Occupant discomfort is often linked to poor energy performance. If the heating and cooling is poorly balanced, people at one end of the office will have totally different conditions to those at the other. This will lead to some people opening windows to reduce overheating and others bringing in additional heating in a bid to warm up cold spots – the dissatisfaction of the occupants will only be matched by the fury of the financial director when he sees the electricity bill. More and more building owners – including increasing numbers in the public sector – adopt SFG20 to establish a cost-effective strategy that closely matches user requirements to investment in planned service and maintenance. Many users have recorded savings of up to 20 per cent in their running costs by adopting SFG20 and embedding its measures into their building management processes. It is also helping building owners to understand what technologies are appropriate and realistic for their buildings. Better understanding of the ‘performance gap’, which emerges between what was intended by the building designers and what actually happens during the ‘real life’ operation of a building, has been supported by the emergence of Building Information Modelling (BIM), which aims to ensure many historical design mistakes do not get replicated. Since April 2016, the government has required all public-sector work to be subject to the Level 2 BIM method of working, which demands that building information is developed in a collaborative 3D environment and with long-term maintenance of assets and operating costs in mind. The use of intelligent objects and 3D models allows the design team to have a full working visualisation of the project before work begins and can refer this to the end client or building manager so they can make any tweaks well in advance of receiving their completed project. The need for better co-ordination and the earlier involvement of the specialist trades in building services projects becomes even more critical when working in a BIM environment. The project team has to work with a federated set of models and this requires a change to traditional contracting arrangements. SFG20 has been adapted so it can now accept building design information imported directly from BIM software via xBIM. This means that ongoing maintenance costs can be based on the SFG20 standard from the point that initial CAD drawings are constructed, rather than later in the process or after project handover. INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROCESS Facilities managers must also be involved from the outset and engage with BIM models to establish the type of equipment being installed and how it is to be serviced and maintained throughout the building’s operating life. They should be encouraged to ask questions at each stage of the process. This is particularly important in buildings that will rely heavily on their building services, such as hospitals with their high demand for heating and hot water as well as widely varying demands for ventilation and IAQ. It is very easy for pre-determined performance targets to slip in these buildings and for energy costs to get out of control. SFG20 now includes a Healthcare HTM (Health Technical Memoranda) aligned set of maintenance schedules, developed in collaboration with the healthcare industry, including professional bodies and practitioners. This provides maintenance schedules directly drawn from the requirements of the HTMs that underpin the design of all healthcare buildings. Third party software, such as CAFM systems used to schedule and track maintenance work, can also be integrated into the SFG20 system to ease the planning, scheduling, execution and tracking of planned maintenance activities. So, a suite of tools is now available to help building owners and managers keep a tight grip on their maintenance programmes; helping them work towards the significant financial and social benefits of operating their buildings with the comfort, health and productivity of occupants in mind. L
Facilities Management
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk
Exit Door Alarms
Emergency Key Boxes
Indicator Panels
Interlocking Solutions
Talking Voice Module
Multi-Purpose Relays
Disabled Toilet Alarms
Fire Alarms
Alarmed Call Point
Follow us: @HoylesElecDev
Like us: HoylesElecDev
UK Manufacturers of High Quality Security, Fire and Control Equipment www.hoyles.com Tel: +44 (0)1744 886600
FURTHER INFORMATION www.thebesa.com
Volume 23.7 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE
13