A comparative review of building component rating systems

Abstract

Buildings are composed of large number of interdependent components. Rating of the building components serves as a benchmark for comparison during condition assessment of the building. The aim of this study is to carry out comparative analysis of existing building component rating models. This study compares 9 different building component rating systems followed by their critical analysis and comparison of similarities, differences and limitations. Similarities between different rating system reviewed are that the condition of a building is assessed by dividing entire building into smaller components into a hierarchy, the severity of building defects is assessed using a rating scale and weighting coefficients are used to determine the relative importance of each component for assessment in the final aggregated rating. Major differences between different building component rating systems were the objectives and scope of the assessment, different methodology, tools and aggregation techniques used to arrive at final assessment of whole building. The processes to evaluate the rating of building components were highly subjective as most of the rating systems were based on visual observation and interpretation of the inspection personnel. Existing inspection practices and rating methodology can be improved to reduce the time, cost and subjectivity in assessment of building components.