By Jennifer Goetz
Every year, IFMA’s World Workplace gives facility management professionals a chance to network, learn about the current state of the industry, and explore some of the latest innovations designed to make their lives easier—and the 2024 show didn’t disappoint. I spoke with several attendees and exhibitors about new technology, challenges they’re facing, exciting opportunities on the horizon, and much more. Here are five takeaways from the 2024 World Workplace show:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Is Here To Help FMs
AI has been utilized in buildings for quite some time, but generative AI is shiny and new, with endless possibilities. Facility managers want to know: how can this technology make a difference in how I run my facility?
In a panel discussion “Harnessing AI For The Future Of Facilities Management,” AI experts covered the main possibilities: content creation, automation and asset management. To successfully integrate AI into a facility, FMs will have to carefully consider their pain points—what do they want AI to help them with? This will help guide their decision to go with a certain AI platform. Before AI is integrated, it’s critical that facilities have clean data that is constantly collected. There needs to be an accurate data stream for the AI to pull from.
Moving Toward Smart Buildings
Everything from HVAC, lighting, energy usage, occupancy control, and other building systems can be automated. Monitoring these systems closely helps facility managers make decisions about what’s working, and what’s not working for their buildings. Are certain rooms being underutilized, and if so, why? With so many options on available, many FMs are seeking streamlined solutions that can incorporate all building data into one place. With all data in one place, there’s a greater chance that redundancies can be identified and corrected, so buildings aren’t over optimized.
Now, smart building technology is available and ready to be deployed, but it will take time for some facilities to complete the full smart building transition. Depending on a facility’s age and condition, a building’s infrastructure may need updates prior to implementing these kinds of solutions. Facility executives don’t want to do retrofits on a building that’s already doomed to fail because of aging or damaged infrastructure.
Labor Shortages, Retention Continue To Be Challenging
FMs continue to face skilled labor shortages; some may not have the budget to find replacements for workers leaving or retiring, and the work is allocated to other team members. To help FMs address this pain point, there are a variety of automated solutions available. From cleaning robots to package drones, the market offers a variety of creative solutions to address this need.
To address the knowledge gap that comes with building experts retiring, here’s a clever solution mentioned during the panel discussion on AI: One maintenance technician, who has been with the building for over 30 years, is fulfilling a work order. Have this technician wear a camera on their head and explain what they’re doing. Thanks to advancements in AI tech, a video like this could be transcribed and broken down into key pieces of information that the succeeding technician can reference before they take on a similar project.
Making The Office A Destination
Some FM teams are going through the transitional period of welcoming former remote employees back to the office. A phrase like “coffee badging” – a creative way employees can ignore return to work mandates—illustrates the lack of enthusiasm. It’s hard for an office environment to compete with a home environment customized to everyone’s preferences. During the World Workplace exhibit hall hours, FMs could see innovations geared toward improving employee and occupant experience, from ergonomically-designed furniture to acoustic solutions designed to drown out noise.
Sustainability And Resiliency Remain Key Focus Areas
If cutting back on energy usage can save facilities money, while support sustainability goals, it’s a win-win. Now with more regulations coming to the forefront, such as Local Law 97 in New York, facility managers have to prioritize tracking their greenhouse gas emissions and take steps to reducing their overall output. With advancements in solar technology, and batteries, there is more potential for facility managers to have a solid supply of renewable energy. Having sustainable solutions and the ability to be resilient was top of mind at the show as Hurricane Milton came and went across Florida. Two hurricanes in less than two weeks…and research indicates that we can prepare for more compounding severe weather events down the line.