Facilities management industry mulls over climate change challenges

SOME 10,000 visitors are expected at a three-day architecture and building services conference series, where climate change and sustainability in the built environment are set to be key topics of discussion.

In an opening speech for a conference at the Architecture & Building Services (ABS) 2019 on Tuesday, Tony Khoo, president of the Singapore International Facility Management Association, said climate change has significant implications for those in the facilities management (FM) industry.

He said they would need to deal with the practical issue of hot weather and heavy rainfall and implement practical and cost-effective solutions.

At the conference, Minister of State for National Development and Manpower Zaqy Mohamad launched a guide to Smart FM to help companies adopt FM practices "in a strategic way that makes business sense".

Mr Zaqy said: "Smart FM refers to the integration of technology into processes and systems to manage building facilities. When we do this well, it will increase productivity, efficiency and improve the well-being of occupants within the buildings."

He noted that increasing the adoption of Smart FM is a key strategy of the tripartite FM Implementation Committee formed in April 2018.

ABS 2019 continues on Oct 2 and 3, with conferences focusing on security and workplace safety among other topics. It is driven by six exhibitions that are co-located under one roof.

In all, there are 12 conferences, workshops and master classes led by industry experts. There are also three exhibition halls worth of new technologies and solutions on display.