The April cover article in Maintenance Solutions magazine helped me better understand a harsh reality for managers in commercial and institutional facilities.
Despite their knowledge of facilities and an understanding of what it takes to make building operations successful, maintenance and engineering managers often do not have the time or resources to get involved with long-range projects, such as planning for new construction and renovations or working with other building officials to secure funding for the organization’s facilities.
Tim Woodley, director of operations for the West Linn-Wilsonville School District just outside of Portland, Ore., considers himself fortunate. He is involved in most, if not all, decisions regarding the district’s facilities and how they relate to the schools’ educational mission. At the National Facilities Management and Technology Conference and Expo in Baltimore last month, Woodley was surprised to hear how some of his colleagues do not have such an expansive role in facilities planning.
Woodley cannot say enough how important a unified organization is when planning for a building’s design, construction and operations. A recent press release from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers highlights a panel discussion where the participants could not agree more. Successful, high-performance buildings start with early involvement from everyone on the building team, according to the release.
“You can’t operate efficiently if the building hasn’t been designed with that in mind,” says Don Winston, P.E., director of technical services with The Durst Organization, Inc., a well-known owner, developer, and manager of properties in New York City. “The operators will always win in the end. If you don’t design it in a way that it can be operated in accordance with its performance goals, it won’t be … it really goes back to the design process and a level of cooperation. Everyone has to be in on it, including the operations team, from day zero.”
It is hard to argue with that thinking, but it appears situations like Woodley’s are more the exception than the rule. Unfortunately, the buildings and their occupants suffer because of it.