Technology is transforming facilities management, experts agree: what used to be simple house-keeping and basic health and safety compliance now requires a complex strategy.
'You now need a holistic approach,' said Stefan Roost, head programme management, CBRE global workplace solutions, intervening at the Future of facilities management briefing organized by RICS at EXPO REAL on Wednesday.
‘Facilities management is now the discipline that enables the property to work at its best over the long term,’ he said. It is no longer enough to have a functioning reception, but all services must be upgraded. All the necessary environmental qualifications are needed, but they are no longer sufficient.
Good facilities management involves keeping up with technology, says Stephen Coticoni, managing director, BNP Paribas real estate property management: ‘It has made buildings a lot more complex. The owner needs to know in advance exactly who the tenant is and what he needs. He cannot keep his distance anymore, but needs to engage constantly.’
The bar is constantly being raised, says Coticoni: ‘Some companies now have a chief happiness officer who chooses a building on the basis of the advantages it offers tenants.’ However, he adds, ‘the downsides are minor compared to the advantages of technology: it allows more flexibility for both landlord and tenant, owner and worker, and that is a good thing.’
Photo by Judith Gabler
