Facility Manager
The field of activity of the facility manager in the modern building concept is very broad and expands in the case of smart buildings. In general, the management of technical assets, coordination and integrated management of direct support services for building users are included in the activities. ⠀
The facility management area can be grouped according to the requirements of the client, and they can be combined into two main groups that are not sharply opposed - these two groups are mutually intertwined:
- Space and infrastructure - the so-called "hard services", i.e. space management, space use, workplace management and optimization, technical management, indoor and outdoor cleaning.⠀
⠀
- People and organizations - the so-called "soft services", i.e. health, hygiene, security and protection, internal services (accommodation, reception, conference rooms, secretarial services), ICT, internal logistics (archival services, internal mail, postal services, transport services, car service).
IFMA states that facility management includes principles of business administration, architecture, and the humanities and engineering. Its goal is to achieve long-term sustainability of the use of the building - the optimal location and use of internal space, ensuring the functional and efficient functioning of technical equipment, the quality of the internal environment and other user needs.⠀
⠀
Last, but not least, the goal of facility management is to achieve a high quality indoor environment while maximizing the efficiency of the energy and resources used to operate the building. ⠀
In principle, there is no difference whether it is a residential, commercial, administrative or industrial building, or a complex of buildings. It is essential to provide high-quality support for the main activity of the client through the effective use of its assets.
The facility manager should be responsible for fulfilling these requirements already at the stage of preparing the project for a new building or renovating an existing building - therefore, he/she must be part of the design team, and his activities must influence the project as a whole.
In the case of the smart building life cycle, the goal remains the same, but the level of responsibility for the functioning of the operating systems involved in the advantages of a smart building compared to a standard building, especially the high flexibility and utility of the building, the excellent quality of the indoor environment, and the high operational efficiency.
The technologies that provide these parameters can number in the hundreds, the network of which is much larger and more specialized than a standard building.
However, if one of the technologies fails, the usability and safety of the entire building will be compromised, which is not fatal for a standard building.
In addition to the quantifiable economic consequences of such an event, it can also be associated with non-financial consequences, such as loss of the owner's reputation.
As for the range of smart building facility management services, it is clear that the facility manager is not an individual, but a group of professionals reporting to a manager directly responsible to the owner.
