A building is not only built; it has to work every day

Where does the real quality of a coastal tower show?

It shows in the short gap between arriving and settling in, not in a sunset photo or an amenity list.

It is Thursday evening. A family has driven for several hours to reach its coastal home. It expects little: an entrance that opens without trouble, a lift that is ready, a corridor that does not smell stale, decent water pressure and, if something goes wrong, someone who answers.

In those few minutes the building is tested. Not in the sunset behind floor-to-ceiling glass, and not in the name of the materials. A building meant to be a place of calm, if it is run badly, takes away part of its residents' ease from the moment they arrive.

Architecture usually begins with design. The life of a building begins when the drawings end.

What is the difference between having amenities and operating them?

Having an amenity means it exists on the drawings. Operating it means someone has a plan and a budget for its management, cleaning, safety, energy use and repair.

A pool, gym, lobby, children's room, café or shared terrace can raise the quality of living, provided someone is responsible for them. A lift is not the same as a lift that is always available. A pool is not the same as water quality and plant that are kept in order. A handsome lobby without cleaning, good lighting, security and a responsive team slowly becomes a stage set.

So an assessment of a coastal tower should not start with "what amenities does it have?" The sharper question is: how, by whom and on what plan are these amenities run throughout the year?

What does ISO 41001 say about managing a building?

ISO 41001 sets out requirements for a facility management system that supports an organisation's goals and the needs of the people who use the space.

For a buyer the useful idea is simple: running a building is not a collection of scattered tasks. It can be a system with clear responsibility, a plan and a way of checking results. The standard does not certify the quality of any particular project; it gives you a framework for asking the right questions.

When you ask a team how it will run the building, a reassuring answer usually contains a split of duties, an equipment list, a service calendar and a way to log requests, not only a general promise of "professional management".

What do hotel-style services in a residential tower actually mean?

They mean borrowing some of the order and responsiveness of the hospitality industry for everyday living, without turning the home into a hotel or the tower into a hotel operation.

Depending on the scale and model of each project, such services might include:

• entrance and access management
• cleaning of shared areas
• handling residents' requests
• plant checks and a repair programme
• waste management
• emergency preparedness
• preparing a unit for the owner's or a guest's arrival

ISO 22483 defines service requirements for hotels. A residential tower is not a hotel and the standard does not apply to it directly. Its existence is still a useful reminder: good hosting does not depend on how a space looks. Service has to be defined, organised and controlled.

For a second home this matters more. The owner may be away for weeks and expects the building to have been looked after. Which services are offered, on what terms and at what cost has to be made clear, in writing, for each project. See also our piece on the second home in northern Iran.

Why is preventive maintenance part of architecture on the coast?

Because rain, humidity, wind and long periods of vacancy turn small defects into large repairs quickly, so maintenance has to happen before failure, not after it.

A blocked drain, a damaged joint, equipment that has not been serviced or moisture that is noticed late are typical cases. Periodic checks of roof and terrace, checking where water leaves the building, inspecting the envelope and connections, servicing mechanical equipment and logging unusual signs are all preventive care.

The Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG), in its material on sustainable operations and maintenance, stresses a preventive maintenance programme and care of the building envelope and roof. For a closer look at ageing in this climate, read how coastal buildings wear.

Why should the operator be involved before design is finished?

Because many maintenance problems start on the drawing board, and fixing them after construction costs more and disrupts more.

An access hatch that cannot be reached for service, a plant room that is hard to repair, or a facade whose cleaning and inspection were never considered will cost money and cause disruption later. This is where the line between design and management blurs.

WBDG, in its guidance on meeting performance objectives, recommends involving operations and maintenance staff during design to improve a building's future performance. In a well-run project, the people who will run the building are heard before the drawings are fixed.

What should a buyer ask about building management?

Seven questions are enough to start, and it is wise to get each answer in writing.

Clear answers to these matter as much as the sea view or the floor area, because they shape daily quality, future cost and how usable the property will be.

• Which organisation is responsible for running the shared areas?
• What is the plan for preventive repairs?
• How are faults logged and followed up?
• How is the cost of maintaining the amenities funded?
• What access do service crews have to the main equipment?
• What services are available while a unit is empty, and on what terms?
• Where do the duties of the building manager, the operator and the owner separate?

What are the signs of a service-minded building?

The main sign is not the number of amenities but order. A building with few amenities and regular maintenance can be more dependable than one with many spaces and unclear management.

From a developer's point of view, a project does not end at handover of the keys. You have to picture how the building will work on a rainy morning, a crowded summer night, or after several weeks empty. Maintenance and operations continue the same decisions that shape quality of life.

Comfort is not only a product of floor area, facade or view. Part of it comes from work that rarely appears in photographs: timely inspection, regular cleaning, logging a defect, servicing a unit of equipment and a human reply. A good building is not only handsome on opening day; years later it should still run calmly, safely and reliably.

Hess-e Zendegi is a project whose service model is described in its project file; any detail about services should be confirmed from that file, in writing.

Azhianeh is a Tehran-based architecture and development practice working in Tehran and Mazandaran; Dr Hassan Taheri and Dr Shokoufeh Zaheri are its architects and developers.

Sources

• ISO 41001 Facility management
• ISO 22483 Hotels and similar accommodation - Service requirements
• WBDG Sustainable Operations and Maintenance Practices
• WBDG Meet Performance Objectives

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