Building Condition Assessments – Methods and Metrics

The aim of the research included an exploration of the condition assessment process, and the Facilities Condition Index (FCI) as a metric to assign condition levels for commercial structures. The computation and use of various metrics for the asset management process are not standardized. The paper aims to clarify the current industry practices regarding how various assessments are currently utilized and to also compare existing literature to existing industry practices. Utilizing the Delphi Technique, an industry panel provided a synopsis of current practices. The research included organized discussions with industry as a method to supplement the Delphi survey responses and ensure accurate representation of industry practices. The assessment of the current standard of practice revealed that there is currently no established assessment methodology for data collection and the lack of proper categorization of the assets within a building hampers the frequent and widespread use of specific performance metrics within the industry. Although the intent was to establish consensus, the results of this study provide a clear indication that the disagreement levels in the categories represent the overall industry struggles, the lack of standards, and issues in the use of metrics, especially with the varied computation of the FCI. Existing literature is limited in the areas of condition metrics, especially for applied recommendations. The results provide a foundational state of practice and highlight the needed industry improvements for condition assessments and additionally, how FM's utilize the data they collect.