Incorporating facility managers into the design and construction phases to enhance building performance

Abstract

Facilities Management (FM) is a relatively new discipline that envelops many essential areas of the built environment. Facility Manager concerns both optimising building performance and ensuring success of the project. Direct incorporation of the Facility Manager into design and construction phases have potential to reduce many problems during the operational phase of buildings. However, many professionals are still unclear on the roles of Facility Manager in the design and construction phases and hence, their potential contribution during these stages. Therefore, aim of this paper was to investigate the potential for incorporating of Facility Managers into design and construction phases of building to enhance building performance. A critical review of literature was carried out for the purposes of understanding roles and essential functions of Facility Manager into design and construction phases. The case study approach was used to identify the current involvement of Facility Manager in design and construction phases. Moreover, barriers that restrict the involvement of the Facility Managers in the design and construction phases in the current context are also identified. The findings of this research are useful to promote the incorporation of a Facility Manager into design and construction phases in order to enhance quality and performance of buildings.