Every building, every administrative, business, industrial or residential complex needs its facility manager who makes sure everything works well and the leaseholders and occupiers of the buildings and complexes have optimal conditions for work and living within them.
A good facility manager must be a reliable partner who is capable of meeting individual as well as specific requirements of every customer regardless of time. DANUBE FACILITY SERVICES s.r.o. is one of the companies which provides its services on the basis of management contracts, either for individual customers renting spaces or for whole complexes owned by a lessor. We spoke with its executive officer Mr. Ľuboš Horyl not only about the present experiences, but also about future trends in facility management.
How many buildings is your company administering at present and what services do you provide in terms of facility management?
Our company provides complex management of properties, industrial parks, administrative buildings and multifunctional complexes. At present we manage 11 projects, including the famous multifunctional complex River Park and Grand Hotel Kempinski in Štrbské Pleso. We also administer two logistic parks and the lately built administrative building Westend Square.
During the years you have worked in the provision of the FM services, you have definitely gained much experience and knowledge. Do investors accept your advice and utilize your FM experiences when planning new investments?
Just like any other industry, also facility management goes through various stages of development and acceptance in the construction industry. In the past a significant majority of new constructions were built solely on a commercial basis, and this was reflected in the investors’ approach to comments made by facility managers. I must say that it was very difficult to push through solutions which would mean simpler and more effective operation of the building as they also meant significantly higher costs for investors. I started to sense a change of investors’ hearts at the end of the last decade. The market situation started to change and also the investors started to be more perceptive about the whole life cycle of buildings having impact on the lifespan of construction elements and technologies, and, last but not least, future operational costs as well. From our perspective it was definitely a positive change. I am happy that we are involved in multiple projects from the planning stage. I am convinced future users of these buildings will eventually greatly appreciate it.
Sustainable and green buildings are the hope in today’s trend of inevitable reduction of energy consumption, and not only in terms of costs, but also in terms of the availability of resources. What makes the management of a green building different from the management of other types of buildings?
The difference between the current standard and a green building with BREEAM, LEED or SBTool certification is reflected in the used construction materials and technologies that effectively utilize utilities. As regards the administration itself, I do not see a great difference between them, because facility management must always respond to construction contractor’s requirements concerning the management of technologies as well as complying with the acts following from legislation. It means that for as long as the facility manager fulfils their obligations, there is no reason for the building not to meet its expected outputs.
Nowadays, new technologies of planning, construction and administration of buildings such as BIM model are promoted in the world. Where do the FM trends lead in general?
The progress made in IT does not bypass FM and the tools such as the BIM model will bring an undoubtedly higher standard for the users of buildings, also from the perspective of the level of the provided services. Apart from the software support, increasing the expertise of FM workers and introduction of international standards we can observe one more trend – the effort to integrate individual investment activities into a whole. This involves combining separate activities – from planning through implementation, technical administration, administrative management (property management), accounting – into complex property administration. The result should be simplified communication between professionals and especially communication in relation to customers. Removal of duplicate activities is another positive outcome. In the end it will mean simplification of the process of property management that leads to a reduction of costs that are connected to the operation of buildings. I see the future of facility management in its complexity.
Ľuboš Horyl
DANUBE FACILITY SERVICES, s. r. o.
Managing director