UNDERSTANDING INFRASTRUCTURE

 "the basic physical and organisational structures and facilities (eg. buildings, roads, services) needed for the functionality of a society or business"

Infrastructure is commonly split into two main categories, namely 'hard' and 'soft' infrastructure.

'hard infrastructure'
relates to the physical networks or facilities that are necessary for the operation of the society or enterprise

'soft infrastructure'

relates to the institutions that are involved in the sustainability and growth of the country or society

I am going to further categorise 'hard infrastructure' as either being visible or hidden. 

The visible refers to the above ground and larger scale infrastructure, while the hidden refers to the under ground and smaller scale infrastructure. The two categories are of equal importance and seem to be able to function independently, but when you start to look at the 'life span' of each category, you will find that they will eventually have a huge effect on each other.

In common construction practice, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) services are installed below the visible infrastructure and within structural elements of a building in order for these services to remain hidden and this is where the problem begins. Because of the shorter life span of the hidden infrastructure, they need to be maintained and in instances where they are not easily accessible, the visible infrastructures need to be dismantled in order to allow for that maintenance. 

eg. In the instance of upgrading or maintaining the hidden services under roads or paving, the road or paving will need to be dismantled to allow for the access for the upgrade or maintenance and then reassembled after completion.