The impact of facilities management on delivering value in building construction

Good design and construction standards are not primarily a question of style and taste. They are the adherence to a set of time honoured, objective principles that determine whether or not a building works well for all users and for the community. Construction encompasses functional efficiency, project and facility management, adherence to project time and schedule, structural integrity, sustainability, lifetime costing and flexibility, as well as health and safety guidelines.

 

Facilities management (FM) represents a tool for continuous and sustainable improvement which allows for the efficient operation and maintenance of buildings. Until very recent, FM was not common in Nigeria. Architects used to design all types of buildings without consideration for the FM requirements. Unfortunately, this has led to various problems, especially for office buildings which require special FM considerations during the different phases of the facility, starting from the conceptual planning and design phases until the operation and maintenance phase.

In most cases, the vital truth that stakeholders often overlook is that only 3% of a facility’s life cycle cost is associated with design and construction (while 97% is associated with operations). This makes it more understandable as to why it is a major issue that facility management is viewed as an afterthought of the building construction stage as it is most times. The construction phase is far too late in the development of a facility for necessary changes to be made,which can significantly impact on operational outcomes.

In the last decade, construction development and urban planning have been undergoing a transformation, with tremendous changes in concept improvements. Developers have come to understand the importance of considering FM during the lifecycle of the facility to protect their assets and to achieve user satisfaction. The government has also assisted in this notion by adequately planning business parks and open gardens, and also insisting that construction projects have all their required services and infrastructure.

 

In order to deliver an efficient facility that is cost effective, FM should come into play at the conceptual and design stages of a building project. Cost effective design solutions can then be generated to meet the needs of the building objectives.

FM should also be examined at the pre-operation stage of a building to ascertain how early involvement can create effective operations, greater value for money and customer satisfaction, while at the same time providing better facilities that are attractive and user friendly.

At the operation stage, FM tends to add value to the facility by ensuring less ‘rework’, efficiently controlling of supply chain and teamwork efforts, resulting in customer satisfaction. Management adherence to project timeframes and work schedules prevent the building construction from running into overtime. Overtime means extra costs that are not budgeted for and that can become part of overruns during the post-operation or maintenance stages.

One school of thought still views FM as an aftermath of a ‘soft landing’. This refers to a strategy adopted to ensure that the transition from construction to occupation of a building project is ‘bump free’.From an engineer and architect’s point of view, it means a little more than handing the keys of a new building over to its owner and/or facility management team as their phase of project nears completion. Another school of thought argues that FM should be a pillar of a building life-cycle rather than an afterthought. This means that the transition from construction to occupation and operational performance of the facility should be considered throughout the development of a building project, and not just at the point of handover.

Until few years ago, FM was not common in Nigeria. In all likelihood, buildings were only maintained, serviced and cleaned, without any consideration during the pre-operation phase of the facility for the FM requirements. Several designers did not take into account the adequate operations andthisbecomes clear from the numerous problems that occupants face during the use of the facility which leads to itsrapid deterioration. This was the case even for office buildings.Assets should require special considerations fromFMto ensure the most appropriate work atmosphere for the employees/clients.

More recently, technological advancements and the emergence of innovative systems aimedat improving the productivity of employees andworkspaces are becoming a significant subject of interest for business owners. Office buildings are becoming flexible environments that integrate technology, comfort, safety and energy efficiency to provide a productive, cost-effective, and aesthetically pleasing working environment (WBDG staff, 2009). Consequently, designers must consider these critical issues during the conceptual planning and design phases, in addition to the adequacy of operating and maintaining these systems during the operation of the facility. This as such requires the attentive involvement and input of the FM team from the start.

 

Chinwe Ajana-Sagna