Building management: moving into the future: will the new year actually be a happy one, or not? For those in the building automation sector, that might depend on understanding current trends, studying past trends in other industries, and taking the time to ask, "What's a SWOT?"

Engineered Systems, Feb, 2005 by Paul Ehrlich

As we begin a new year, it is good to stop for a moment and take stock of the past year as we look to the next. For those involved in the area of building management, this last year has proven to be an interesting one. The next year will prove even moreso.

HOW ARE WE DOING AS AN INDUSTRY?

On one hand, we should be very proud of our results. We consistently construct buildings that follow some of the toughest codes for safety and efficiency in the world. And we do all of it very cost effectively. Yet, on the other hand, there is a lot of frustration in the industry as well; your personal view will largely depend on what role you play in the industry.

For example, if you are a consulting engineer you may be frustrated with reduced fees, continued value engineering of projects, changing technology, and isolation from endusers. For contractors, there is frustration with strongly competitive markets. Facility managers are frustrated with systems that they see as hard to operate and too complex. Financial owners want to push more costs out of buildings, and, finally, the occupants are rarely satisfied with the comfort and usability of these buildings.

While we are doing very well, it turns out that we can be doing better as an industry.

What is the building management industry? This is a broad category that refers to all who are involved with the design, installation, and operation of BMS. These systems include HVAC, lighting, fire alarm, security, video monitoring, and electrical distribution. We rarely look at ourselves as an industry, but rather more typically as an unaffiliated collection of building managers, contractors, consultants, and manufacturers. But we are an industry, and as a group we are charged with three primary business drivers which are:

Safety. A safe environment has many factors, starting with health, in terms of having good air quality and adequate lighting. Safe environments not only keep the building occupants from getting sick, they include physical safety as well. Physical safety controls provide cameras and guards for security, intrusion detection, fire monitoring, proper fire control, and occupant notification and evacuation to protect both the occupants and the property. Safety is non-negotiable. Whether determined by code, insurance regulations, or organizational policy, the design and construction of the facility must maintain safety.

Productivity. Buildings exist as an asset intended to make the employees, students, patients, and other occupants productive. In most facilities, the human resource cost dwarfs the operating cost of the facility by a factor of five to 10. Productive environments go beyond safety in providing a comfortable and efficient environment, including lighting, temperature, humidity, and air quality and physical factors such as building circulation, decor, vertical transport, and signage. As an industry, we know how to design and construct buildings that are very productive. Unfortunately, we rarely do this. Productivity is hard to measure, and the benefits of a productive environment accrue to the occupant--not to the designer, contractor, or developer. Therefore, we rarely work to increase productivity in buildings today.

Efficiency. Building efficiency covers the cost of operating the building. This area covers costs attributed to energy, staffing, maintenance, repair, and replacement. Arguably we have done a good job in this area as an industry. Buildings today largely conform to code and are relatively energy efficient.

However, we know that they can be much better. We also know that they can be immensely more operationally efficient. This can be achieved through automating many functions of facility management as well as by providing additional tools for intelligent management. Unfortunately, like the area of productivity, the benefits of an efficient building accrue to the occupant and not to the construction channel or developer. As a result, we often are more focused on the first cost of projects than on the larger issue of life-cycle costs.

So, as an industry, how are we doing on these issues? While today's buildings meet or exceed codes and are well constructed and safe, they could be significantly more productive and efficient. Fortunately, there are new technologies and solutions that are allowing us to deliver these results in a cost-effective manner and can allow us to move the industry to the next level. These needs, coupled with this new technology, are what is driving the changes in our industry.

TECHNOLOGY CHANGES

In the building management industry, we are governed by code, convention, tradition, and a need to construct buildings economically and of high quality. As a result, we are often slow to adopt change. In the area of technology, however, changes are readily accepted and appear to occur at the speed of light.

In general, this is good; speedy technology adoption results in greatly improved business efficiency, global competitiveness, and massive productivity improvements. When these technology changes intersect with a business need, the result is often the generation of high value solutions that can rapidly change an industry.