Building Maintenance

We work to maintain campus environments that support exceptional student experiences, nurture research innovation and ensure our people can flourish and succeed.

When addressing building maintenance, we balance emergency and high-risk issues with those that impact teaching, research, the student experience or administrative success in order to keep our campuses safe, accessible and welcoming for the entire community.

How we prioritize maintenance issues

We consider the impact an issue has on our people when responding to maintenance issues to ensure safe, consistent and reliable building operations.

Of highest concern are issues that present a crucial obstacle, next are issues that present an impediment and lastly are issues that present an inconvenience. An obstacle is a maintenance issue that stops us from what we are trying to achieve while an impediment is an issue that slows us down, but does not stop us.

Please note that scheduled regulatory compliance inspections, preventative maintenance and predictive maintenance are prioritized separately.

Priority 1: Emergency Maintenance

Target timeline: Immediate action

This includes issues with base building systems that are an immediate operational threat due to equipment failure or an unacceptably compromised condition such that they are a crucial obstacle to success.

Immediate threats such as fires, floods, major power outages, natural gas leaks, life safety system failures, and emergency shutdowns of base building services.

Problems involving elevators (disruption troubleshooting, trapped passengers, or community members with disabilities), critical access control systems, accessible door equipment failure, and overhead door failure to parking garages.

Structural or environmental faults like broken glass, electrical faults, and water quality failures that are creating an unsafe condition, as well as weather-related compromises to infrastructure.

Compromises to critical research support, including animal care facilities, research fridges/freezers, growth/cold rooms, fume hood failures, and leaks posing a threat to research equipment.

Failed base building systems that are critical to the university mission, essential ventilation, computing services, and troubleshooting base building systems detrimental to teaching, student learning, research, or administration success.

Broken doors and door hardware posing an immediate security risk.

Sewerage or storm line back up.

Priority 2: Reactive Maintenance

Target timeline: Today or tomorrow

This includes issues with base building systems that pose an impending operational threat due to equipment failure or an unacceptably compromised condition such that if they are not addressed they could become a Priority 1. These present a crucial obstacle to success.

This includes service disruptions requiring repair, code compliance or closure threats, communications systems failure, and accessible washroom services for persons with disabilities.

Maintenance is required for interior/exterior lighting failures creating an unsafe condition, flooring issues creating tripping hazards, and electrical faults that could potentially create an unsafe condition.

Failing base building systems critical to the university mission and failing infrastructure directly impacting teaching and learning.

Issues with video surveillance equipment and failing security systems that are not posing an immediate threat, as well as broken doors/hardware not posing a security risk.

Addresses water quality issues potentially creating an unsafe condition, repairing hazardous waste sewerage piping systems, and leaks posing a threat to base building infrastructure assets.

Includes fume hood maintenance needs that pose a concern to full functional capacit.

Priority 3: Corrective Maintenance (Non-deferrable)

Target timeline: Daily maintenance as budget spending allows, after higher priorities are completed

This includes issues with base building systems that pose a potential operational threat due to noticeably aging equipment or deteriorating conditions such that if they are not addressed they could become a Priority 2. These present an impediment to success.

Involves battery replacements that support emergency systems.

This covers repairs to functioning elevators identified through routine inspections that do not involve safety concerns, as well as elevator directives that do not threaten code compliance.

Addresses issues that could eventually lead to unsafe conditions, such as interior/exterior lighting failures, flooring issues that could pose tripping hazards, and electrical faults that are currently not unsafe.

Includes compromised base building systems that are non-critical but still relied upon to meet the university mission, and leaks that pose a concern to base building infrastructure assets.

Concerns washroom services and water fountains that are not operational.

Covers important HVAC air balancing and the refreshing of safety painting (e.g., sidewalk demarcations and stair nosings).

Priority 4: Corrective Maintenance (Deferrable)

Target timeline: Remains deferred until it evolves into a higher priority

This includes issues with base building systems that pose a future operational threat due to less than ideal operating conditions such that if they are not addressed they could become a Priority 3. These present opportunities for operational improvement.

Includes battery replacements supporting non-emergency systems.

Maintenance addresses interior and exterior lighting failures that are creating an unpleasant condition, and flooring issues that are aesthetically unpleasant

This includes compromised base building systems that are part of the overall university offering, and non-critical HVAC air balancing.

Involves hydronic system chemical treatment.

Covers refreshing painted architectural surfaces (internal and external), caulking repairs and replacements, and road resurfacing.