Hard facilities management
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Facilities management is the ‘...integration of processes within an organisation to maintain and develop the agreed services which support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities’. Ref EN15221-1: 2006 Facility Management – Part 1: Terms and definitions. It is concerned with the management of facilities at both a strategic and a day-to-day level to deliver operational objectives and to maintain a safe and efficient environment.
Facilities management is an interdisciplinary activity with a high concentration of maintenance tasks that can be broken down into two types:
- Hard facilities management (the fixed, physical fabric of the facility, which cannot be easily removed).
- Soft facilities management (the services that help the facility to function).
[edit] Defining hard facilities management services
Hard facilities management services might include:
- Building maintenance.
- Electrical inspections and testing (including lighting installation and maintenance).
- Emergency routes and exits.
- Fire safety (including detection and life safety equipment).
- Lifts.
- Plumbing, drainage and so on.
- Heating ventilation and air conditioning services.
- Technical services such as CCTV systems, access control systems and other mechanical and electrical services.
[edit] Uninterrupted operations
Hard facilities management services are often essential to the continued operation of an organisation and require regular maintenance to ensure reliability. Some aspects of hard facilities management may be important for the continued safe operation of the facility and may be required by legislation such as the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
Hard facilities management services may be incorporated into a planned preventive maintenance (PPM) strategy that minimises the likelihood of service interruption and breakdowns. PPM has the advantage of enabling a more proactive approach to maintenance and helps avoid small issues from becoming larger ones at a later date.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Asset management.
- BIM and facilities management.
- Building automation.
- Business process outsourcing (BPO).
- Facilities management.
- Facilities management audit FMA.
- Insourcing.
- Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management IWFM.
- Maintenance.
- Maximising maintenance budgets after lockdown.
- Planned preventive maintenance.
- Property management.
- Smart buildings.
- Soft facilities management.
- Vested outsourcing.
- Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
Featured articles and news
Listed despite problems with its design.
Zen and the art of cycling exploration.
Design Council Homes Taskforce launched
To support government 1.5 million homes target within UK climate commitments.
The story of this knowledge quarter building.
In ecology, in hydrology, in biology and in architecture.
Creating environments that promote physical, mental, and social well-being.
UK cases of neutral current diversion
Research project looks for example contributions.
Overstocking and macro-economics cause a decline.
The 2024 update of the Common Assessment Standard
Demonstrating organisational capability’ to fulfil roles under the Building Safety Act.
56 recommendations for a better built environment
Published by the CIC ahead of the King’s Speech.
SkillELECTRIC Top 8 Competitors Named
in annual search for the UK’s best student electrician.
CIOB Diversity and Inclusion technical information sheet
Step-by-step guide on implementing D and I practices.
Conservation and the Indian City. Book review.
Reversibility in conservation ethics
Learning from painting conservation.
Where It's AT Podcast launched!
New CIAT Architectural Technology Podcast goes live.