With the rapid urbanization and enlargement of cities

the safety of buildings has drawn much attention by both citizens and government officers.Taking Shanghai as an example

some typical hidden troubles related to buildings and facilities during their life cycles are briefly reviewed and a proposed management system of building safety is then presented in this paper.This system would include the following seven aspects: laws for building management

technical specifications for general investigation of buildings

technical standards for design and construction as well as maintenance of buildings

building information system on the internet/intranet

emergency measures

popular education on building safety

and expert decision-making system for building management.