A defect within a building may be a result of sub-standard work or lack of expertise at time of construction.

Examples are concrete cancer (spalling), mainly to units and are a result of poor building practices during the 1960's and 1970's, but was amended with a new Concrete Code in the 1980's. An example of non-compliance is roof construction to buildings older than 1930 where the framework does not comply with current standards. The framework is adequate for the original roof loads, but may be inadequate if the roof is changed. The changing of the roofing can create a building defect. A defect in an older building may also be caused by lack of adequate maintenance. General maintenance items, such as rebedding and repointing of roof hip and ridge tiles, repainting, normal wear and tear as well as ageing are not a defect. Typical cracks to brickwork and contours of timber floors affected by clay soil movement is not structural and therefore not a defect. A building, product or application can become defective through age and lack of maintenance and professional advice should be obtained to ensure that replacement or works undertaken are using materials and current systems of application that are appropriate to the building.

Examples of building defects are where structural settlement cracks are occurring to brickwork, noncompliance with termite systems, excessive structural sagging to a roof, ill-fitting windows and doors, leaking showers and sagging ceilings A professional inspection and report will not only provide accurate information on defects, as well as maintenance items that require attention so that remedial works are undertaken to a suitable standard.

Defective or inadequate termite systems can allow termites to access a building and cause substantial damage including structural damage to timbers.

Table 1: Some examples of common building defects and their causes. 1. Cracked Brickwork at Ipoh Old Post Office may be caused by subsoil movement; foundation movement and failure; expansion of brickwork; and spread of roof structure. 2. Crumbling of Brickwork Mortar Joints at Malacca Shop houses may be caused by incorrect mortar fixture; chemical action or combination of both; and presence of salt crystallization. 3. Full Thickness of Plaster Loose at Ipoh F.M.S. Bar and Restaurant may be caused by plaster has failed to adhere to a brickwork; movement of walls; and vibration or ageing. 4. Blistering of Paintwork to Rendering at Ipoh Darul Ridzuan Museum may be caused by chemical attack on the paint film; excessive rain; dampness; wind and sun received can easily turn the surfaces of the paint to be chalky or blistered.

5. Discoloured and Blistering Finishes at Ipoh Dato Panglima Kinta Mosque may be caused by the presence of moisture where the colour may changes caused by chemical reaction; and mould growths. 6. Deteriorating Roof Tiles (Algae, Lichen and Mosses) at UPSI Tanjung Malim may be caused by harmful growths thrive in damp conditions with chemicals found in roof coverings. 7. Slipping and Broken Roof Tiles at Ipoh Railway Station may be caused by the fixing or mortar no longer holds; or walk upon. 8. Timber Decay at Taiping Railway Station may be caused by wood destroying fungus either dry rot or wet rot. 9. Timber deterioration at Ipoh Education Department may be caused by insect or termite attacks. 10. Peeling and Flaking Paintwork at Georgetown High Court may be caused by lack of maintenance; and lack of adhesion due to moisture content; and poor preparation of previous surface. 11. Dampness Penetration at Larut, Matang and Selama District and Land Office may be caused by lack of damp proof course; by passing of the damp proof course; and failure of damp proof course. 12. Patchy Damp at Perak Museum, Taiping may be caused by leaking pipes embedded in the walls or floors. 13. Patchy White Deposits at Batu Gajah Government Court Complex may be caused by chemicals in the bricks are dissolve by water and come to the surface they form as crystals when the surface dries. 14. Mould Growth at Taiping Railway Station Ticket Office may be caused by damp surfaces. 15. Harmful Growths at Ipoh Bulan Bintang Building may be caused by cracks in the walls or roofs creating a suitable ground for any seed to grow. Source: Researchers pilot survey (2007).

In order to proof that building defects do occur at Malaysia historical buildings, a pilot survey has been conducted to over 200 historical buildings in Malaysia. Four major town has been selected as the case study which are Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Georgetown and Banda Hilir, Malacca and the categories of building surveyed are as follow:

Meanwhile, the findings of the pilot survey are as follow:

Referring to the above data, it clearly shown that the most common building defects normally occur at historical buildings are at external wall (15%) (eg. rising damp, cracking of brick, crumbling of mortar, flaking of paintwork and salt attack), followed by roof (13%) (eg. sagging of timber frame, broken tiles, missing tiles, deterioration of surface and harmful growths), door (13%) (eg. decay of timber frame, insect attack, distortion of shape, delamination of panel and flaking of paintwork), internal wall (12%) (eg. rising damp, cracking of brick, loose of plaster, discolour of paintwork and cracking of tiles), floor (12%) (eg. damp of surface, cracking of screeds, loose of tiles, defective of floorboards and decay of timber frame), and window (12%) (eg. decay of timber frame, insect attack, flaking of paintwork, rusting of steel and cracked of glass). Meanwhile the least elements where building defects normally occur at historical buildings were at ceiling (8%) (eg. watermark, loose of plaster, and lichen of surface), building services (7%) (eg. leaking of pipes and malfunctioning equipment), staircase (6%) (eg. decay of timber frame and flaking of paintwork) and other element (2%) (eg. defective structure and drains). COMMON CAUSES OF BUILDING DEFECTS According to the National Building Agency (1985), defects occur either because of poor design, or low quality workmanship, or because the building was not constructed according to the design, or because it has been subject to factors not allowed for in the design. These primary causes may operate singly or in combination and result in defects indicated by changes in composition of materials; in the construction itself; in the size, shape or weight of materials; or simply in appearances. In the care and conservation of historic buildings in Malaysia, Ahmad (2004) expressed that understanding the nature of the building materials and accurate diagnosis of defects is most important. This is because historic buildings are like older people, vulnerable to all sorts of diseases. Therefore, in order to chase this problem, conservators, architects, engineers, builders, building surveyors, contractors and those involve in building conservation should first become familiar with the building materials in common use before going deeper into the proper techniques to repair and maintenance in historic buildings, structures and monuments. It is important to be able not only to diagnose simple defects and instruct repairs, but also to recognise and describe those problems which need expert help and act accordingly (Oram, 1994). Referring to Ahmad (1994:1) there are five main factors that govern building defects or problem to historic buildings which are; a. Climatic Conditions Like many other tropical countries, Malaysia has heavily rainfall and warm sunshine al, year round. This implies that buildings in the country tend to weather rapidly, particularly in respect to external building

materials which are exposed to external causes such as rain, wind, solar radiation and atmospheric pollution. b. Location of Building Historic buildings that are located near the sea or rivers tend to have common building defects. This is because the water coming from the ground causes dampness penetration and structural instability. In addition, solutable salt which comes from the sea and together with the presence of a polluted atmosphere can cause damage to the exterior surface of the buildings. c. Building Type and Change of Use Most historic buildings that maintain their original functions or uses appear to have fewer problems compared to buildings that change their use and function. This is because historic buildings were built to only hold certain loads and sometimes may not withstand additional loads on the existing structure. d. Maintenance Approach to the Building Building maintenance organized through a rigorous of cyclical maintenance plays a major role in preventing building defects. Historic buildings that neglect building maintenance may fall into several defects which may lead to structural failures. To secure the general structural stability, it is important to regularly inspect not only the main structural elements like roof structure, beams and columns but also other common building parts. e. Building Age Basically all elements of historical buildings tend to deteriorate at a lesser or greater rate depending upon their location and function. Aging building materials, particularly timber should be checked frequently. The proper treatment of building repair and maintenance should be given full considerations.

4. FRAMEWORK FOR REPAIRING HISTORIC BUILDINGS Repair is the very heart of the approach to building conservation, a subject which, like architectural history, has grown in Malaysia into a fully developed discipline. According to (Marks, 1996; Cook & Hinks, 1992), one of the principal mean to guarantee conservation is to undertake regular repair and maintenance. Such treatment is necessary in reference to all properties. In order to survive, building must be useful and must be wanted. To be wanted, and to survive, building should be not only structurally and constructional sound, but also practical and efficient to use and pleasurable to look at and to be in. Any building which is in poor repair or impractical to use, unpleasant to be in, is likely to be more or less at risk. The loss of any building is inherently wasteful; it may entail cultural loss and historical loss. Building conservation is not only, therefore, about repair and maintenance, and, in practice, repair works are quite likely to be coupled with alterations, the objective of which may include

improved usability in an existing use, conversion to another use, or improved internal or external appearance (Richardson, 1995). Repairs to the fabric of a building to remedy defects or significant decay should, as far as possible, be carried out as nearly as possible at the time and to the extent that they are necessary. Repair is an ongoing process and no repair is ultimate or final. The summary listed here is attempted to express the needs of repair of a historic building (Weaver, 1993); 1. The need for understanding, experience and judgment, based on clear principles. 2. The need for work to be prepared directed and carried out by people of appropriate experience and skills. 3. The need for work to be preceded by research and investigation and to be properly monitored and recorded. 4. The need to balance conflicting objectives. 5. The need for conservative approach, based on minimum intervention and reversibility, which respects the whole history and authenticity of a building. 6. The need for a systematic approach to preventive conservation. 7. The need for repairs to be carefully considered, wherever possible planned, and regarded as part of an ongoing process. 8. The need for a holistic approach to buildings, their materials and systems of construction. 9. The need for any restoration to be cautions and honest. 10. The need to regard buildings and materials as finite resources. 11. The need for existing and new work to make an honest and well integrated whole. 12. The need for a building, its contents and setting, to be considered together.

5. CONCLUSION Understanding the common building defects is simply a logical way of proceeding from the evidence to the cause of a defect, after which remedies can be prescribed. The more that can be found about why defects have occurred, the more can be fed back through the repair works by the professionals responsible for the conservation works. Good repair practice is central to good conservation in Malaysia. Repair would be the only action required to enable historic buildings to survive. The present reality, however is that other sorts of intervention may be necessary to accommodate change. Alteration of one sort or another, in addition to straightforward repair, must sometimes be inflicted on buildings if they are to continue to be useful and wanted. Conservation, therefore, may entail more than repair. Destruction is invariably wasteful and may be positively damaging, while the creation and conservation

of good buildings is always worthwhile where repair and maintenance may seem a modest unglamorous activity that can be continuity of past, present and future, working closely with historic buildings, scan be sheer pleasure, and making them good in the Malaysian way, indeed be glorious.