The useful life of most buildings and building components will natuarally depend on a wide range of environmental factors, but it is usually necessary to adopt a standard useful life for a range of asset types for asset management and accounting purposes.
The table below is an attempt to compile a list of realistic building useful lives. Click on the link in the "Building Component / Type" column one to find out more about where the figures quoted have come from.
Building Component / Type | Typical UL | Range |
---|---|---|
Building Envelope | 60 years | 45-75 years |
Building Fire Services | 40 years | |
Building Fitout | 30 years | 20-45 years |
Building Mechanical Services | 30 years | 25-35 years |
Bus Shelter | 20 years | |
Concrete Floor | 100 years | |
Floor Coverings | 20 years | 5-40 years |
Lifts & Transport Services | 25 years | |
Roof | 50 years | 15-90 years |
Sri Lankan Study
A report 1 by Sri Lankan Professor W.P.S. Dias of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Moratuwa Moratuwa, has identified some of the environmental factors contributing to variations in building useful life and developed the following building useful life estimator.
Main Material | Environment | Useful Life (years) |
---|---|---|
Reinforced concrete | dry3 , non-aggressive | 60 |
Structural steel | dry , non-aggressive | 80 |
Masonry and/or Timber | dry , non-aggressive | 100 |
Reinforced concrete | wet, non-aggressive | 40 |
Reinforced concrete | wet, aggressive | 30 |
External Links & References
- Useful Life of Buildings (Professor W.P.S. Dias - Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Moratuwa Moratuwa]