Table of contents for October - November 2017 in Facility Management

In Melbourne recently, a group of hipsters, hackers and hustlers got together to shake up traditional beliefs and approaches to the built environment. It was the inaugural CoreNet Hackathon and, judging by the turn out and extraordinary ideas presented, it was a huge success. This issue of FM explores innovation – what it looks like in the facility management industry, how it can be fostered and whether corporate real estate clients are truly committed to seeing it happen. There’s no doubt technology has revolutionised a lot of the timehonoured processes and procedures in FM, but we’re only seeing the start of what’s possible. In our lead feature, FM consultant Donald Macdonald and Richard Gee from BGIS (Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions) both call for a more collaborative model to be implemented…

Multi-sector sustainable product and certification organisation Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) has launched a program aimed at getting organisations to put their purchasing decisions on a more environmentally-friendly footing. GECA has called for companies to consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of purchased goods and services. It says, through sustainable procurement, organisations can build resilience and become futureproofed through increased efficiency and effectiveness. GECA chief executive Kate Harris is calling on companies of all sizes to take the Positive Procurement Pledge – to develop, document and implement a sustainable procurement policy to govern all purchasing decisions by 31 December 2020. “We want to help businesses and organisations to make good choices and be part of the solution for responsible production and consumption,” Harris says. The pledge is open to…

Back in 2010, US popular science author and media theorist Steven Johnson gave a talk at a TED conference with a simple, yet powerful title – ‘Where good ideas come from’. That presentation has reverberated around the world since, influencing a diverse range of pursuits, professions and people – not the least of which is facility management, grappling with client demands to be more innovative. But how do we define innovation? Are we talking about measures that result in operational efficiencies, or are process improvements sufficient? Donald Macdonald, co-founder with Brendan Lucas of facilities management consultancy Macdonald Lucas, says innovation has to be seen as a change in process. “It’s a new way of doing things, if you like, that results in tangible and positive outcomes for the organisation,” he…

While Tracey loves to spend time in Melbourne’s galleries and theatres, she’s also a cricket lover. “I’ve been to the MCG many times and love the Boxing Day Test. I’m very excited at the prospect of the Ashes this year. I have to admit though I’ve not been to an AFLgame. My husband Chris, who has actually been in Australia for 11 years, is a big soccer fan. “Both my parents were chefs, so I love to cook. We routinely have a household full of friends and, being expats, we also have a lot of expat friends. Cooking is in my blood and I love doing that for big groups. “My mum always said I was a more passionate cook than her because I never had to do it for…

The start of an exciting innovation movement began in Melbourne in September with CoreNet hosting its inaugural Hackathon. With the involvement of a range of sponsors and industry mentors, the Hackathon brought together around 70 engineers, designers, entrepreneurs, marketers and students to create a tangible product or solution for the built environment, using technology. The attendees, from a wide range of ages and experience, were classed as ‘hackers’ – programmers, engineers; ‘hipsters’ – user experience experts and designers; or ‘hustlers’ – usually to be found in sales, marketing or project coordinators. One of the mentors was FM columnist Rodney Timm, director of Property Beyond, who says it was inspiring to be surrounded by thinkers across a diverse range of backgrounds. “I’m not sure if what they came up with during…

A living organism, mould is present almost everywhere and its microscopic spores are easily spread through the air. Mould growth can increasingly damage building structures, possessions and endanger people’s well-being. In some cases, particularly in residential instances, mould has even made the building uninhabitable. Although there are hundreds of references about the causes of mould in buildings, there are two main contributing factors in mould development: moisture and darkness. In other words, high humidity and insufficient brightness in buildings are the most important triggers of mould problems in indoor environments. Let’s look at the major causes of mould growth. EXCESS MOISTURE In a report in 2009, the World Health Organisation stated that the growth of microbes such as mould, fungi and bacteria is caused by excess moisture in the building…

Thanks to our biological programming, our brains like certainty and feeling safe. At work, we love to feel appreciated and valued by others; we want to be part of a group that can achieve more than what we can alone. These feel-good factors enable our brain to kick into a more resourceful level. We express our opinions and share ideas. We become accountable and excited about the future. On the other hand, when things change and we become unsure, we operate from our survival brain, which acts subconsciously based on patterns, habits and biases. The result is we make decisions based on fear and a limited perspective on what’s available to us. In a workplace environment, when people operate from the survival brain, people pay lip service to new initiatives,…

DEFINITIONS BUILDING AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Web-based maintenance management applications. COMPUTERISED MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (CMMS) Used to monitor equipment performance and enhance the efficiency of maintenance operations. DATA COLLECTION AND LIFE CYCLE PLANNING SOFTWARE Collection and life cycle planning software used to build comprehensive data for asset portfolios for building managers and owners. ENTERPRISE ASSET MANAGEMENT (EAM) SYSTEM Enables holistic control and optimisation of enterprise assets. INTEGRATED WORKPLACE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (IWMS) Support for the tactical tools in computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) solutions and strategic planning. JOB MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE Software products that help companies manage off-site workers and the resources they require to do their jobs efficiently. PROCUREMENT SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS Automation of the processes of purchasing materials and goods inventory maintenance. BUILDING AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Advances in Building Automation www.konex.net.au…

A Facility Management content partner is an organisation with which we’ve entered into a partnership to collaborate on content for the magazine. In this issue, thought leaders from their respective organisations are: HUMANSCALE’S TIM GOODRED Tim is state manager, WA and SA at Humanscale. BILLI ADRIAN CUGNETTO Adrian is the marketing manager for Billi Pty Ltd. ASSA ABLOY’S EDDIE DROHOMIRECKI AND ANDREW WILLIAMS Eddie is product manager – Door Control and PED, and Andrew is senior product manager at ASSA ABLOY.…

Design and consultancy firm Arcadis says Brisbane risks falling further behind domestic (particularly Sydney and Melbourne) and global cities if it doesn’t address key resilience concerns, according to a new report. The report, ‘City Resiliency: More than just a disaster’, outlines three key resilience areas that Arcadis says Brisbane must address, and proposes solutions, including a call to protect the city’s central financial and business district from flood and stormwater events with a levee system. Dr Louisa Carter, Arcadis’ city executive south-east Queensland, describes Brisbane as the ‘lifestyle capital’ of Australia, but adds, “It can never become an economic capital until it confronts some simple truths and reinforces its resilience. “We will never attract the scale of investment that Sydney and Melbourne enjoy until businesses can be confident that the…

“One pattern I call the ‘slow hunch’; breakthrough ideas almost never come in a moment of great insight and a sudden stroke of inspiration,” he told the attendees. “Most important ideas take a long time to evolve, and they spend a long time dormant in the background. It isn’t until the idea has had two or three years – sometimes 10 or 20 years – to mature, that it suddenly becomes successful to you and useful to you in a certain way. And this is partially because good ideas normally come from the collision between smaller hunches, so that they form something bigger than themselves.” Johnson pointed to Tim Berners-Lee’s invention of the internet. “This is the project that Berners-Lee worked on for 10 years, but when he started he…

The word is finally getting out about the importance of ergonomics in the workplace, as more and more people gain awareness of the discipline’s many benefits. Today people are quicker to relate their back pain to an awkwardly designed task chair or their repetitive strain injury to problems with their computer keyboard/mouse set-up. But how often do those same people go home with CVS and not know what’s caused it? CVS? Computer vision syndrome, for the uninitiated. Ninety percent of office workers will experience it at some point – essentially dry or strained eyes, or neck pain. It can manifest as headaches or even small red dots around the eye. Sufferers may be familiar with such symptoms, but unaware what has driven them. This is because light is intangible and…

Approximately 70 percent of the earth’s surface is covered in water, yet the amount of fresh wholesome water available is significantly limited. This is reflected in the increasing costs associated with supplying water to buildings. The World Economic Forum believes water availability is posing a risk to your property portfolio. In fact, the Forum ranks it alongside climate change and, over the last six years, the issue has been consistently positioned within the top five global risks in terms of impact. Within Australia, there’s huge demand for water conservation. This is a result of exciting new technologies, sustainability initiatives, evolving current and future codes, and legislation. Green plumbing is a result of environmental and economic issues, which are steering facility managers to implement innovative plumbing systems that use fewer resources,…

Growing up in the north of England, Gail Tracey loved to paint and draw. She flirted with the idea of becoming a fashion designer and enrolled in one of the UK’s last pure art and design colleges to study fine arts. “Most of the other unis were offering a range of subjects to get as many students as possible. Cumbria was just for the arts – drama, graphic design, painting. I was completely surrounded by arty types,” she recalls. “I always thought art was my calling.” But Tracey, who has recently clocked up 17 years in facility management, knew shortly after graduating that struggling to get by as a receptionist in an art gallery while waiting to be ‘discovered’ for her paintings wasn’t going to be for her. “I’ve always…

At this year’s Total Facilities exhibition and conference one of the very well-attended speaker sessions focused on ‘The growing awareness of well-being in the workplace’, reflecting the importance the facility management industry as a whole is now placing on this area of its remit. In the speaker session, a range of industry experts discussed the topic and its relevance to facilities managers in the region. While those experts waxed lyrical on workplace design, ergonomics, physical well-being and mental health, there wasn’t a great deal of debate about what actually goes into our bodies in our working environments. If it had, it’s highly probable that the panel would have concluded that one of the easiest things to do to improve workers’ general wellbeing, and therefore performance, would be to look to…

Talking about ‘blurring the lines’, ‘Je M’appelle Company’ is a new start-up concept in Amsterdam. Its office and apartments are open 24/7. Twenty-five people live in the house – entrepreneurs running or working in start-ups, but also people with a creative function from large companies. They pay 800 euros a month for a room, office and fast internet. What are the benefits of living and working in the same place? “That I can walk down in my slippers,” says Mark van der Heijden, who has a start-up. “And you cooperate with all kinds of disciplines. We are very pleased that we can quickly get a developer or designer from within the community. If I had not lived here, the company wouldn’t have grown so quickly” (NOS, 2016). To respond and…

The University of Adelaide is installing a cutting edge building analytics system to monitor and control the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system in the newly built Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences (AHMS) building after successful implementation in the Braggs research building on the University’s North Terrace Campus. Traditionally, space conditioning and laboratory HVAC requirements in buildings such as the AHMS have been controlled using standard building management systems (BMSs). As buildings have become more complex with varied space conditioning requirements, however, the BMS system itself needs to be monitored and optimised continuously to ensure the best possible balance between energy performance and user requirements. The AHMS building analytics system uses data aggregation software with proprietary algorithms to continuously gather information from the BMS, and overlay it against other information…

Corporate life has changed – no longer is your career looked after by your employer. There may a range of talent programs and training opportunities, but it is essential that every aspirant leader in business take ownership of their own careers. This does not need to be done alone; there are many experienced and trained people that will support you if you know where to look. But there is also much confusion when it comes to the type of help that should be sought and what can be expected. The words ‘sponsor’, ‘mentor’ and ‘coach’ are often used interchangeably, but they do not describe the same types of relationships in career support. All share a similar basic goal for an individual, around learning and career development within an organisation or…

The facilities management sector is embracing the benefits of mobile technology to manage FM operations more effectively, and it continues to look to software to help manage change. Findings from Service Works Global’s Australian FM Software Survey 2017, run in conjunction with FM magazine, showed that two-thirds of FMs are now using mobile devices such as smartphones and iPads for this purpose – but interestingly smaller communication devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers are not currently on the horizon for FMs. MOBILE FOR PRODUCTIVITY Sixty-six percent of survey respondents identified mobile apps as the most significant technology trend for 2017, with 62 percent of in-house engineers and service providers reporting using mobile technology to manage FM. Similarly, consumer technology is finding a home in FM due to the new…

Marcus and Harry walked through the exhibition hall, searching for the café. The day had been intense, with attendance at a number of enlightening discussions and presentations. They’d listened to expert panels commenting on everything from the latest in sustainability to planning, workplace strategies, empowerment, corporate productivity and agility, creativity and innovation in the workforce, smart buildings and IoT (Internet of Things) and customer/ employee experience, and they needed a rest; it was an almost overwhelming plethora. Finding a quiet corner, they settled in and ordered hot drinks. “I do wish these conferences would make a decent hot chocolate – something dark. This sugary powder, I mean no offence to the makers but...” “Well, my cappuccino is just fine!” “A happy customer then?” Harry chuckled. “You realise it’s been a…