Design Integration of Facilities Management: A Challenge of Knowledge Transfer

One of the problems in the building industry is a limited degree of learning from experiences of use and operation of existing buildings. Development of professional facilities management (FM) can be seen as the missing link to bridge the gap between building operation and building design. The paper identifies the aspects of FM that should be considered during the different stages of design.

A typology of knowledge transfer from building operation to building design is presented based on a combination of knowledge push from building operation and knowledge pull from building design. Strategies, methods and barriers for the transfer and integration of operational knowledge into the design process are discussed.

Multiple strategies are needed to improve the integration of FM in design. Building clients must take on a leading role in defining and setting up requirements and procedures. Involvement of professional facilities managers in the design process is an obvious strategy, but increased competences are needed among building clients, designers and the operational staff.

More codification of operational knowledge is also needed, for instance in IT systems. The paper is based on literature studies and case studies from the Nordic countries in Europe, including research reflections on experiences from a main case study, where the author, before becoming a university researcher, was engaged in the client organization as deputy project director with responsibility for the integration of considerations for facilities management.