2016 Facility Management Trends

Facility management is rapidly changing and will continue to do so. That has been especially true over the past 10 years, during which we have seen a dramatic decrease in the amount of space allocated to each employee, making your facilities have to work harder on an individual level. As your commercial building controls and building automation systems provider, we have put together our top facility management trends for 2016.

The Internet of Things Grows Up

The Internet of Things (IoT) concept is not entirely new as many building managers were implementing complex networks of controllers and sensors prior to the term being coined by Kevin Ashton in 1999. However, as we see more and more tech companies like Cisco, Intel and Dell enter the market of smart building, we can anticipate rapid acceleration and adoption. More and more, tiny embedded chips are leading the surge of interest in IoT buildings and, as a result, will continue to be among the key facility management trends this coming year.

Interoperability Will Become the New Normal

Many buildings today have technologies that are not integrated. One set of technology controls HVAC and boiler systems. Another system may control lighting. Another set of systems works on space utilization. However, there has been significant investments made in technologies that provide common protocols to enable these stand-alone systems to be connected. This will provide facility managers a more holistic view of systems and their interoperability and control. This will create more building-wide efficiency.

Mobile Access is Always On

Mobile is revolutionizing every industry and that holds true for facility management. As businesses adopt the trend of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and the continued rise of facility management apps, managers will have more flexibility and control of daily operations, as well as improved reporting.

Net-zero Energy Continues to Grow

It looks like this trend will continue to grow. The real estate value of net-zero buildings drive this growth. In fact, there has been a doubling of net-zero and emerging net-zero buildings according to the New Buildings Institute. As a result of net-zero building, facility managers will need to continue to pay close attention to operations to ensure the building’s efficiency over its life. This is building in processes and ongoing strategies that, for example, pay attention to plug loads and optimizing HVAC sequencing and set points. Keeping up on energy performance and attention to those details around performance will now be greater than it has ever been.

How to Use This Information

When it comes to commercial facilities, we can help. Not only can we help with your building’s HVAC needs, but our team is also trained when it comes to the design and implementation of building controls and building automation systems. Call 303-424-1622 or schedule your appointment online.