Ageing city buildings in all of Australia's capital cities will require increased maintenance in the future to ensure public safety, according to Archicentre.

The building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects said in the wake of recent dramatic scenes in Melbourne when a large slab of marble fell from the facade of a high rise commercial building in Collins Street (pictured).

Archicentre ACT & NSW State Manager Ian Agnew said: "Building owners and managers throughout Australia with high rise buildings and commercial premises are increasingly stepping up their inspection and maintenance of buildings for safety, insurance and asset protection's sake".

"Public safety, the cost of unexpected maintenance and the risk of potential legal action are the main issues driving the increase in inspection schedules".

"The tyranny of height is one of the major problems in getting access to inspect facades which are one of the key areas for danger as a facade failure usually results in large pieces of marble or glass falling onto pedestrian areas."

Agnew said major building defects on facades include staining or discolouration, sealant failures, efflorescence, rising dampness / water penetration, corrosion, buckling / deflection and tile / plaster delamination.

Agnew said, "building facade failure does not only apply to high rise buildings but also to suburban strip centres around Australia where often the streets are lined with historic retail properties at street level, with offices or apartments above making up two and three storey buildings".
"Many of these heritage buildings can have single brick parapets which can deteriorate over time and are just as dangerous as high rise buildings because they all border heavily used pedestrian areas."

"An added complication to building maintenance was the impact of serious flooding and storms that can speed up the deterioration of older buildings".

"Major infrastructure projects such as freeways, bridges, tunnels and railways, by their very nature and use of heavy machinery, can also impact on buildings."

Archicentre provides maintenance advice to private property managers and government agencies. Agnew said “a common theme with all of these inspections is the condition of the facade or the exterior skin of the building as it is one of the first areas to demonstrate a problem."

Image: The Age