FM Clinic: Dealing with ageing infrastructure

THE BUILDING SERVICES EXPERT’S VIEW
NEIL WHEADON, 
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, POLYTECK

Progressive FMs need to understand the intricacies of how to value and maintain buildings as they age. Carrying out lifecycle audits are a sensible first port of call when looking to understand the needs of a building. This would, you’d expect, be the point at which companies like ours are engaged on a project. However, surprisingly to some, it’s often the breakdown of one element of a system which leads to a call. Prevention rather than cure is always preferable, however, ‘cure’ still makes up a large proportion of our work.

It’s important to understand the broader strategic goals of the building owner. There is little point conducting a first-phase audit and recommending widespread replacement and refurbishment should the client wish to demolish the building in a few years and this includes the needs of the owner, and the needs and behaviour of its tenants.

Some repairs and maintenance are crucial, some less so. By understanding the underlying need, you can determine the action.

A lifecycle audit should consider all elements of the building, be it the physical fabric of the building, or the commercial interests of the tenants and owners. This is a fundamental part of respecting the age of a building.

Aging buildings can come with a multitude of issues, but so can badly built newer structures. It’s important to look at any building objectively. There are some structures which can be far more efficient and coherent than newer builds. This is important when assessing repairs, or preventative maintenance.

When assessing an older building, look at every aspect. Whether its chillers, boilers, pumps, air handling units etc – look at their age, condition, and efficacy, then compare using CIBSE guidelines.

It’s important to note that, if you’re in a building that is 30 years old, it’s quite likely that there will be varying degrees of lifespan within the equipment. If some of these fail, you may not be able to repair them due to obsolescence. They’d need upgrading.

You may need to invest in critical spares, to pre-empt any potential requirement further down the line. A building may be shutting down in a few years, so some may just want to ‘nurse’ equipment; or, the building owner may have planning permission to refurbish in three years so you’d need to make sure you prolong the life of equipment for this duration.

Advice and counsel really depends on the longer term strategic view. This applies to equipment, space, and the fabric of the building.

Technology helps with the process, with various tools available that help measure and monitor equipment and buildings.

It is worth noting that, the issue with some technologies is the compatibility with aging products. Talking about new technologies on aging infrastructure is difficult. In time, when equipment is transitioned out, this is fine. However, for now, when dealing with older buildings, experienced technicians are needed to determine and assess the efficacy of equipment and systems.

We’d also urge clients to spend time to truly review and assess whether adaptation or replacement is the way forward. One of the key determining factors is often cost. The cost associated with repair of old structures and equipment can often be far greater when taking into account its efficacy. Wasteful repaired older systems can incur far more than newer iterations. 

THE COMPLIANCE EXPERT’S VIEW
MATTHEW GEORGE, 
TECHNICAL COMPLIANCE MANAGER, ERIC WRIGHT FM

As with many industries, facilities management is being significantly impacted by the rapid advancement in software and hardware capabilities. Technology is providing new and very exciting opportunities to implement increasingly efficient systems across assets in all sectors. This will allow FM providers to add value to services, help clients achieve their carbon reduction plans and sustainability targets and, ultimately benefit clients’ bottom lines through reduced utility consumption.

Whilst the spectrum of building standards remains vast in the UK, we are seeing technology play a role in monitoring the ageing of assets dating back as far as the turn of the century, meaning all is not lost for some sectors such as education and healthcare that really need assistance to bring their buildings in line with regulatory guidelines.

With older properties, the challenge often lies in the multiple M&E systems in place. Some may have been extended or enhanced over a period of time, or parts of systems altered without considering the full impact of small alterations on overall efficiency and ongoing maintainability of M&E systems. Historic, locally managed projects by clients e.g. partitioning rooms without considering the M&E services heating and ventilating those original spaces, can also raise issues when FM contractors are engaged to carry out servicing and fault-finding years later.

Utilising latest technology for remote monitoring helps tremendously to promptly respond to a premises’ issues, often before the client is aware that a problem exists. The introduction of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies brings with it initiatives such as a remote sub-metering program to help monitor real time utility consumption. This is particularly useful in spotting water leaks or identifying equipment that may be running for longer periods than just during the building occupation. It can also help with identifying the potential early failure of plant and equipment and provides a useful benchmark in energy consumption.

And there are different levels of sophistication to suit the budget. Simple and cost-effective hardware installation, including fire alarms, emergency lighting and air conditioning unit temperature gauges can all add immediate consistency throughout the building. These wireless systems will enable off site monitoring for more efficient preventative and reactionary maintenance.

Building Management Systems (BMS), however, are the brains behind a plant’s ongoing energy efficiency and life cycle, to automate the regulation of temperature and natural air flow whilst keeping energy usage to a minimum. Whilst budget is the predominant limiting factor in any FM project in all sectors, our key objective in this area is to support clients with a condition-based assessment of the scope of works to form the basis of a Forward Maintenance (Lifecycle Replacement) plan, be it over 12 months, three years or five years.

Air and duct hygiene is often overlooked. With old buildings where boilers have been replaced but not the pipe works, mineral build up, dust contamination and duct cleanliness can reduce the effectiveness of hardware. It can also present the potential for a reduced air quality and affect the client’s enjoyment of their facility.

Technology and due diligence work hand in hand to ensure compliance and effective building maintenance. For FM providers striving to be competitive in their market, it can be a challenging role advising clients to invest in system assessment and strategy before updating or replacing them. But advancements in digital technology mean FMs can make improvements quicker with returns on investment seen sooner too.