Facilities Management Carbon Footprints： An Audit of Critical Elements of Management and Reporting

Concern for the environmental impact of organizations＇ activities has led to the recognition and demand for organizations to manage and report on their carbon footprint. However, there is no limit as to the areas of carbon footprints required in such annual environmental reports. To deliver improvements in the quality of carbon footprint management and reporting, there is a need to identify the main elements of carbon footprint strategy that can be endorsed, supported and encouraged by facility managers. The study investigates carbon footprint elements managed and reported upon by facility manager in the UK. Drawing on a questionnaire survey of 256 facility managers in the UK, the key elements of carbon footprints identified in carbon footprint reports are examined. The findings indicate that the main elements are building energy consumption, waste disposal and water consumption. Business travel in terms of using public transport, air travel and company cars are also recognized as important targets and objectives for the carbon footprint strategy of several FM （facilities management） organizations.

Application of an Optimized Entropy-TOPSIS Multicriteria Decision Making Model to Facilities Management

Performance evaluation of facilities management plays a key role in the facilities management process. This paper proposes an optimized multicriteria decision making model to evaluate the performance of facilities management in schools in Hong Kong. In this model, entropy weights acted as weight coefficients for evaluated criteria in order to avoid uncertainty and randomicity of subjective judgments. Besides, the TOPSIS method was incorporated in this model. Then this model was em- ployed to evaluate the performance of facilities management in classrooms, offices and laboratories and satisfying results were obtained. Moreover, findings indicated that one of the schools could be rehabilitated rather than removed.

TRANSITION TOWARDS GREEN FACILITY MANAGEMENT: BRIDGING THE KNOWLEDGE GAPS OF FACILITIES MANAGERS

The building industry has experienced a widespread transition towards green buildings and consequently a growing need for green facilities professionals to maximize green building potential in terms of energy efficiency,water conservation and waste reduc-tion in their operational stage.Green buildings have unique technological systems that require facility managers to have relevant knowledge and skills to conduct proper facilities management and maintenance planning to maximize the potential of green buildings.It is important,then,to investigate whether knowledge gaps for facil-ity managers exist with respect to green buildings,and if so,how these knowledge gaps could be bridged.Though several studies have investigated the operation and maintenance processes of green buildings,few studies considered facility managers’knowledge and skills regarding green facility management(GFM).Set in the context of Singapore,this study aims to holistically investigate the knowledge and skills of managing green buildings in the community of facility managers,including their per-ceived differences between green and conventional buildings,the difficulty of GFM,the knowledge gaps of GFM and the underlying reasons,as well as how the gaps could be bridged.A total of 90 survey responses were collected and eight interviews with key stakeholders were conducted,which indicate facility managers believe green build-ings do have special features that require unique knowledge and skills,and currently knowledge gaps do exist hindering the transition towards GFM.Therefore,this paper derives plausible solutions to bridge the knowledge gaps,such as establishing holistic subsidies for those facility managers participating in training programs of GFM.This study provides references for researchers and relevant governmental departments to better understand industry professionals’knowledge gaps in the transitioning process towards a green built environment,and to make better policy decisions bridging the knowledge gaps and thereby facilitating the green transition process.

Fuzzy-AHP-Based Comprehensive Evaluation on Facility Management System of High-Rise Office Buildings

The present building facility management status in China resulted in many problems such as high energy consumption,failure of automation control,services failure and poor indoor air quality.Based on questionnaires and interviews to professional engineers and building users,a comprehensive evaluation index system was established on facility management of high-rise office buildings.A Fuzzy AHP based upon hierarchy criteria system was established.A Fuzzy AHP Evaluation Model on Facility Management System was set up;α-cut analysis was introduced and incorporated with expert knowledge together,which made up the optimism index λ.The fuzzy optimum crisp weight of each criterion was resulted from data-mining.Case investigations were processed in high-rise office buildings in Shenyang.The results illustrated that indoor air quality,thermal comfort and life cycle cost were the most important indexes in the evaluation of Facility Management System of high rise office buildings.Residents in high-rise buildings in Shenyang pay less attention to maintenance management and environment protection.By comparison with the analysis result of Export Choice,Fuzzy AHP-based evaluation model could act as a scientific reference for the establishment of governmental standards in facility management area in building.

Toward Cloud-Based Parking Facility Management System: A Preliminary Study

An e-tag used on the freeway is a kind of passive sensors composed of sensors and radio- frequency identification （RFID） tags. The principle of the electronic toll collection system is that the sensor emits radio waves touching the e-tag within a certain range, the e-tag will respond to the radio waves by induction, and the sensor will read and write information of the vehicles. Although the RFID technology is popularly used in campus management systems, there is no e-tag technology application used in a campus parking system. In this paper, we use the e-tag technology on a campus parking management system based on the cloud-based construction. By this, it helps to achieve automated and standardized management of the campus parking system, enhance management efficiency, reduce the residence time of the vehicles at the entrances and exits, and improve the efficiency of vehicles parked at the same time.

A mobile application framework of the BIM-based facility management system under the cross-platform structure

The building information model/modeling （BIM） technology is currently applied in a broad range of applications and research for facility management, while the BIM-based mobile FM is difficult owing to various factors and environments. For example, the mobile applications usually require frequent cross-equipment compatibility. This paper proposes a reasonable BIM-based FM cross-platform framework and develops a mobile application on the basis of an existing BIM-based FM system. The developed mobile application is applied in a case study of a metro station project in Guangzhou to verify its effectiveness in FM practice. It helps maintenance staff in viewing BIMs, accessing related information, and updating maintenance records in a unique platform. The test results demonstrate that the proposed BIM-based cross-platform framework meet the FM application requirements and supports the extension of FM functions.

Facility Management in the Globalized Society

Facility management is the multi-disciplinary kind of work that covers a wide range of various activities, responsibilities, and knowledge. Facility management provides and manages a variety of support services in order to prepare all the organisational functions, putting the accent on an integration of primary activities in strategic, tactical, and operational levels. In the final decade of the previous century, facility mmmgement industry emerged as one of the fastest growing sectors at the international level. Nowadays, the importance of the facility management is readily acknowledged in many companies worldwide, which recognises the necessity of properly managing elaborate and expensive support facilities. The tasks are multi-disciplinary and cover a wide range of activities, responsibilities, and knowledge, because every aspect of an organisation may come under the competency of the facility management. The main aim of the paper is to point out the well-founded applicability of the global facility management in companies, which in order to achieve the competitive advantage correctly strengthened the corporate core business and shift the support activities into the management of a specialist in this field. The paper also covers the scope of the facility management in the international context, and also in the Slovak Republic, considering the specificities of individual countries

Digital twin-enabled smart facility management: A bibliometric review

In recent years,the architecture,engineering,construction,and facility management(FM)industries have been applying various emerging digital technologies to facilitate the design,construction,and management of infrastructure facilities.Digital twin(DT)has emerged as a solution for enabling real-time data acquisition,transfer,analysis,and utilization for improved decision-making toward smart FM.Substantial research on DT for FM has been undertaken in the past decade.This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of the literature on DT for FM.A total of 248 research articles are obtained from the Scopus and Web of Science databases.VOSviewer is then utilized to conduct bibliometric analysis and visualize keyword co-occurrence,citation,and co-authorship networks;furthermore,the research topics,authors,sources,and countries contributing to the use of DT for FM are identified.The findings show that the current research of DT in FM focuses on building information modeling-based FM,artificial intelligence(AI)-based predictive maintenance,real-time cyber–physical system data integration,and facility lifecycle asset management.Several areas,such as AI-based real-time asset prognostics and health management,virtual-based intelligent infrastructure monitoring,deep learning-aided continuous improvement of the FM systems,semantically rich data interoperability throughout the facility lifecycle,and autonomous control feedback,need to be further studied.This review contributes to the body of knowledge on digital transformation and smart FM by identifying the landscape,state-of-the-art research trends,and future needs with regard to DT in FM.

The Study of BIM-Based MRT Structural Inspection System

The Taipei MRT （Metropolitan Rapid Transit） system has been operated since 1996. Facing the challenge of safety and sustainability of MRT, it is urgent to develop a structural inspection strategy and maintenance system based on the concept of life cycle management. In the mean while, BIM （Building Information Modeling） has become an emerging technology in the architecture and construction industries. BIM utilizes the 3D （3 Dimensions） CAD objects to simulate the real word building elements and with the ability to maintain life cycle information for a building. BIM is an ideal tool and platform for developing an inspection and maintenance system. The goal of this research is to establish a MRT structural inspection system concept based on BIM and life cycle management. In this study, a BIM model of shield tunnel was established to demonstrate the integration of 3D CAD with inspection records. A MRT structural maintenance database, which includes structural deterioration types, inspection records, and repair methods, was designed to interact with the BIM. An inspection prototype system was designed and implemented to perform the MRT structural inspection. The proposed system was designed with mobile-side and server-side systems. The mobile-side system was designed to perform on mobile devices such as tablet computer or smart phones with the ability to mark defects on BIM, as well as to fill in inspection sheets and photos; the server-side system can assign inspection tasks, maintains all inspection records, automatically output inspection reports, and analyze the database to prioritize all maintenance tasks.

The recognition algorithm for lane line of urban road based on feature analysis

The building information model/modeling （BIM） technology is currently applied in a broad range of applications and research for facility management （FM）, while the BIM-based mobile FM is difficult owing to various factors and environments. For example, the mobile applications usually require frequent cross-equipment compatibility. This paper proposes a reasonable BIM-based FM cross-platform framework and develops a mobile application on the basis of an existing BlM-based FM system. The developed mobile application is applied in a case study of a metro station project in Guangzhou to verify its effectiveness in FM practice. It helps maintenance staff in viewing BIMs, accessing related information, and updating maintenance records in a unique platform. The test results demonstrate that the proposed BIM-based cross-platform framework meet the FM application requirements and supports the extension of FM functions.

Deploying a Deep Learning-based Application for an Efficient Ther­mal Energy Storage Air-Conditioning(TES-AC)System:Design Guidelines

Facility management and maintenance of the Thermal-Energy-Storage Air-Conditioning(TES-AC)system is a tedious task at a large scale mainly due to the charging load that can increase energy consumption if needed to be charged at peak hours.Besides,maintenance of TES-AC at a large scale gets complex as it contains many sensor data.By utilizing deep learning techniques on the sensor data,charging load prediction can be made possible,so facility managers can prepare in advance.However,a deep learning-based application will be unusable if it is not deployed in a user-friendly manner where facility managers can benefit from this application.Hence,this research focuses on gathering design guidelines for a deep learning-based application and further validates the design considerations with a developed application for efficient human-computer interaction through qualitative analysis.The approach taken to gather design guidelines demonstrated a positive correlation between expert-suggested features and the user-friendly aspect of the application as 67.08%of participants found the features suggested by experts to be most satisfactory.Furthermore,it evaluates user satisfaction with the advanced developed application for TES-AC according to the gathered design guidelines.

Augmented Reality Based on Object Recognition for Piping System Maintenance

Augmented Reality(AR)applications can be used to improve tasks and mitigate errors during facilities operation and maintenance.This article presents an AR system for facility management using a three-dimensional(3D)object tracking method.Through spatial mapping,the object of interest,a pipe trap underneath a sink,is tracked and mixed onto the AR visualization.From that,the maintenance steps are transformed into visible and animated instructions.Although some tracking issues related to the component parts were observed,the designed AR application results demonstrated the potential to improve facility management tasks.

A review on 5G technology for smart energy management and smart buildings in Singapore

Sustainable and smart building is a recent concept that is gaining momentum in public opinion,and thus,it is making its way into the agendas of researchers and city authorities all over the world.To move towards sustainable development goals,5G technology would make significant impacts are building construction,operation,and management by facilitating high-class services,providing efficient functionalities.It’s well known that the Singapore is one of top smart cities in this world and from the first counties that adopted of 5G technology in various sectors including smart buildings.Based on these facts,this paper discusses the international trends in 5G applications for smart buildings,and R&D and test bedding works conducted in 5G labs.As well as,the manuscript widely reviewed and discussed the 5G technology development,use cases,applications and future projects which supported by Singapore government.Finally,the 5G use cases for smart buildings and build environment improvement application were discussed.This study can serve as a benchmark for researchers and industries for the future progress and development of smart cities in the context of big data.

Macroscopic and microscopic analyses of managed lanes on freeway facilities in South Florida

As congestion grows in metropolitan areas, agencies tend to utilize managed lanes on their freeway systems. Managed lanes have several forms and names, such as high-occupancy vehicle （HOI0 lanes, high-occupancy toll （HOT） lanes, express lanes, and bus-only lanes. Although managed lanes have received significant attention as they increased the overall throughput and improved mobility without adding more lanes, little has been known about their operational capabilities. In addition, calibrating managed lane facilities can be chal- lenging as they do not necessarily follow the same behavior with general purpose freeway lanes. This paper presents an operational analysis of two HOT lane segments located in South Florida. The sites are one-lane and two-lane segments separated by flexible pylons （FPs）. The paper includes a macroscopic capacity analysis, and a microscopic calibration of the two sites using VISSIM microsimulation. The research findings assist in determining the capacity and speed-flow relationship of these segments, and also provide guidance for microsimulation model calibration for practitioners. The results of the study indicate that the percent drop in capacity for the one-lane FP site is 7.6% while the flow did not substantially change after the breakdown in the two-lane FP site. The research findings also include guidelines for simulating the breakdown events and calibrating one-lane and two-lane managed lane facilities in VISSIM microsimulation software. The Wiedemann car-following parameters （CC0 = 3.9 ft, CC1 = 1.9 s, CC2 - 26.25 ft, CC4 = -0.35, and CC5 = 0.35） provided the best fit for the one-lane FP site, while the combination （CCO = 4.92 ft, CC1= 1.9 s, CC2 = 39.37 ft, CC4 = -0.7, and CC5 = 0.7） parameters is recommended for the two-lane FP site.

ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTIVE ENERGY RETROFIT STRATEGIES AND RELATED IMPACT ON INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY A case study of an elementary school in the State of Maryland

1.0.INTRODUCTION In the United States,K-12 school buildings spend more than$8 billion each year on energy-more than they spend on computers and textbooks combined[1].Most occupied older buildings demonstrate poor operational performance-for instance,more than 30 percent of schools were built before 1960,and 53 percent of public schools need to spend money on repairs,renovations,and modernization to ensure that the schools’onsite buildings are in good overall condition.And among public schools with permanent buildings,the environmental factors in the permanent buildings have been rated as unsatisfactory or very unsatisfactory in 5 to 17 percent of them[2].Indoor environment quality(IEQ)is one of the core issues addressed in the majority of sustainable building certification and design guidelines.Children spend a significant amount of time indoors in a school environment.And poor IEA can lead to sickness and absenteeism from school and eventually cause a decrease in student performance[3].Different building types and their IEQ characteristics can be partly attributed to building age and construction materials.[4]Improving the energy performance of school buildings could result in the direct benefit of reduced utility costs and improving the indoor quality could improve the students’learning environment.Research also suggests that aging school facilities and inefficient equipment have a detrimental effect on academic performance that can be reversed when schools are upgraded.[5]Several studies have linked better lighting,thermal comfort,and air quality to higher test scores.[6,7,8]Another benefit of improving the energy efficiency of education buildings is the potential increase in market value through recognition of green building practice and labeling,such as that of a LEED or net zero energy building.In addition,because of their educational function,high-performance or energy-efficient buildings are particularly valuable for institution clients and local government.More and more high-performance buildings,net zero energy buildings,and positive energy buildings serve as living laboratories for educational purposes.Currently,educational/institutional buildings represent the largest portion of NZE(net zero energy)projects.Educational buildings comprise 36 percent of net zero buildings according to a 2014 National New Building Institute report.Of the 58 net zero energy educational buildings,32 are used for kindergarten through grade 12(K-12),21 for higher education,and 5 for general education.[9]Finally,because educational buildings account for the third largest amount of building floor space in the United States,super energy-efficient educational buildings could provide other societal and economic benefits beyond the direct energy cost savings for three reasons:1)educational buildings offer high visibility that can influence community members and the next generation of citizens,2)success stories of the use of public funds that returns lower operating costs and healthier student learning environments provide documentation that can be used by others,and 3)this sector offers national and regional forums and associations to facilitate the transfer of best design and operational practices.

HOW TO AVOID GROUNDHOG DAY...AGAIN!

Albert Einstein is credited with saying, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Then in the 1980s, we watched as poor Bill Murray kept waking up to the very same day, very same activities, and same exact results in the comedy “Groundhog Day”. We challenge you to look at the process of design, delivery, and operations for our buildings. Are we all stuck in “insanity” or “Groundhog Day?” We keep doing things the same way and expecting different results. This article explores how the utilization of facility data from design to operations can not only break the paradigm of “insanity,” it can make our facilities more efficient and sustainable to construct and operate. Our basic premise is that if you do not have accurate “data” about your facility it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to operate your facility effectively.

Facility managers＇ perceptions on building performance assessment

During the operational phase, building performance may decrease in various areas, so that the end users' requirements are no longer met. Consequently, indicators are useful to assess and improve the performance of existing buildings. In this study, we carried out a literature review and organized a focus group with facility management experts to gather and analyze facility managers' perceptions on operational indicators that could be used to assess the performance of buildings. The results revealed that the core indicators used to measure a building's operational performance are related to safety and assets working properly, health and comfort, space functionality,and energy performance. The findings also revealed that these indicators can be obtained from three sources: a)facility managers/operators, who carry out corrective maintenance and perform technical inspections, b) regular users, who report complaints and fill-in satisfaction questionnaires, and c) sporadic users, who also fill-in satisfaction questionnaires. These indicators and their sources can contribute to a better analysis of building performance and the definition of measures to improve performance during the operational phase of a building.

A systematic review on COVID-19 related research in HVAC system and indoor environment

The on-going COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked havoc in our society,with short and long-term consequences to people’s lives and livelihoods-over 651 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed with the number of deaths exceeding 6.66 million.As people stay indoors most of the time,how to operate the Heating,Ventilation and Air-Conditioning(HVAC)systems as well as building facilities to reduce airborne infections have become hot research topics.This paper presents a systematic review on COVID-19 related research in HVAC systems and the indoor environment.Firstly,it reviews the research on the improvement of ventilation,filtration,heating and air-conditioning systems since the onset of COVID-19.Secondly,various indoor environment improvement measures to minimize airborne spread,such as building envelope design,physical barriers and vent position arrangement,and the possible impact of COVID-19 on building energy consumption are examined.Thirdly,it provides comparisons on the building operation guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19 virus from different countries.Finally,recommendations for future studies are provided.