Facility management
Encyclopedia
Facility management is an interdisciplinary field primarily devoted to the maintenance and care of commercial or institutional buildings, such as hospitals, hotels, office complex
es, arena
s, schools or convention center
s. According to the International Facility Management Association
(IFMA), it is "a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, processes and technology." The European facility management association, EuroFM, uses the EN15221 definition.
The term facilities management is preferred in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and English-speaking businesses in several European countries. While in the United States, both facility management and facilities management are widely used.
The definition of facility management, EN15221-1, provided by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN
) and ratified by BSI British Standards
is, "(the) integration of processes within an organisation to maintain and develop the agreed services which support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities." According to this European standard the scope of FM is 'Space & Infrastructure' (planning, design, workplace, construction, lease, occupancy, maintenance, furniture, cleaning, etc.) and 'People & Organisation'(catering, ICT, HRM, HS&S, accounting, marketing, hospitality, etc.).
According to British standard BS 8536:2010 facility management is performed during the operational phase of a facility or building’s life cycle
, which normally extends over many decades. It represents a continuous process of service provision to support the owner’s core business and one where improvement is sought on a continuous basis. The support of administrative facility management through information technology is identified as computer-aided facility management(CAFM).
Office complex
Commonly referred to as a plaza, an office complex is often confused with an office building. Complexes are just one storey, with extensive fields available in retail positioning, but primarily used for medical practitioners along with a stronghold potential for community development.This due to...
es, arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
s, schools or convention center
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
s. According to the International Facility Management Association
International Facility Management Association
The International Facility Management Association is a professional association for facility professionals IFMA headquarters is located in Houston, Texas....
(IFMA), it is "a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, processes and technology." The European facility management association, EuroFM, uses the EN15221 definition.
The term facilities management is preferred in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and English-speaking businesses in several European countries. While in the United States, both facility management and facilities management are widely used.
The definition of facility management, EN15221-1, provided by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN
CEN
CEN may refer to:*Cen, or sen, is the currency of the fictional nation of Amestris of the anime/manga "Fullmetal Alchemist"As a three-letter acronym:* Cambridge Evening News, former name for the Cambridge News...
) and ratified by BSI British Standards
British Standards
British Standards are the standards produced by BSI Group which is incorporated under a Royal Charter...
is, "(the) integration of processes within an organisation to maintain and develop the agreed services which support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities." According to this European standard the scope of FM is 'Space & Infrastructure' (planning, design, workplace, construction, lease, occupancy, maintenance, furniture, cleaning, etc.) and 'People & Organisation'(catering, ICT, HRM, HS&S, accounting, marketing, hospitality, etc.).
According to British standard BS 8536:2010 facility management is performed during the operational phase of a facility or building’s life cycle
Life cycle
Life cycle or lifecycle may refer to: * Biological life cycle* Enterprise life cycle* Life cycle assessment* New product development* Product lifecycle , various meanings* Project life cycle...
, which normally extends over many decades. It represents a continuous process of service provision to support the owner’s core business and one where improvement is sought on a continuous basis. The support of administrative facility management through information technology is identified as computer-aided facility management(CAFM).
Role
The discipline of facility management and the role of facility managers in particular are evolving to the extent that many managers have to operate at two levels: strategic-tactical and operational. In the former case, owners need to be informed about the potential impact of their decisions on the provision of space and services. In the latter, it is the role of a facility manager to ensure proper operation of all aspects of a building to create an optimal, safe and cost effective environment for the occupants to function. This is accomplished by managing some of the following activities.Health and safety
- Occupational safety and health, including compliance with local, state, and national laws and agencies, such as the Occupational Safety and Health AdministrationOccupational Safety and Health AdministrationThe United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
(OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and EN 54EN 54European standard EN 54 specifies requirements for all component parts of a fire alarm system. In the United Kingdom it superceeded BS 5445:Part 1:1977. BS EN 54-1:1996 was published in December 1996.The standard has been published in a number of parts:... - Industrial hygiene, including indoor air qualityIndoor air qualityIndoor air quality is a term referring to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants....
- Display Screen Regulations
- Safety Rules for Contractors
- Risk Assessments
- Control of Substances Hazardous to HealthCOSHHThe Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 is a United Kingdom Statutory Instrument that states general requirements on employers to protect employees and other persons from the hazards of substances used at work by risk assessment, control of exposure, health surveillance and...
Fire safety
- Fire protectionFire protectionFire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, compartmentalisation, suppression and investigation of fire and its related emergencies, as well as the research and development, production, testing and application of...
and safetyFire safetyFire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in a structure to the presence of a fire in the event one occurs, better enable those threatened by a fire to survive, or to reduce the... - Smoke/heat detectorsSmoke detectorA smoke detector is a device that detects smoke, typically as an indicator of fire. Commercial, industrial, and mass residential devices issue a signal to a fire alarm system, while household detectors, known as smoke alarms, generally issue a local audible and/or visual alarm from the detector...
- Fire alarm systemsFire alarm systemAn automatic fire alarm system is designed to detect the unwanted presence of fire by monitoring environmental changes associated with combustion. In general, a fire alarm system is classified as either automatically actuated, manually actuated, or both...
- Sprinkler systems
- Fire extinguishersFire extinguisherA fire extinguisher or extinguisher, flame entinguisher is an active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergency situations...
- Dry risersDry riserA dry riser is a main vertical pipe intended to distribute water to multiple levels of a building or structure as a component of the fire suppression systems. The pipe is maintained empty of water. The dry riser is the opposite of a "wet riser" or "wet standpipe" system where the pipes are kept...
- Fire stoppingFirestopA firestop is a passive fire protection system of various components used to seal openings and joints in fire-resistance rated wall and/or floor assemblies, based on fire testing and certification listings....
- Fire Risk Assessments
Security
- SecurityPhysical securityPhysical security describes measures that are designed to deny access to unauthorized personnel from physically accessing a building, facility, resource, or stored information; and guidance on how to design structures to resist potentially hostile acts...
- Access controlAccess controlAccess control refers to exerting control over who can interact with a resource. Often but not always, this involves an authority, who does the controlling. The resource can be a given building, group of buildings, or computer-based information system...
- Security guardingSecurity guardA security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
- Intruder alertBurglar alarmBurglar , alarms are systems designed to detect unauthorized entry into a building or area. They consist of an array of sensors, a control panel and alerting system, and interconnections...
- CCTVClosed-circuit televisionClosed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
Maintenance systems
- Heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerationHVACHVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
- preventivePreventive maintenancePreventive maintenance has the following meanings:#The care and servicing by personnel for the purpose of maintaining equipment and facilities in satisfactory operating condition by providing for systematic inspection, detection, and correction of incipient failures either before they occur or...
and predictive maintenancePredictive maintenancePredictive maintenance techniques help determine the condition of in-service equipment in order to predict when maintenance should be performed... - Corrective maintenanceCorrective maintenanceCorrective maintenance can be defined as a maintenance task performed to identify, isolate, and rectify a fault so that the failed equipment, machine, or system can be restored to an operational condition within the tolerances or limits established for in-service operations...
/Reactive repairs - Building automation systemsBuilding automationBuilding automation describes the functionality provided by the control system of a building. A building automation system is an example of a distributed control system...
- Building fabric and decorative
- Grounds maintenance and horticulture
- Computerized maintenance management systemComputerized Maintenance Management SystemComputerized maintenance management system is also known as enterprise asset management and computerized maintenance management information system ....
Periodic statutory testing and inspections
- Lifting equipment
- Work equipment
- LegionellaLegionellosisLegionellosis is a potentially fatal infectious disease caused by gram negative, aerobic bacteria belonging to the genus Legionella. Over 90% of legionellosis cases are caused by Legionella pneumophila, a ubiquitous aquatic organism that thrives in temperatures between , with an optimum temperature...
- Pressure systems
- AsbestosAsbestosAsbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
- Mansafe systems (window cleaning, roof access, etc.)
- Electrical portable appliances and fixed wiring
- Lightning conductorsLightning rodA lightning rod or lightning conductor is a metal rod or conductor mounted on top of a building and electrically connected to the ground through a wire, to protect the building in the event of lightning...
- Emergency lightingEmergency lightAn emergency light is a battery-backed lighting device that comes on automatically when a building experiences a power outage. Emergency lights are standard in new commercial and high occupancy residential buildings, such as college dormitories...
- Fire protection systems
Operational
- Help deskHelp deskA help desk is an information and assistance resource that troubleshoots problems with computers or similar products. Corporations often provide help desk support to their customers via a toll-free number, website and e-mail. There are also in-house help desks geared toward providing the same kind...
- Disabled Access
- Cleaning
- Waste management
- Environmental Issues
- Reception
- Meeting room management
- Mail Room
- PhotocopyingPhotocopierA photocopier is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography, a dry process using heat...
- VendingFull-line vendingA Full-line vending business uses vending machines to sell cans or bottles of soft drink and individual packages of snacks. Soda sold is usually 12 fl. oz. and 20 oz. in North America, or 330ml and 500ml in Europe. Snacks, bags of chips and similar edibles are usually about 1-3 oz.-Trends:In the...
- Office space planningOffice space planningOffice layouts are arranged so that staff can work together in departmental and team groupings, providing the best opportunity for efficient work flow, communication and supervision.-Churn rate:In many organisations, office layouts are subject to frequent changes...
, layout, and furniture placement - Car ParkingParking lotA parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
- Specifying, tendering and contracts' negotiationProcurementProcurement is the acquisition of goods or services. It is favourable that the goods/services are appropriate and that they are procured at the best possible cost to meet the needs of the purchaser in terms of quality and quantity, time, and location...
- Pest control
- Daily inspection of escape routes and fire exits
Business continuity planning
- Business continuity planningBusiness continuity planningBusiness continuity planning “identifies [an] organization's exposure to internal and external threats and synthesizes hard and soft assets to provide effective prevention and recovery for the organization, whilst maintaining competitive advantage and value system integrity”. It is also called...
- Disaster recoveryDisaster recoveryDisaster recovery is the process, policies and procedures related to preparing for recovery or continuation of technology infrastructure critical to an organization after a natural or human-induced disaster. Disaster recovery is a subset of business continuity...
- Emergency procedureEmergency procedureAn emergency is a serious, unexpected, often dangerous situation that requires immediate action. The emergency procedure is a plan of actions to be conducted in a certain order or manner, in response to an emergency event.-Need for Emergency Procedures:...
s
See also
- Building information modelingBuilding Information ModelingBuilding information modeling is the process of generating and managing building data during its life cycle.BIM involves representing a design as objects – vague and undefined, generic or product-specific, solid shapes or void-space oriented , that carry their geometry, relations and attributes...
- Computerized maintenance management systemComputerized Maintenance Management SystemComputerized maintenance management system is also known as enterprise asset management and computerized maintenance management information system ....
- 1:5:2001:5:200In the construction industry, the 1:5:200 rule is a rule of thumb that states that:The rule originated in a Royal Academy of Engineering paper by Evans et al.Sometimes the ratios are given as 1:10:200...