Industrialised, Integrated, Intelligent sustainable Construction - I3con

HANDBOOK 2 SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
Integrated Practice for Sustainable Design and Facilities
Management: Aspiration in a Fragmented Industry
Abbas Elmualim – Innovative Construction Research Centre, The School of Construction Management and Engineering
University of Reading, UK (a.a.elmualim@reading.ac.uk)
Marios Pastou – Rider Levett Bucknall and The School of Construction Management and Engineering University of
Reading, UK (Marios.Pastou@uk.rlb.com)
Roberto Valle – The British Institute of Facilities Management and The School of Construction Management and
Engineering University of Reading, UK (rvallekinloch@gmail.com)
Michelle Aghahossein – Halcrow and The School of Construction Management and Engineering University of Reading,
UK (michelle.aghahossein@yahoo.co.uk)
Abstract
The goal within construction is to deliver a well designed, quality
product that meets clients’ requirements, on time and within budget
and with little impact on the environment. But often this is not the
case. The fragmentation of the construction process has led to lack
of co-ordination and communication between parties and the
separation of design from operation. Facilities Management (FM) is
a relatively new profession. It is argued that effectiveness and
efficiency of an organisation is linked to the physical environment in
which it operates. As designers often struggle due to their lack of
knowledge of the end-user, FM can inform the designers of a new
building about end-users needs. Questionnaires were used as a
method for data collection. The aim was to gain knowledge in topics
of sustainability and FM within the construction industry. This
research highlighted that FM knowledge can be communicated at the
design phase to provide efficient solutions. They can take on user
functionality as well as form and ensure deliverability as well as
flexibility. The responses to both questionnaires were such that the
knowledge of FM is rarely implemented at the briefing and design
phases of a project. However, they are recognised for bringing enduser
knowledge to a fragmented process to drive towards
sustainable development. This renders the integrated approach to
sustainable design and FM as industry’s aspiration. This has a
materialised education and training consequences. Skills and
training provision, traditionally offered separately to designers,
managers and FM, needs to be re-evaluated. Education and training
programmes should be developed to provide effective structures and
processes to apply sustainability throughout the construction and FM
industries coherently, and as a common practice.
Keywords: construction industry, sustainable design, facilities management, sustainability, and
policy
Introduction
This chapter attempts to highlight the point that it is very unlikely for a new sustainable building to
successfully meet all the needs of the end-user, particularly the Facilities Management (FM), without
their knowledge input at the early phases of a construction project. Many organisations employ FM to
control their facilities during the operational phases of construction although their knowledge of the
building in use is rarely utilised at an early stage in the process. Attitudes from a range of construction
professionals were researched to investigate whether the inclusion of FM at the briefing and design
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