Due to their educational purpose, impact on users and quality of education, school buildings are vital institutions in the community, and their adequate maintenance should be mandatory. Studies conducted around the world point to specific inadequacies that occur in the school maintenance segment, however studies that examine the entire maintenance management process in detail are rare. With such studies, it is possible to observe all components of maintenance and its management in the observed buildings, it is possible to get a detailed insight into the present inadequacies and problems, and give the best possible answer to them. Observing the territory of the Republic of Croatia, it was noticed that there are no adequate databases on school building maintenance. Given all the above, this paper aims to establish a methodological framework and analyze the entire maintenance management process in Croatian schools to detect potential inadequacies, reveal problems, and identify areas for action to improve maintenance performance and carry out maintenance more efficiently. The current maintenance management process of elementary school buildings in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Republic of Croatia, was examined based on the developed methodological framework. Data on the management process were collected through a questionnaire survey among school principals. The questionnaire was compiled based on an extensive literature review. Maintenance performance through management functions was investigated, namely: maintenance planning, maintenance organization, maintenance directing, and maintenance controlling. Important management factors within each of the mentioned functions were observed. The data analysis revealed specific inadequacies and problems in the maintenance process, and it was shown that maintenance management is not entirely effective. Recommendations were given to improve the current situation. In this way, it is possible to quickly and easily examine the entire management process and identify measures that need to be introduced in schools to improve their business in the maintenance segment. The developed methodological framework can be applied to schools from other areas as well as to other types of buildings.

This paper aims to examine the opinions of the main recognized stakeholders in the maintenance of school buildings (i.e., the construction experts within the founders’ organization, the school staff, and the students), compare their views on the maintenance priorities, and identify certain differences. These data provide information about user needs, can help school founders make maintenance decisions, and are the basis for developing a new, balanced system of maintenance priorities. In the research, the survey questionnaire method was used to collect the data, whereby three groups of stakeholders evaluated the priority of eliminating certain defects in school buildings on a 5-point scale. For the purposes of the questionnaire, a model of 32 defects of the school buildings was created. In the questionnaire, 76 experts, 338 school staff, and 297 students participated. The research is limited to the Republic of Croatia. By conducting non-parametric statistical tests (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney), it was shown that there were statistically significant differences in the stakeholders’ attitudes towards most maintenance priorities. There were also defects where statistically significant differences were not recognized, namely, regarding faulty lighting fixtures, faulty toilets, faulty sinks, faulty space cooling systems, faulty space heating systems, and faulty hot water heating systems. According to the experts, it is most urgent to remove faulty electrical installations, while according to the school staff, the highest priority is faulty sewage installations. The students believe that the priority is faulty toilets. The lowest priority is removing damage to the external environment (experts) and the facade (school staff and students).

E-Zbornik : Elektronički zbornik radova Građevinskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Mostaru / e-ZBORNIK : Electronic Collection of Papers of the Faculty of Civil Engineering

The quality of education is associated with the condition of the infrastructure in which the educational process occurs, necessitating the continuous maintenance of these facilities. Limited and often insufficient maintenance funds pose a challenge in this context. Current cost estimates are inaccurate, and data on school and maintenance costs are constrained. More accurate maintenance cost plans would contribute to a better understanding of budget distribution and more efficient financial management. This study aims to investigate the application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) in planning annual maintenance costs for schools in the Republic of Croatia (Primorje-Gorski Kotar County). Using a database and DTREG software, three different ANN models were developed: a multilayer perceptron (MLP), a generalized regression neural network (GRNN), and a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN). Comparisons of the results showed that the GRNN is optimal and achieves the highest accuracy in estimating school maintenance costs. These findings can benefit educational institutions and public bodies in budget planning and decision-making regarding maintenance.

The construction project's success generally implies completion within the planned deadline and budget and satisfactory quality performance. These three project performance parameters form the basic system of measuring its success - the iron triangle of project management. Unfortunately, construction projects often fail to meet the defined success parameters, one or more. The focus of this paper is the territory of Croatia, for which it was noticed that no comprehensive studies analyze the construction projects' success in terms of all three iron triangle parameters. This paper aimed to observe an extensive database of projects from Croatia, analyze their success in terms of time, costs, and construction quality, and determine the mutual relations between those three parameters. Based on a database of 49 construction projects, it was determined that a significant number of projects (46.94%) were not satisfactory regarding time and cost success. At the same time, problematic quality performance was less common (20.41%). Statistically significant correlations were established between the performance of time and cost. Developing reliable mathematical models for predicting real construction time and cost is also possible. As for the construction quality, the problem of its presentation and assessment has been established, and no statistically significant results have been determined by observing it. These results indicate the need for further research, primarily regarding the project performance quality. The overall results emphasize the importance of comprehensive, systematic and timely construction project management, primarily during the planning and execution phases, to achieve its goals.