As architecture changes, a guide to new-age monsoon maintenance

MORE GLASS AND LESS CONCRETE; MORE BASEMENTS, FEWER BALCONIES AND TALLER BUILDINGS MEAN YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR A DIFFERENT SET OF ISSUES

MUMBAI: Potholes, flooding, and fallen trees — some monsoon problems, sadly, have become as regular as the rains themselves.

Pre-monsoon maintenance, however, is changing with the changing nature of our constructions. “Earlier, you had to repaint regularly, and check for visible cracks,” says Raghav Kapur, Bengaluru business head of realestate services firm SILA.

This has changed over the last few years as buildings have acquired more metal and glass, and less concrete; fewer balconies and more basements.

Glass facades with silicon fillings between panes, for instance, may expand and contract with seasonal changes and have to be checked to prevent leaks.

“With fewer ledges and balconies, one solution is to build rain trays outside your window,” says Aniket Haware, managing director of Haware Builders.

“Ideally, a housing society should prepare for this season in September, immediately after the previous monsoon ends,” says Ramesh Prabhu, chairman of the Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association (MSWA).

“Since doing this every year can become burdensome for residents, one solution is to outsource to a facility management company,” he says.

“It is more expensive but will help in the long run and you avoid last-minute emergency repairs, and monsoon issues.”

Modern high-rise buildings come with their own unique issues. “There are gardens on higher floors which don’t have much depth and, over time, can suffer from soil erosion without proper maintenance. This is something we are looking into right now at a property in Prabhadevi,” says Bharat Sosa, property manager at SILA.

“After about the 10th storey, air and wind flow patterns are more intense,” says Sosa.