Houselab

The concept of building maintenance, like many others, has evolved significantly over time. Today, it can be defined as "the combination of all technical and administrative actions carried out on a building with the aim of maintaining or restoring its elements and components to a condition in which they can perform the functions for which they were designed" (ISO 15686-1:2011).

In recognition of the importance of building maintenance, a wide range of standards, technical guidance, and regulatory documents has been developed over the years. Knowledge relating to construction methods and technical solutions is supported by recognised technical documents, such as the DTU (Documents Techniques Unifiés), international standards published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and European legislation, including the Construction Products Directive (89/106/EEC).

At the European level, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), through Technical Committee 319 (TC 319) and its Working Group 7 (WG 7), has been responsible for the development of standards relating to building maintenance and facility management. The principal European standards relating to building maintenance include:

EN 13269:2006 – Maintenance – Guideline on the Preparation of Maintenance Contracts

EN 15341:2007 – Maintenance – Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

EN 13460:2009 – Maintenance – Documentation for Maintenance

EN 13306:2010 – Maintenance – Maintenance Terminology

EN 15331:2011 – Criteria for Design, Management and Control of Maintenance Services for Buildings

EN 15628:2014 – Maintenance – Qualification of Maintenance Personnel

EN 16646:2014 – Maintenance within Physical Asset Management