INGENIEUR
Facility
Management
F
acility Management (FM) is gaining more
attention and importance along with the large
accumulation of building stocks, especially
shopping complexes and office towers. Higher
expectation on the quality of building services
from affluent customers and the complexity of
M&E services have led to the growing number of
FM firms and personnel to match this demand.
According the National Property Information
Centre (NAPIC) report, as of the first quarter of
2017, there were 20,956,585 sq m of office
space, 14,851,287 sq m of shopping complex
space and 2,886 hotels in the country.
The World FM Day celebrated on May 17,
2017 carried the theme of ‘Enabling Positive
Experiences’. It is a good reminder to all
stakeholders including engineers who are involved
in FM to discharge their roles and responsibilities
in the safe upkeeping and efficient maintenance
of the buildings under their care.
For this, the article on “Revisit to Guidelines
on Periodical Inspection of Buildings” is a timely
refresher to practicing engineers who are engaged
in the inspection of buildings of more than five
storeys, every 10 years. Of equal importance,
building owners of high rise buildings who often
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- SEPTEMBER
2017
VOL 71
55 JULY
JUNE
2013
alter the usage of their buildings should consult
engineers to check against the design loading of
the particular floors to ensure the overall integrity
of the structure.
The article by the Department of Safety and
Health (DOSH) on lifts and escalators narrates
its regulating mechanism to ensure that these
facilities are safe for users. It is comforting to
note that incidences involving these machineries
are relatively small compared with the total stock
of 60,000 lifts and 12,000 escalators installed
throughout the country.
A good FM should also take into account
green building index aspects as contribution
to the Sustainable Development Goal of the
United Nations. The article from Jabatan Kerja
Raya on “Optimising Energy Cost in Government
Complexes” is one good example of strategies
to reduce energy consumption in building
complexes.
As we approach 2020 as a developed nation,
all property owners and stakeholders will treat
treat FM as a priority.
Dato’ Sri Ir. Dr Roslan bin Md Taha
President BEM