Tomorrow's working worlds and sustainability in facility management
The focal points of the third international IFM Symposium at the Institute for Facility Management in Wädenswil were the two topics of workplace management and sustainability. In particular, this also involved testing technologies and concepts in facility management practice.
At the symposium on October 5, 2018, entitled "Evidence-based Facility Management on Workplace and Sustainable FM", scientists from the USA and Europe met with researchers and students from IFM and representatives from Swiss industry. Presentations ranged from the workplace environment and psychological issues, to IT systems and sustainability, to energy-optimized solutions for buildings. Current research projects of the Institute for Facility Management at the Department of Life Sciences and Facility Management at ZHAW were also presented. A PhD workshop with international doctoral students and a visit to research partner EMPA NEST in Dübendorf also took place the day before the symposium.
Research and verification under real conditions
The visit to NEST at EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research) served as an introduction to the two key topics "Workplace" and "Sustainable Facility Management". Evidence-based research and development work could be experienced live in this unique laboratory. New materials, technologies and concepts in the construction and real estate industry are jointly researched here by industry partners and universities under real conditions, and presumed effects are proven or disproven. Current projects include scenarios with inhabited apartments made of recycled and deconstructable and recyclable materials, new office and work environments, and a fitness studio with a sauna that uses one-sixth of the usual energy.
Research for the working worlds of tomorrow
The symposium was kicked off by researcher Dr. Ying Hua from Cornell University (USA). She presented two cases of workplace design that illustrate the close interrelationship between office design and workplace management. Organizations can thereby recognize the workplace with its ever-increasing strategic value.
Clara Weber, research associate at the ZHAW Institute for Facility Management, focused on the regulation of privacy in the workplace and its measurement. In her presentation, she showed how concepts from environmental psychology and the analysis of employee behavior and perception can influence office design and lead to better health and well-being.
Dr. Eleanor Ratcliffe of Imperial College London (UK) spoke about regenerative environments and how they can contribute to health and well-being. Based on her studies of birdsong in indoor environments, she concluded that personal and cultural aspects contribute to the effect of this particular element of nature on people. For this to happen, soundscapes must match the environment and purpose.
Mastering sustainability in facility management on the basis of evidence
Prof. Markus Hubbuch, specialist for energy and building management at IFM, and Marcel Janser, research associate, showed how the "performance gap" of buildings can be reduced in the future through new business models. Given that a variety of stakeholders, actors, and decisions contribute to this gap, appropriate incentives can be created for energy performance contracting, long-term partnerships, and consideration of non-energy outcomes. Esmir Maslesa from the University of Denmark spoke about the importance of ICT in facilities management as a strong "enabler" to improve the sustainability performance of buildings. From his research, he was able to vividly demonstrate the interrelationships of data, ICT tools and workflows and how they need to be orchestrated to achieve the desired effects.
In his presentation on new instruments for managing large real estate portfolios, Heinz Bernegger from IFM showed the role facility management plays in achieving sustainability goals. Transparency and continuity can hardly be achieved without knowledge-based instruments, not even without recurring measurements of target achievement.
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schramm from FH Bielefeld gave an overview of building performance evaluation. In a case study of a university campus, he illustrated the different feedback loops of this approach. The example showed that the idea of user-centered assessment should be extended to the entire life cycle of a building to ensure the best solutions and qualities for the building users and their activities.
Consultant Chris Havers from Wokingham UK presented an FM Sustainability Index with 23 dimensions related to energy, society and regulations. This enables company-wide benchmarking and positions sustainability in FM as part of corporate social responsibility.
Intensive exchange in workshops
Picking up on the content of the presentations, four workshops were held in the afternoon to intensively discuss open questions and approaches to solutions in practice, on the topics of "Workplace Reengineering", "Restorative Environments", "IT systems in FM and sustainable facilities management" and "Measuring sustainability in building operations".
Host and Institute Director Prof. Dr. Antje Junghans bid farewell to the participants with an appeal to intensify international research activities. She said that research helps to gain sound knowledge and to develop forward-looking concepts for sustainable developments. Researchers benefit from theories and methods that help them gain a deeper understanding of complex interrelationships.
The dialog between science, practice and teaching will be continued by IFM at the IFM Day 2019 on March 8, 2019, under the title "Management in Times of Demanded Customer Happiness". The next IFM Symposium on "Health Care and Digital FM" will be on October 4, 2019.
