Projeto arquitetônico orientado à manutenção: uma proposta de ferramenta computacional para integração da segurança na manutenção de fachadas

Abstract

The traditional design paradigm in the Engineering, Architecture and Urban Planning fields is characterised mainly by a linear logic disconnected to the other fields that form the life-cycle of a new building. There are situations where deficiencies related to design result from a lack of communication between the various members of the design team who are involved in the initial phase of the project. As a response to this demand, one can find the principles of Simultaneous Engineering (SE) and of the Design For Excellence (DFX) methodology, where two other concepts are to be found, namely Design For Maintenance (DFM) and Design for Safety (DFS). It is known that the whole process of construction involves several factors and agents and that architectural design is one of its first steps. This research has proved to be pertinent, initially, because of the importance and potential of the design phase in the life-cycle of construction projects. Associated with this, building maintenance is perceived nowadays to have advantages that make it a possibility of valuing projects in the long term. In addition, this use and maintenance phase is also the longest one in the life of a building. Therefore, anticipating the necessity of a building's maintenance is beneficial to it on the whole and thinking of this during the architectural design phase can result in gains throughout the project's life-cycle, besides already being required for housing projects. As a topic extracted from the general field of building maintenance, we opted to study the safety of workers who undertake this activity at heights, for it is an expressive cause of accidents in construction. The initial problem to be identified was thus the disregard to maintenance and safety during the architectural design phase and how this new knowledge could be employed efficiently. This research then proposed the creation of a new tool that could integrate this new concept in a pragmatic way to the daily tasks of designers working in this field. In order to achieve this goal, a literature review was made in national and international databases that contained bibliography concerning design process in architecture, design for maintenance and safety at heights. Our search was limited to items related to safety at heights comprised by our topic (painting, cleaning and maintenance of façade coatings) and field research in contact with the main costumers of such demand. The hypothetic-deductive approach method was the most suitable one for this research, which was both quantitative and qualitative. As a result, there were positive and satisfactory responses regarding the topic, the chosen product, its development, testing and validation. As for future expectations, a computer device is to be created so as to be integrated to the architectural design process.