The choice of materials, energy, light and waste management systems, and the layout and accessibility of spaces all come together to support the long-term appearance, functionality and sustainability of a building.
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The management and maintenance of a building involves consideration of the everyday running requirements, as well as routine and seasonal care over a year or many years. 

Examples

Accessible fixtures

Careful consideration of the location of fixtures such as lights can make a big difference for ongoing maintenance. In this building low energy lights are positioned on the window sills which are easy to reach and give an enhancing light wash to the beautiful stone window frames. 

St Martin’s Church, Bilborough
Source: Empowering Design Practices

Quality in material and finish

Investing in the quality of both materials and workmanship can reduce routine and long-term maintenance of spaces. In this building, a high quality timber floor filled the gap left by the removal of pews to create a unified and easy to manage space. 
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St Benedict’s Church, Glastonbury 
​Source: Empowering Design Practices

Durability

Using robust materials for spaces that will be heavily-used, such as staircases, can help to mitigate issues of repair and cleaning and present a clear contrast to surrounding elements.  
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St Paul’s Old Ford, London
Source: Matthew Lloyd Architects

Managing sound quality

Different spaces and uses may require you to consider how to reduce or enhance the sound quality of a space for people’s comfort and enjoyment. The sound quality in this former chapel was transformed by adding special insulation foam to the ceiling and the installation of a timber floor and acoustic panels on the walls. 
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Sheffield Buddhist Centre 
​Source: Empowering Design Practices

Take a look at your building

Looking at what’s there​​
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1. Who is responsible for the management and maintenance of your building? Do you have people with dedicated roles and or specific tasks?
   
   
2. How do you think the management and maintenance of your building is affecting how people respond to it and use it?
   
   
3. Are there any specific maintenance issues that are particularly costly and/or time consuming? ​

Looking to the future​
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1. How will your design decisions help you balance the day-to day management and maintenance of the building with periodic maintenance and inspection?
   
   
2. If your building is not in continuous use, how can the design of the building help facilitate efficient management and maintenance that accommodates periods of varying degrees of activity?
   
   
3. What is the balance between your initial investment in adapting the building and the long-term implications that the choice of materials, systems and technologies will have on running costs?

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