IFM Symposium 2017: Innovations in Facility Management for Healthy Living and Working Spaces
There is a lot going on in facility management research and practice. This was demonstrated by the IFM Symposium of the ZHAW on October 6, 2017 at Technopark Zurich. During the symposium, 56 Bachelors in Facility Management also received their diplomas.
Antje Junghans from the Institute for Facility Management IFM welcomed 150 participants from business, administration and science. The symposium at Technopark Zurich was entitled "Innovations for healthy living and working spaces" and brought together experts from Germany and abroad, including Finland (Tampere University of Technology), Great Britain (University of Oxford), Norway (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim) and the USA (Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh). Following this, an international PhD workshop marked the launch of the new PhD program in Facility Management.
Health-promoting factors for the workplace
In the lecture "Health-promoting office spaces and workplace change management" by ZHAW expert Prof. Dr. Lukas Windlinger, health-promoting factors for workplace design and their impact on users were analyzed. The view from the inside out was taken up by Heinz Bernegger, ZHAW lecturer in Life Cycle Management, in his presentation entitled: "Presentation of the new Swiss DGNB certification for interiors by SGNI". The DGBN (German Sustainable Building Council) has developed an internationally recognized certification system for the sustainability of buildings. Bernegger explained, among other things, the collaboration between research and practice regarding the certification of sustainable buildings. The highlight of the first session was the ceremonial presentation of the DGNB Platinum Award to Urs Frey, Product Manager Greenproperty at Credit Suisse by the President of SGNI (Swiss Society for Sustainable Real Estate), Ronald Schlegel, following his presentation "Projects with the Swiss DGNB Certificate".
New developments in facility management in health care
The second block of topics focused on facility management in health care. Various aspects were covered in the presentations by ZHAW experts. For example, Nicole Gerber spoke about "Enterprise Application Integration of non-medical software in hospitals" and Dr. Andrea Kofler and Paul Schmitter about the topic "Digitalization and new technologies are changing our healthcare landscapes". The focus of the thematic block was a panel discussion with further experts from science and practice. The topic of FM in Health Care will be further explored at the network meeting "FM Perspectives" on April 20, 2018.
Look into the future
The third block of topics took a look into the future with presentations by Prof. Vivian Loftness from Carnegie Mellon University on "The Internet of Things is Transforming Indoor Environments for Comfort and Energy Efficiency" and by Dr. Suvi Nenonen from Tampere University of Technology on "Innovative work Environment". The development of healthy living and working spaces lends itself to the integration of high-tech and low-tech solutions to increase sustainability in the built environment. Nenonen's presentation focused on the usability and functionality, or "usability," of innovative work environments. She presented a model of the interaction of "emotions" and "real estate" in connection with "process optimization" and "economic efficiency".
56 Bachelors in Facility Management graduated
The diploma ceremony for 56 Bachelors in Facility Management also took place as part of the IFM Symposium. The 25 women and 31 men received their diplomas from the institute's director Prof. Dr. Antje Junghans and from program director Irene Arnold Moos. The ceremonial address was given by Michael Bürki, member of the board of IFMA Switzerland (International Facility Management Association) and member of the extended management board of Post Immobilien Management & Services AG. Thanks to a sustained demand for trained specialists in facility management, the career opportunities for graduates are very good. This was confirmed by the fourth survey of former bachelor's students around one year after graduation. According to the survey, three-quarters of the bachelors had secured qualified employment upon graduation. At 80,200 Swiss francs, the salary level of bachelors in facility management is well above the average income of 76,000 Swiss francs for all bachelor's degree programs at universities of applied sciences in Switzerland.
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