Table of contents for Issue 1-2022 in Facility Management

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

EDITOR’S LETTER

In light of everything that’s going on in the world, discussing facility management and what’s in this issue can feel a bit trivial. I think this time last year, as we enjoyed a few months of calm in between COVID-19 variants, I discussed returns to normal life. Well, time made a fool of me and I learned my lesson. And coronavirus isn’t the only thing in the past weeks, months and years that has taught us not to try and predict; things change. But when the powers that be tell us ‘nobody could have predicted’ things like another variant or tragic loss in devastating floods, it’s unacceptable. Not coming out of the blue, these disasters are all too common and the warning signs are everywhere. They remind us of the…

2 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

IoT tech to be used in CSIRO building data

SimPRO’s remote modelling solution will be used in CSIRO’s research into energy-efficient apartment living. It will provide data about energy use of things like lifts, chillers, air-conditioning, lights and power of four high-rise buildings in Melbourne’s Docklands. The IoT technology made it possible to track building performance without hard-wiring on the buildings, which all are already standing. “Structural wiring would have had to be done between floors of buildings, we would have been there for a good while just doing the structured cabling,” says David Tripp, director at O’Brien Electrical Wantirna, who led the installation. SimPRO IoT meant the ability to simply retrofit sensors. “We’ve got a really good understanding of energy efficiency in detached homes,” says CSIRO senior experimental scientist Michael Ambrose. “However, we have very little information about…

1 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

DOES THE METAVERSE… MATTER?

Interacting virtually with objects and spaces, sharing information remotely, and tracking complex building data with simple sensors, the metaverse offers mountains of potential for facility management, property and maintenance, but first one needs to wrap one’s head around it. In Wired last year, Eric Ravenscraft wrote, “To a certain extent, talking about what ‘the metaverse’ means is a bit like having a discussion about what ‘the internet’ meant in the 1970s. “The building blocks of a new form of communication were in the process of being built, but no one could really know what the reality would look like. So while it was true, at the time, that ‘the internet’ was coming, not every idea of what that would look like was true.” In a Forbes article about the metaverse…

9 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

Fresh thinking and new measures for continued protection against COVID-19

Two years on, we have greater understanding and intelligence about how COVID-19 and its variants transmit within the community. The three main modes of transmission are via the skin, surfaces and the air. As we face new variants and sub-variants, continued vigilance by facility managers will help combat complacency and protect workers and patrons occupying indoor spaces. Best practice infection control for indoor environments involves taking proactive steps to address all three forms of transmission. HAND SANITATION While hand sanitisers are often available throughout venues, sanitising paper hand towels can also be utilised, without any change to current behaviour in bathrooms, kitchens and food preparation areas for drying wet hands after washing. The paper is activated by water when drying wet hands and provides an extra layer of antibacterial protection.…

3 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

Understanding the physical and cyber security connection

Cyber security is a critical consideration for any business navigating our increasingly digital world. However, with more importance being placed on firewalls and phishing scams, it appears we’ve forgotten that bad actors are just as capable of stealing from us in real life. Facility businesses must prioritise physical security equally alongside cyber security, because the strongest cyber security measures will not protect against a malicious actor stealing storage devices directly from your office environment. PHYSICAL SECURITY As the name suggests, physical security refers to the protection of a business’s people, premises and other physical assets that may be compromised. It protects businesses from things being damaged or lost during any event or by the action of individuals – either externally or within the company itself. Physical security can be broadly…

5 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

EVENTS

TOTAL FACILITIES EXPO (TFX) WHERE: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre WHEN: 10 to 12 May totalfacilities.com.au WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY SHOW WHERE: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre WHEN: 25 and 26 May whsshow.com.au AUSTRALIAN CLEAN ENERGY SUMMIT WHERE: ICC Sydney WHEN: 19 to 20 July cleanenergysummit.com.au ARBS (AIR CONDITIONING, REFRIGERATION AND BUILDING SERVICES) WHERE: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre WHEN: 16 to 18 August arbs.com.au SECURITY EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE WHERE: ICC Sydney WHEN: 17 to 19 August securityexpo.com.au/exhibit/exhibit-in-2022/ AUSTRALIAN WASTE AND RECYCLING EXPO WHERE: ICC Sydney WHEN: 24 and 25 August awre.com.au ISSA CLEANING AND HYGIENE EXPO WHERE: ICC SYDNEY WHEN: 14 and 15 September issacleaninghygieneexpo.com…

1 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

Clearview AI tells investors its database could reach 100 billion facial photos in a year, stoking privacy concerns

In a financial presentation from December, facial recognition technology company Clearview AI told investors it could increase its database of faces to 100 billion photos – more than enough to surveil each of the world’s seven billion people. The company, whose services are currently limited to governmental buyers, mainly law enforcement agencies, also hinted at the potential of working with gig economy workers, retail and commercial real estate industries. A handful of the companies whose logos appeared in the document as possible commercial partners have since distanced themselves from Clearview, saying they have had no contact with the company and have no intention of working with it. Founder Hoan Ton-That told the Washington Post that the company logos, which include Airbnb, Uber and Tinder parent company Match Group, were “examples…

2 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

NEW FM PRODUCTS

Schneider Electric’s Merten sockets and switches These home energy solutions are made of recycled ocean plastics and debuted at CES 2022 in Las Vegas. New models are made of polyamide fishing nets collected from the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Abandoned fishing nets are recovered, collected, cut up, cleaned, extruded and inspected before sending to partner company DSM for repurposing into Akulon RePurposed compound. According to a Schneider press release, discarded fishing nets make up 10 percent of the plastic waste in our oceans, and Akulon RePurposed compound has a carbon footprint 82 percent lower than the traditional Nylon 6 used in similar products. The final material contains 15 percent glass fibres for strength. Getac ZX10 rugged tablet The new 10-inch device is built around the Android 11 operating system…

1 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

EVVA EPS G2 – Why is it the perfect choice when rekeying your facility?

There are three basic levels of mechanical master key systems: • Inline, which is exactly like the front door lock you have at home except it is normally legally protected by a registered design. It is for typically less complex master key systems but is prone to keys being reversed engineered, locks being picked and bumped and attacked in other ways. • High Security, which provides a far higher level of protection against the security flaws of an inline system, legally protects the copy of your keys with a patent and can be used to design and build complex master key systems for larger facilities. • Maximum Security, provides the highest level of protection against attack and in many cases achieves Australian Federal Government security approvals. These systems are protected…

2 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

Trust, teams and changing times

Long-time FM contributor Marie-Claire Ross wants to talk about trust. Her work, through her business, Trustologie, helps leaders, senior and middle management and their teams to build connections, first and foremost, across people and teams. COVID-19, and the shifts and disruptions it’s inflicted upon the workplace, has made trust more important, but also more elusive and high maintenance, than ever. Ross says trust was almost seen as a niceto-have before the pandemic. Today, however, it’s a different story. “People realise the benefits and how it makes such a difference,” says Ross. She’s seen the issue of trust bubble to the surface in a number of ways. The first, is the very straightforward necessity of being trusted to work. While working from home or remotely, managers are unable to physically see…

5 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

Canadian researchers swab floors to detect COVID-19

As Omicron’s rapid spread rendered individual testing too slow to track and control the virus, Aaron Hinz and Rees Kassen of the University of Ottowa sought new strategies for watching it. Wastewater sampling has proven a useful method of detecting the virus in the environment rather than in individuals, providing early warning signs. Hinz and Kassen’s surface testing may unlock similar information in smaller settings like rooms within schools, health facilities or workplaces. They began swabbing walls, surfaces, handrails and floors in hospital COVID-19 wards, to understand if positive samples could be compared to understand where the virus particles were more abundant. Comparing results from COVID-19 wards and non-COVID-19 wards from two hospitals over 10 weeks, they detected the virus, which was rarely found on walls and surfaces but commonly…

1 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

Doing data better: what you should know

A good building data strategy should involve a degree of planning for the future and help put measures into place to ensure that whichever piece of the puzzle is being installed or worked on is connected, functional and future integration ready. Obviously, there are different buildings with different systems and resources, from A-grade premium commercial in a metro area, all the way down to a B-grade or C-grade with modest facilities and smaller footprints. The needs of all these different buildings and portfolio types will differ, and data strategy may encompass anything from collecting data to ensuring everything is tagged and has meaningful naming or relational conventions, otherwise known as ontologies, and that everything can talk to each other and seamlessly integrate to create an outcome for building owners. There’s…

5 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

PURE THOUGHTS

They’ve long been used to tackle odour, dust and germs, but now air purifiers have taken on new importance as workers and students return to physical attendance and COVID-19 cases remain steady. Over the course of the pandemic, it has become clear that good quality indoor air – when combined with physical distancing, mask wearing, and cleaning and sanitising – can play a powerful role in any sound COVID-19 risk reduction and management strategy. Air purification is especially helpful in spaces where it’s difficult or unviable to circulate natural air from outside. Your facility’s purifier needs will be influenced by your space’s size and purpose. Many additional factors, such as what exactly you want to control with it, should also be considered. Let FM clear the air; take a look…

7 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

The challenges of managing smart buildings

As the interest in smart buildings and related technologies continues to grow, there’s an important issue that shouldn’t be overlooked in all the hype: exactly how can facility managers effectively manage these buildings, and what challenges are they likely to face? Here are four common challenges that facility managers can expect while managing smart buildings, and ideas on how they can best tackle these issues. 1 DEVICE LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT Smart building technology runs on an interconnected system of wireless sensors and other fittings, all coming together to create an intelligent system for monitoring an enormous range of functions. Depending on the size of the building, these devices can number up to the hundreds and increase to thousands over time. FMs will require a well-planned life cycle management strategy for…

4 min

Facility Management|Issue 1-2022

Hybrid offices, two years in

Reports of the office’s death may have been greatly exaggerated, in fact The Property Council reported an increase in tenant demand for office space in Australia’s CBDs in the six months to January 2022. But how tenants use office space, and how often, is still shifting. In theory, people can now work flexibly, avoid commutes, and balance work and personal life – but in practice it’s cutting both ways. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Bobbi Thomason and Jennifer Franczak summed up the present conundrum as having three tension points to manage between: • allowing workers to work when they want and expecting them to be available all the time • employees feeling isolated and feeling invaded by communication technology, and • what is made possible by hybrid work…

3 min