful buildings and other facilities operate not only in the three spatial dimensions; the fourth dimension—time—is crucial as well.
Philosophers may argue that firmness, commodity, and delight are constants in a changing world. We hope that our work will assist those who seek such
This study was supported as part of the technical program of the Federal Construction Council (FCC). The FCC is a continuing activity of the Building Research Board (BRB), which is a unit of the Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems of the National Research Council. The purpose of the FCC is to promote cooperation among federal construction agencies and between such agencies and other elements of the building community in addressing technical issues of mutual concern. The FCC program is supported by 16 federal agencies: the Department of the Air Force, the Department of the Army (2 agencies), the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, the Department of the Navy, the Department of State, the General Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Public Facilities Council (PFC) was formed in 1983 to make available to state and local governments, quasi governmental authorities, and others, the forum and services of the BRB and NRC to identify technical problems and research needs facing construction administrators and facilities managers. Sponsors of the PFC currently include a score of state and local governments or interstate entities. Funding and participation are typically drawn from the executive office of the jurisdiction responsible for facilities development and management.
Reports resulting from BRB programs are provided free of charge to sponsoring entities.
For information contact:
Director
Building Research Board
National Research Council
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20418
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Workshop on Environmental and Health Regulations as Sources of Facility Obsolescence |
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Predicting Performance, Service Life, and Physical Life of Buildings and Their Components |
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List of Figures
Figure 1 |
A conceptual view of service life |
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Figure 2 |
Maintenance practices can influence service life |
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Figure 3 |
Standards or expectations of performance may change with time |
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Figure 4 |
Changes in standards of performance may be relatively rapid |
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Figure 5 |
Periodic renewals raise performance and can extend service life |
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Figure C-1 |
Downs's ''issue-attention cycle'' characterizes the sequence through which societal problems evolve |
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Figure E-1 |
VAHBS vertical zone organization within module |
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Figure E-2 |
VAHBS one-floor building module |
List of Tables