20 JULY 2021
In FMJ's regular monthly column, our team of FM experts answer your
questions about the world of facilities management
ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
PROVIDER’S VIEW
GEORGE ADAMS, DIRECTOR
OF ENERGY AND ENGINEERING
SPIE UK
The changes in building occupancy
due to the pandemic pose a
number of challenges for those in
facilities management. However,
sustainability and e iciency remain
hugely important, particularly as
climate change directly a ects
everyone’s health. It is clear that
the relationship between health, buildings, energy and climate
remains a focus, with new scientific studies highlighting the
impact buildings have on people. Consequently, facilities
management teams will need to be better educated on how to
integrate this into the way buildings are managed.
Early anecdotal evidence from o ices that have already
reopened is that businesses need help in optimising the
use of their o ice space to cut carbon emissions. With
changeable usage patterns, facilities managers can
help to instate a flexible occupancy approach
which enables organisations to only use as
much of the o ice, and by extension the
heating, lighting, and ventilation, as they need
to. In order to drive significant improvements
in building operations and energy
management, the use of existing intelligent
technology can greatly assist the FM team with
data collection and analytics. In doing so, they
can create a more dynamic working environment
that should drive a better return on investment for
the organisations they work with.
For example, by measuring the carbon per person in
a building, facilities managers can establish a baseline from
which the amount of energy consumption overall is reduced. A
smart way to begin your carbon
reduction journey is to analyse
how much energy is generated
by di erent systems, utilising the
data as part of the ongoing life
cycle management of the building.
There are already governmental
changes that are driving companies
to operate more sustainably. For
example, large businesses in the UK
are required to publicly state their carbon
emissions in their Directors’ Report. As businesses
respond to ever stricter climate targets, the reality
is that facilities managers and organisations have fewer easy
carbon emission reducing options available. This is going to
create pressure for higher quality and more energy-e icient
buildings that help organisations meet their corporate targets.
Meeting this demand requires most of our buildings to be
improved, pushing the issue of how we recycle and repurpose
them up the climate agenda. For facilities managers, this means
understanding the new technologies, techniques and expertise
needed to keep the buildings they manage as sustainable
as possible. As the sector is challenged to overcome higher
barriers and play a more wide-ranging role in the operations of
its customers, there is no doubt that the facilities management
sector needs to begin actively adopting up-to-date technologies.
By doing so successfully, our existing building stock can be
recycled into the e icient and sustainable buildings that will be
demanded in the future.
SMART BUILDINGS EXPERT’S VIEW
MARK MCLOUGHLIN, STRATEGIC ACCOUNT MANAGER,
SIEMENS INDUSTRIES AND MARKETS,
SIEMENS FINANCIAL SERVICES
The pandemic crisis and its a ermath had
made buildings owners and managers look
afresh at the value their buildings deliver
and the underlying operational cost
base of their assets. Social distancing
rules are changing the whole dynamic
of occupancy – how many people
can work in a given location, in what
groups and with what safety protocols
and technologies in place?
Several drivers of change are
simultaneously in play to make buildings
‘smarter’: the economic pressure to seek
cost e iciencies (especially through energy
e iciency); new ways of working to ensure hygiene,
infection control and safety; existing and emerging
regulatory requirements making fire and security upgrades
FM CLINIC
As organisations prepare
for the widescale reopening
of buildings, the need to
maintain a low carbon
footprint remains a priority.
But with lockdown making
it di… icult to even produce
an accurate analysis of energy
management rates over the
past year how can FMs help their
organisations get back on track in
meeting carbon cutting targets that help
achieve sustainability goals?
George Adams
ADVICE & OPINION
Early anecdotal
evidence from offices that
have already reopened is that
businesses need help in optimising
the use of their office space to
cut carbon emissions.”
George Adams