Facilities Management Magazine

ISSN 2071-9299

JUL / AUG

WE SHOULD TALK...

FM’S INFLUENCE ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

MARKETING FM THE ADVENT OF THE INTERNET HAS TURNED THE MORE TRADITIONAL METHODS ON THEIR HEAD. WE NEED TO RETHINK THE WAY WE APPROACH OUR PROSPECTIVE

WATER MANAGEMENT

THE WATER QUESTION IS COMPLEX, IT GOES FAR BEYOND THE AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES

2018

FM No. 020

SOUTHAFRICA

™

Leaking Pipes?

Don't replace, reline!

We have a solution for everyone!

With the ability to reline from 15mm pipes upwards, it’s no wonder Nu Flow serves so many industries.

Dairymaid Factory

Industrial

Spectrum Textiles

Industrial

Situation: The Dairymaid factory was experiencing problems on 5 x 110mm steel drain pipes running from floor drains within the factory to outside the building where the entire bottom of the pipes were eaten away.

Solution: Nu Flow relined the pipes with structural liners creating a new seamless pipe from the floor drains to where the pipes exit the building.

Situation: A 110mm earthenware sewer line at Spectrum Textiles was constantly blocking due to broken sections of pipe. The pipe is 2 meters deep and runs under the epoxy coated factory floor in which a lot of heavy machinery is in operation.

Solution: Nu Flow relined the 16 meter section of damaged pipe running under the factory working from 2 manholes outside the building.

Radisson Blu

Swimming Pool

Situation: The 8th-floor swimming pool with sun deck and views of the city skyline was experiencing water loss from leaks on the suction line.

Solution: Nu Flow relined the swimming pool pipes with an epoxy coating sealing the leaking points on the pipe network.

Abattoir in Meyerton

Industrial

Situation: The deboning and Processing Facility were experiencing problems with 6 x 110mm floor drain pipes which run under a cold room.

Solution: Nu Flow relined the 6 pipes working from the floor drains in the cold room and a manhole outside the factory as access points.

Super Group

Industrial

Situation: A 200mm fire line was leaking under 1.5 meter thick reinforced concrete floor at the trucks loading bay.

Solution: Nu Flow cleaned and relined the 200 meter fire line with Nu Flow's red epoxy barrier coating.

jfm@nuflow.co.za

087 160 0383

www.nuflow.co.za

EDITOR’S COMMENT

Phil Woods

Contents 2

News & Products

7

We should talk...

11

The changing terrain of landscaping

14

Challenges in marketing facilities management

18

Faults in precast concrete parking structures

23

Water management

28

Incentives and amenities in the workplace

30

How to prevent corrosion in fire sprinkler systems

What are you up to?

W

e are now over half way through the year, Ramaphoria has been and gone, the Cape Town water crisis has been put back in its box for a while and we are on track for Christmas. What have you got planned for the rest of the year, maybe you have something huge planned, refurbishment, an office move or just planned maintenance of your current infrastructure.

Whatever it may be, we would love to hear what you are getting up to.

In this issue we have articles that will hopefully tickle your metaphorical taste buds.

Andrew Mason delivers part one of an article about the sales approach for those who offer an outsourced solution. As ever, Andrew has given this topic a great deal of thought, and Editor Phil Woods phil@fmexpo.org

Layout Alois Sajanga alois@fmexpo.org

Journalist Lerato Mashiane lerato@fmexpo.org

could even be useful reading for those who are not in the outsource business. After all, we all need to sell ourselves now and again.

Do you have a multi storey, concrete parking area of some kind? These structures are often neglected and may have hidden problems that you are unaware of. If this is the case, our feature on page 18 will be of interest to you.

One article that I hesitated to include was on staff incentives. In these economically constrained times, staff perks might be seen as too much of a luxury. However, the list was just too interesting to ignore and some suggestions would not cost an arm and a leg to initiate.

Thanks for reading.

Advertisement Sales

Copyright & Disclaimer

Brendan Kristiansen brendan@fmexpo.org

Somi Bululu somi@tetradeevents.com

Facilities Management (ISSN 2071-9299) is published 6 times a year by T.E. Trade Events together with 12+ email bulletins and an annual FM Supplier’s Directory. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor, employees or publisher.

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Jul / Aug 2018 FM

1

NEWS & PRODUCTS

20 18

& Convention

P

roperty group Growthpoint has taken one of its mixed-use buildings off the municipal

water grid.

The District, an office and retail complex in Woodstock, has an underground mountain spring flowing into its basement.

This water was previously pumped into the city’s stormwater system to flow into the sea. Growthpoint has invested in technology to make this water drinkable for the complex’s visitors who use approximately 45,000 litres of water a day.

“By taking The District and other commercial buildings off the water grid and substituting municipal water with a safe and sustainable alternative source of drinking water, we are taking pressure off the city’s potable water reserves, adding to the resilience of the city’s water system and contributing

August Jul / Aug2014 2018 FM jFM

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positively to the environment,” Growthpoint Properties’ regional asset manager for the Western Cape Timothy irvine said.

Growthpoint said it is the first of several Cape Town properties it intends making “water netpositive.” The group investigated the possibility of using the water in its basement as grey water for flushing the building’s toilets, but its design which has changed over the years from four buildings into two, then into one, prevented the better use of the water.

“It is incredibly frustrating to have a sustainable, alternative water source that has to be flushed down the drain because it is not safe to drink. So, we challenged ourselves to find a way to use the sump to provide water that is completely safe for human consumption for the entire building,” said Irvine.

For this type of water filtration, Growthpoint had to find and

adapt an existing technology that had not been used before It also had to work with the City of Cape Town to get special legislation drafted and passed to allow it to produce drinking water on large scale. In addition it had to get buy-in from the building may tenants.

Major stakeholders, including the City of Cape Town and tenants of the The District, specifically major tenant Ogilvy Cape Town, helped.

The legislation the City of Cape Town drafted to enable the project came into effect in November 2017, When the company was given the go-ahead to become a water services intermediary. It can, however, only supply water to those with which it has a contractual obligation, which are its tenants.

It does this at the same rate as the municipality.

The Growthpoint group had been the first companies to address the water crisis in Cape Town.

T

he speed and magnitude of Africa’s ongoing urbanisation, with 1.3 billion people expected to live in cities in 2050 compared to 480 million today, combined with its rapid industrialisation, has shed a new light on the evolving and multifaceted needs for water treatment and infrastructures. To address the plurality of these needs, Veolia Water technologies has defined and launched a dedicated project called “Ambitions for Africa.”

Carried out by 1000 dedicated employees across the continent, the “Ambitions for Africa” project aims a the anchoring the company in the territories where it operates through local partnerships, community engagement and tailor-made solutions.

Veolia’s brand new chemical blending facility in Johannesburg, a state-of-the-art plant with a maximum output capacity of 15000 tons of water treatment chemicals per year. The plant implement bestin-class practices by recycling 100% of its wastewater, generating zero effluent discharge.

With nearly 10,000 employees worldwide, Veolia’s Water Technologies unit specialises in water treatment solutions and provides a complete range of service from

T

errafugia, Inc announced new features in the Transition production vehicle, a two-seat auto and aircraft, including updates to the interior, safety systems, motor, and flight instrumentation. The latest features and systems will be incorporated and verified in the next test vehicles.

The first production vehicles will come to market 2019.

“Developing this new technology has allowed us to test several

design to the building, upgrading and maintaining of water and wastewater treatment facilities for industrial clients and public authorities. The company is a recognised global expert on how to treat, recycle or reuse water with over 350 proprietary, cutting-edge water treatment technologies that can also produce and recover energy, extract raw materials or even create valuable by products.

The latest concrete step of Veolia supporting Africa’s needs is its brand new chemical blending facility in Johannesburg. The facility employs 40 people and

will produce water treatment chemical to answer the demand for quality water treatment from both municipalities and industrials throughout the African continent. This state-of-theart plant has maximum output capacity of 15000 tons of water treatment chemicals per year and implements best-in-class practices: It recycles 100% of its wastewater and reduces the the consumption of potable water through the recycling of wash water.

Within the framework of “Ambitions or Africa” Veolia assert its commitment to the continent

and its regional anchorage through the implementation of local win-win partnerships.

Veolia is developing projects with local partners who bring knowledge and expertise that enable the company to adapt its offering and properly respond to the challenges of each country in Africa. South African company Ceracure is now a stakeholder in Veolia.

The Water Technologies South African subsidiary.

This partnership will bring Veolia its expertise in the field of control and electrical instrumentation.

different mechanisms and generate process improvements along the way,” said Terrafugia CEO Chris Jaran. “We are at the critical point where we can implement the best design features based on years of flight and drive testing. This will improve function, safety and aesthetics for the optimal flying and driving experience.”

Each individual component is engineered with safety and quality as the objectives behind each design decision. The Transition improvements will include, Hybrid-Electric Motor, updated safety systems and state of the art avionics and parachutes.

Jul / Aug 2018 FM

3

NEWS & PRODUCTS

S

andton Central is set to have bigger positive environmental impacts by recycling more waste thanks to the City of Joburg’s and Pikitup’s mandatory separation-at-source programme, which started on 1 July 2018.

The city’s landfills are running out of space, fast. Its voluntary separation-at-source programme, launched in 2009, has had some impacts - but not nearly enough.

To increase recycling, separation at source has now become compulsory in many areas of the city, including Sandton.

This is welcome news to Sandton Central and many of its local businesses, which are already active in their own separation-at-source and recycling initiatives.

“Sandton Central is home to what is arguably the continent’s biggest number of certified green buildings in a CBD, it’s an international example of ecomobility, and it has three lovely green parks – it’s a world-class leading city that prioritises good environmental practices. To those

S

appi announced further progress in the development of its biorefinery capacity with the confirmation that it will construct a demonstration plant to further scale up its novel Xylex technology for the production of Xylitol and Furfural, The plant will be located adjacent to the existing sugars and lignin extraction plant at Ngodwana Mill.

It should be operational early in 2019. Pending successful results and further approvals it is anticipated that Sappi may

Jul / Aug 2018 FM

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who are already recycling, well done and thank you. The more we work together, the bigger our positive impacts,” says Elaine Jack, City Improvement District Manager of Sandton Central Management District.

Fortunately, the city is making it easy for you to recycle household waste – all you need to do is separate it.

The mandatory separationat-source programme will be phased in and the focus for phase one will be in areas where it has already started. Each home will receive a clear or blue plastic bag weekly, in which to place recyclables such as paper, plastic, metal (cans) and glass for collection. Multi-unit dwellings, like residential apartments and complexes, will receive recycling bags through their body corporates or chosen body.

By placing dry recyclable waste in a separate bag for collection, less waste will go to the city’s landfills, and more waste will be reused and recycled.

Keeping it simple, recyclables are collected on the same day as refuse.

Recycling in this way will also continue to support waste pickers, with more recyclables available at the point where they typically collect what’s valuable to them.

In areas where the separationat-source programme is still not rolled out, residents are encouraged to take recyclables to the nearest garden site/ drop-off centre. Garden waste, however, must be dropped at a Pikitup drop off site for

compositing or further processing – the Ballyclaire Garden site/ Drop-off centre is nearest to Sandton Central (www.pikitup. co.za). However, the site is currently closed for upgrading but residents can use Woodmead garden site/drop-off centre.

“There are no penalties to enforce mandatory separation at source; but that’s not the point.

It’s the responsible thing to do, and the environmental cost of not recycling is huge,” says Jack.

construct commercial Xylitol and Furfural plants adjacent to the mills in the USA and South Africa.

Commenting on the decision Sappi CEO, Steve Binnie, said “we are very happy with the progress being made by our biorefinery team, as well as with the value we are deriving from the acquisition and integration last year of the key biorefinery technologies and expert staff from Plaxica.

Biomaterials and biochemicals are integral to Sappi’s strategy of extracting maximum value from wood fibre, our natural

and renewable resource.

We have taken a significant step towards generating meaningful revenue from this new business segment.”

Louis Kruyshaar, EVP for Sappi Biotech, explained: “Sappi’s biorefinery plans are focused on building a sustainable, profitable business from the manufacture and sale of food ingredients, materials and chemical intermediate derived from the C5 sugars produced as a co-product of our dissolving wood pulp production and from the lignin

produced in our global pulp production.”

The combination of Sappi’s operational excellence, the proposed co-location of the commercial plants at existing mill sites delivers strong integration synergies and the cost advantages offered by Sappi’s scale and the Xylex technology mean that Sappi will have a globally competitive cost base for sugars and xylitol and furfural production.

NEWS TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCTS

B

osch Munitech, the utility management company, has completed the design and installation of a metering and monitoring system to manage water consumption for the Lower Berg River Irrigation Board in the Western Cape.

The company was commissioned in 2017 to install the Krohne Waterflux electromagnetic flowmeters and Nivusonic transit time flowmeters for 135 irrigation abstraction points on the Berg river at a cost of R3.2 millions.

Iaan de Beer, the senior contracts manager, commented that “as a result of the critical drought in the Western Cape, the Department of Water and

A

n improvement in South African consumer and business sentiment in early 2018 contributed to real estate investment trust(Reit) Tower Property Fund’s vacancies reducing to 5% at the end of its financial year to May 31, after having reached a high of 12% in January.

E

mira Property Fund has become the first African and South African company to have a greenhouse gas emissions target approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

August Jul / Aug 2018 FM2013 jFM6

based application overcomes the usual challenges such as high installation costs and unreliable network coverage.

“To transfer measurement data from 135 abstraction points along the river to a central database, an alternative to the traditional global system of mobile communications was used. “The team deployed a purpose-built internet of Things communications platform and Web-based data management portal from telecommunications equipment supplier Liquid Fibre.”

He notes that the Krohne Waterflux electromagnetic flowmeter is a low maintenance water meter which meets stringent portable water standards designed for bidirectional flow measurement.

Sanitation now requires that all agricultural abstractions from the Lower Berg river which is a key source of water for Cape Town, surrounding towns and agricultural enterprises be metered.”

He further stated that its an important criterion of the project was that all flowmeter readings must readily accessible in a database for online access to the consumption data of each water meter connected to the system.

De Beer explains that the Liquid Fibre portal enables users to view and export flowmeter data online from personal computers and mobile devices such as tables and smartphones. He says Web-

However, in order to secure new tenancies, Tower has had to offer lower-than-anticipated rentals and longer beneficial occupation periods, dubbing it “a clear sign of the times”.

This, the company said on Tuesday, is particularly evident in Gauteng, with its properties in Cape Town, on average, achieving strong rental growth.

Revenue in the period

decreased by 7% to R416-million as a result of certain, noncore properties being sold.

Similarly, operating profit decreased by 18% to R377-million, as a result of properties being sold, as well as the reduction in the unrealised gains compared with the prior period owing to the strengthening of the rand.

Distributable earnings for the period totalled R265-million, while distributions grew by 5% to R275-

The Initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) which mobilises companies to set science-based targets and boost their competitive advantage in

the transition to the low-carbon economy.

In a statement, WWF South Africa said Emira’s science-based target provided a clear road map in the line with the ambition of the Paris climate agreement to keep global warming below 2 degrees.

The flowmeters have a rectangular sensor that allow for a stable measurement, even at low and uneven flow rates. They offer high accuracy of less than 0.5% across its measurement range.

The meter can be installed anywhere, without the need for straight inlet or outlet runs for example, behind pipe bends or control valves- or a reduction in the pipe diameter, says De Beer.

“These meters are also suitable for burial installation are also suitable for burial installation and immersion in flooded chambers.”

De Beer says the highly accurate Nivusonic meter is easy to install and offers substantial savings over the standard mechanical installation cost associated with inline flowmeters on large-diameter pipelines.

million for the year, which was slightly lower than the guidance of 6%.

This is reasonable, Tower said, given the rental “headwinds” experienced recently, adding that the pressures on securing tenancies are partially offset by “tailwinds”, including the receipt of a portion of Agrokor arrears rentals, rates credits received at certain properties and tenant penalties paid for early lease terminations.

It sets out how much and how quickly the company will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Emira has committed to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions 13% by 2022, from a 2015 base year.

CONSTRUCTION

WE SHOULD TALK...

Bradford Keen investigates why FM’s influence on the design and performance of construction projects has fallen short of the level it should have reached.

F

M’s perpetual struggle to get involved at the beginning of construction design projects is a bit like the kid who’s chosen last for five-a-side. Except in this scenario, FM isn’t a gangly asthmatic with two left feet but, as most FMs would surely agree, Diego Maradona in his pomp – and thus a criminal exclusion from the team.

If you’ll forgive the expression, the arguments for FM’s inclusion in any discussion about new construction projects have always had strong foundations. So why – given the many well-rehearsed arguments about a building’s lifetime Opex – does such a disconnect persist?

“FM doesn’t speak construction, construction doesn’t speak

FM – and neither of them speak business,” explains Mike Packham, managing director at BWA. “We have these three parties involved in the overall delivery process and they’re not talking to each other in the same language.”

Yet in recent years, and particularly since 2012, the triggers for FM’s earliest possible involvement have been in place. First, with the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) revised Plan of Works (PoW), making the effects of operational use a key initial determinant of subsequent construction

“

FM doesn’t speak construction, construction doesn’t speak FM – and neither of them speak business

Jul / Aug 2018 FM

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CONSTRUCTION

planning, and second, with the introduction (and central government mandating) of building information modelling and its associated supercharged end-user evaluation concept, soft landings.

Yet change has remained pitifully slow.

The revised RIBA PoW, Packham says, is what “we were preaching to clients back in the 1980s” about how a knowledgeable FM’s input can positively impact building design and project outcomes. Soft landings, according zto Deborah Rowland, director of public sector affairs at Sodexo, still requires a “huge amount of work”.

“FMs have got to be a bit braver,” says Rowland, but suggests that all stakeholders, including the client, need to be better educated about the logic that soft landings introduces.

“It’s really making sure they get involved in Stage 0 Strategic Definition, and what we need is RIBA to start articulating that in their design phases. At the moment, it doesn’t say that,” says Rowland.

“I don’t think the client is fully educated about the whole BIM and soft landings issue at the moment. They don’t really know enough about it to ask for it,” she adds.

It’s not just a lack of awareness of value, it is also cost, says Emma Bailey, director at Interim FM Solutions. The current disconnect between the SL framework and FM’s understanding of it comes down to the “cost implications of sending individuals on courses and, once ‘qualified’, the number of projects that are likely to occur to allow the individuals to bed in this new knowledge”.

Packham also highlights cost, as it is the client that will have to pay upfront for their

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own FM soft landings champion. The problem is that “we don’t have the evidence to show that saves money over time”.

“If you were given all the data in a BIM, you probably wouldn’t need 99 per cent of it”

From anecdotes to hard solutions Whatever the mechanism, FMs still need to know what to say when joining the construction conversation – and James Warne, co-founding director of the design engineering consultancy BOOM Collective, thinks that too many FMs rely on anecdotal rather than actual evidence when proposing solutions.

He tells of a laboratory project where scientists said they didn’t want a specific type of lift that brought goods from the basement to their workstation, as it was too slow. The result was that the design came back without any lift at all.

“Bringing anecdotal information to a project needs to be balanced with what a successful outcome would be to resolving the problem,” explains Warne.

An example of this in action would be to articulate the solution in terms of service time. So a fan-cooling unit might need to be serviced within four hours to reduce impact on the business.

“Putting that into the brief is really powerful,” says Warne,

“

FM can often still only be seen as an expense, rather than an influencer, which can result in some organisations not investing in individuals and departments as much as others

as an engineer designing would understand the need for architecturally serviceable equipment.

Warne, a mechanical engineer, says he often returns to the topics such as overheating, lighting and air quality, and how they are becoming more linked to the WELL Building standards. “Those things are easier to manage if there is more feedback.”

Modelling the future As our previous feature establishes, building information models (BIM) may be an effective vehicle to carry information from design through to construction and handover, but they can act “rather like a big bin liner that collects a lot of information along the way”, suggests Warne. At handover, FM has to sift through it all for the necessary information.

Design and construction don’t know what FM needs or FM doesn’t articulate what is required – so they receive “everything or nothing”, says Warne. Successful implementation happens when FM makes requests based on information it uses, such as implementing a specific asset numbering system. At the handover stage, the FM team sees in the BIM model how to access the assets for maintenance.

“If you were given all the data in a BIM, you probably wouldn’t need 99 per cent of it,” says Rowland, who calls for better “data definition” to determine important information and the ability to receive it. CAFM systems and BIMs need to talk to each other, and better data definition would help that information flow back and forth.

Packham warns that this is easier said than done, and doubts whether some of the CAFM

Deborah Rowland advises FMs seeking to be taken seriously to focus on existing standards, in particular: ISO 41001 Facility management – Management systems – Requirements with guidance for use, which sets a benchmark for formulating FM’s strategic, tactical and operational role.

PAS 1192.3 which aids in writing the asset information model for the operational phase using BIM. BS 8536-1:2015 which guides design and construction briefings to help designers consider building performance.

BS 8536-2 which gives recommendations for design and operational performance of infrastructure assets.

suppliers that claim to be able to connect with BIM are able to do so.

Finding a formula The emerging Internet of Things, with its abundance of status-reporting equipment would, you might think, add actual evidence to operational performance claims. So far there is much potential, but few are seeing it in action.

“You’ve got to look at the broader sense,” explains Rowland. “All of these things like IoT or BIM and smart buildings produce a huge amount of data and how that data is going to be managed and processed is absolutely critical.

FM has the technology, frameworks and standards at hand, says Rowland

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CONSTRUCTION

(see Standards approach) – but it has not grasped the bounty that should have followed.

It goes back to a familiar refrain. “FM can often still only be seen as an expense, rather than an influencer, which can result in some organisations not investing in individuals and departments as much as others,” Bailey laments.

Packham agrees, and highlights what is surely the core of the issue. Until there is a financial formula showing how a client’s upfront investment will lead to significant savings in the long-term, this debate will struggle to evolve from its current humdrum state.

The industry needs “genuine case studies” otherwise this will remain a “hard sell”, says Packham. Even then, building owners may just be looking to sell, with landlords passing the cost on to tenants so those that invest in operational costing upfront will find their investment’s value reduced over the building’s lifetime. “It’s kind of a circular argument, really,” says Packham.

Consider also that the bulk of the market is made up of SMEs and the upfront investment becomes an even harder sell, seeing they could only have the lease for five to 10 years.

Wealthy companies in the financial or tech sectors are able to design with FM’s input because they have the money to pay for it and the corporate culture that puts a focus on an employee’s workplace experience. One only need look to Google in King’s Cross or the UBS building in Blackfriars to see it can be achieved.

An ability to influence As much as this is an economic resourcing issue, it’s also about professional expertise.

Warne says there needs to be upskilling of FMs, as well as guidance on what FMs should be asking when contributing to new projects. A lot of FMs would not realise how

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soon design decisions are made and that their input on light fittings, for example, will need to come a lot sooner than assumed.

Such skills will come with time, says Rowland.

The next generations of FMs will, inevitably, be “more challenging and more educated” about using technology and able to handle large volumes of data and data flow processes.

As a sector, FM grasps the challenges it faces, but solutions move us forward. Packham argues the case for a centralised BIM drive, as previously championed by David Philp, the former head of BIM implementation for the Cabinet Office. The government started well, says Packham, but passed development of the idea to the industry, which lacked the money or will to continue.

This centralised approach would compensate for the “diluted initiatives” that organisations including BIFM, RICS and RIBA are running, he says. “Nobody out there has grasped it and you can understand why; it’s a big beast…”

Rowland acknowledges “a lot of work being done” by BIFM and the wider sector to make FMs more aware, but clients continue to lag behind. It is up to FMs to “articulate the benefits of being involved at stage 0, listing the achievable outcomes with FM’s operational knowledge and arguing for operational budgets to be discussed early on”.

It sounds simple, but Rowland still speaks to architects who have tried to get FM involved, only to find that they weren’t interested.

Indeed, fostering a “willingness to collaborate at both ends of the scale” is essential, says Warne, with design welcoming input from FMs and, after handover, FM working with the design team to “understand what the original ethos was”.

The methods, processes and tools are available to FM, yet much work is still required.

Educating clients and FMs about the value of early input remains key, but without a solid financial formula proving FM’s worth upfront, we will languish on the sidelines with Maradona’s boots slung over our shoulders. n

LAND SCAPING

THE CHANGING TERRAIN OF LANDSCAPING The facilities manager is always faced with a plethora of problems and at the nexus of these problems is the need to be environmentally responsible without spending exorbitantly.

It is said that landscaping can help in tackling the challenges of climate change, the loss of biodiversity and water management.

By Lerato Mashiane

E

very business enjoys minimising costs while maximising profits it is therefore imperative for decision makers in the business to seek out ways to reduce expenditure. One of the ways that have been identified as a money saver is landscaping. It has been said that Landscaping not only has aesthetic benefits but economic ones too.

It is believed by many property professionals that landscape can contribute as much as 14% to the resale of a building and speed its sale by as much as six weeks. For many landscapers it makes economic sense to place landscaping at the heart of the development process. It goes beyond the reduction of expenditure, creating spaces where users can connect physically and emotionally leads to benefits for the business such as increased footfalls and time spent.

Landscaping acts as an extension of the business’ customer service commitment. It can also help to develop a distinctive identity for the business thereby encouraging return visitors in the business.

Delivering reduced development costs through the intelligent use of existing landscape features and the manageable disposal or

“

Landscape can contribute as much as 14% to the resale of a building and speed its sale by as much as six weeks.

Jul / Aug 2018 FM

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LAND SCAPING

incorporation of construction waste. The important feature of landscape architecture is its ability to deliver a range of social, environmental and economic benefits at the same time.

A survey conducted in Quebec found that hedges raised the property value by 3.6% and in other studies conducted at the University of Texas in Arlington, revealed that the architectural and urban design variables evaluated, landscape amenities had the highest correlation with the occupancy of rental properties.

In the same study it was also found that people preferred to patronise establishments that had planted trees and other landscaping.

The presence of trees and green spaces influence the attitudes of consumers positively especially their perception on the character of the business which in turn influences the amount of money they will spend in the establishment.

The proper arrangement of plants around the building can significantly lower heat loss and cold air infiltration through walls, windows and floors during the winter months.

Landscapers maintain that plants are the fastest, most cost-effective agents for changing negative perceptions of an area, enhancing the economic conditions and improving the psychosocial health. Workers with views of natural elements such as trees and flowers experienced less job pressure, were more satisfied with their jobs and reported fewer ailments and headaches than those who either had no outside view or could only see built elements from their window.

There are international studies that show that live interior plants may increase worker productivity and reduce stress. Productivity increased by twelve percent when people performed a simple task on a computer in a windowless room with plants compared to workers who performed the same task in the same room without plants.

Landscapes are significant in the attraction of clients and the retention of those clients.

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Many people, especially in creative industries, have lauded the powerful source of creativity that green spaces have. Landscapes play a significant role in the clean and green image of a company.

A New Zealand study found that people preferred a more natural character as opposed to human artifacts.

Landscaping for energy saving The purpose of landscaping for energy saving would be to modify the microclimate of a residence or commercial building. This includes landscaping for both energy and water conservation. Water conservation is included as an energy saver because energy is needed to pump water from one location to another.

No matter the source of heat or abundance of water, landscaping decision can affect energy use through the choice of plants, plant forms and their placement in the environment. High ambient temperature, wind control and water usage all affect energy consumption and this consumption can be modified to some extent through landscaping.

It is difficult to estimate the energy savings from the appropriate landscaping because of many climatic and environmental variables, however a Californian study showed that landscaping with trees yields a significant reduction in energy use.

There is an array of landscape techniques that can be used to influence the microclimate resulting in energy savings. Deciduous (shedding leaves annually) trees planted to shade buildings during the summer and to allow access to light and solar heat during the winter can significantly affect the ambient temperature inside a building.

Hardscaping rocks, fences and walls can be used in the services of landscaping for energy saving along with plants. The varied heights of a combination of shrubs, trees and hardscapes help to control wind speeds

“

No matter the source of heat or abundance of water, landscaping decision can affect energy use through the choice of plants, plant forms and their placement in the environment.

which is especially important for affecting the wind-chill temperature in the winter climate.

It would be advisable to group plants according to the subtle differences of the landscape, for example, plants that need more water should be planted in a rain garden and drought and heat tolerant plants could be planted in a south facing slope would result in the reduction of water use.

Harsh environments such as parking lots require that plants adaptable to extreme conditions such as heart, intense sun, flooding, salt and pollution. Therefore plants that will survive in the same harsh environment is important. Choosing the right plant for the right space is important for energy conservation. It is important to consider the environment the plant is going to be placed because the goal is to use as few external inputs as possible. It is a good idea to use native plants or plants of a similar environment for normal spaces. It is also important to be aware of the way plants of an area interact with the space. Caution must also be practiced when planting nonnative plants that may be invasive or may be classified as noxious weeds.

It is well-known in the commercial property space that Heating, ventilation and Air-conditioning comprises for almost half of

energy consumption in commercial buildings.

This statement alone makes energy efficiency a priority.

Implementing an energy efficient landscape can be low-cost and will help reduce energy use which is both economically and environmentally sustainable. Heat exchange occurs in three processes: air infiltration, conduction and solar radiation. Energy efficiency landscaping moderates these processes in the following ways: 1. Trees and shrubs provide shade and reduce solar heat gain in the summer.

2. Trees and shrubs prevent heat loss in the winter.

3. Trees and shrubs deflect winter winds and maintain a warmer microclimate around the building 4. Vegetated roofs provide extra thermal mass and insulation.

In the implementation of energy-efficient landscape it is important to consider the regional climate in order properly design an energy-efficient landscape. There are trees and plants to meet each goal. If the goal is to shade the building from solar heat gain the best way to do that is to plant deciduous plants to the south of the building while shorter deciduous trees are planted to the west of the building to receive shade from the setting sun. In the event that the goal is to keep ambient temperatures cooler while shading

hardscape surfaces then the best solution is to have shrubs and groundcover plants that will shade the paved areas. Shrubs, bushes and vines planted close to the building are good for preventing heat loss in the winter months. To create a windbreak planting dense evergreen trees and shrubs with low crowns planted to the north and north west of the building will achieve that. It would be best to consider mapping the sun’s path in order to understand the buildings site’s microclimate better and create a landscape plan.

In a study conducted at the Berkeley Natural Labs provided shade that resulted in a cooler temperature decreased a the energy load required for buildings by nine to twenty percent. . Shading an air-conditioning unit can increase its efficiency by up to ten percent. Windbreaks can save up to twentyfive percent on heating costs by protecting the microclimate surrounding the building.

There is also a decrease in energy demand to heat and cool buildings effectively decreasing carbon dioxide emissions from energy generation.

For a new construction, energy-efficient landscaping can be an investment with a potentially quick payback, however maximum benefits are not achieved right away. Trees that are ideal for shading are large, deeprooted and deciduous trees while they can effectively shade buildings for significant

temperature control some may take up five to ten years. The payback period is estimated at eight years with energy savings from landscaping.

The Internet of Things (IoT) in landscaping IoT is rapidly taking over every facet of business operations it is no surprise that it would find its way in landscaping. The idea is still in its nascent stage and not much research is available to fully explain and detail the intricacies of implementing such an idea. Despite its primitive stages there are a few startup companies around the world that specialise in providing technology that will enable property managers and owners a way to monitor the health of the soil and the plants before irrevocable damage is done. Ensuring high levels of landscaping projects is important but, it is currently difficult to maintain.

There is a lack of knowledge with regards to the hydro processes in the soil result in a limited understanding of the condition and growth of the plants and trees and human inspections can be labour intensive.

Monitoring soil moisture is the ideal way to control plant conditions however, the current technology is wired and much of it cannot be operated on remotely. n

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FM MANAGEMENT

THE 3 BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN MARKETING FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

We are facing a revolution in the way in which our Facilities Management Clients are engaging with us, and our industry faces significant challenges in the way we are marketing ourselves to meet those changes. In this the first of the two articles I want to deal with the subject of marketing Facilities Management, and in the second article I will deal with the 5 Best Practices of Lead Generation for Facilities Managers.

I

have been selling both Facilities Management consulting as well as outsourced services for most of my career and I have always had a firm view on how we need to sell Facilities Management.

However the world is changing so rapidly that the traditional sales approaches no longer work, indeed the advent of the internet has turned the more traditional methods on their head and so we need to rethink the way we approach our prospective Clients.

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Biggest Sales and Marketing Challenges In researching this topic, I came across a survey done by the Building Services Group in the UK on how Clients in the UK purchase their Facilities Management services. The survey respondents were the CEOs and business development directors of over 50 of the UK’s biggest Facilities Management Service providers

It goes without saying that the ability of a supplier to win new contracts is a crucial determinant of their capability to grow. In the findings of the BSG survey, unsurprisingly the majority of the respondents stated that FM had become a very competitive market and that it was becoming increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd.

The survey reported that the top two most significant sales and marketing challenges were: 1. Finding new leads @24% 2. Accessing the right decision-makers @21%

“

The world is changing so rapidly that the traditional sales approaches no longer work, indeed the advent of the internet has turned the more traditional methods on their head and so we need to rethink the way we approach our prospective.

These were by far the most significant challenges with Client retention only coming in a distant third with 7%.

How do Clients find Suppliers?

Tracking down suitable Clients is not all one-way traffic. For reasons we will see later on the poacher has turned gamekeeper and Clients are now becoming much more active in tracking down suitable suppliers.

For FM suppliers that are struggling to find and access Clients, it would then be useful to understand where Clients are looking for suppliers and how are they assessing their supplier base.

The survey pointed out that 87% of Clients are finding new suppliers through referrals from colleagues or associates with 70% accessing online articles including social media, web pages, and blogs.

This gives rise to a turnaround from what has historically been the business of marketing and selling to Clients. This disruption to the traditional status quo presents three significant challenges that FM service providers need to address in their marketing.

and in the hope of securing interest from a prospective Client.

Using terminology gleaned from the battlefield and quasi-military tactics, an army of sales representatives would then converge on the market to cold call, hunt down prospects and attempt to convert these into long-term Clients.

By and large, this is still the process of choice within the industry. However, the world has changed, and buyers are less susceptible to marketing spin and are wiser to these intrusive, interruptive and unsophisticated sales techniques.

Access to the Internet and a ubiquitous source of information online has changed how we research and consume information.

The information revolution has levelled the playing field. No longer can we force feed information to our Clients in the hope of educating them just enough to be able to sell them our services. Clients are educating themselves and are often more informed about the market and our services than hapless, uninformed salespeople sent out to ‘storm the beaches’ and land a new Client.

Statistics from the BSG survey show that 81% of all FM buyers prefer to research the market themselves before engaging with suppliers, and 71% of those Customers start with a search on Google.

Challenges 1. Buyers find Sellers, not Vice Versa Traditionally, suppliers would spend lavishly on trade-shows, Business breakfasts, advertising campaigns and other promotional tactics. This was done in order just to get their brand name in front of potential Clients to raise awareness

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FM MANAGEMENT

Perhaps more surprisingly in 80% of the FM purchases completed, the buyer made the initial contact with the seller. So the tables have been turned. The hunter is now the hunted, and buyers are now in the business of finding sellers, not vice versa.

This disruption to the status quo represents a massive problem for suppliers.

Active Customers in the marketplace are virtually invisible to the potential supplier and only when buyers are ready to contract are they predisposed to picking up the phone and speaking to a supplier. The buyer is, therefore, controlling the process. These changes make most suppliers very uneasy and unable to predict and forecast their sales pipeline.

The historical preference for military and hunting analogies are no longer relevant.

Perhaps fishing terminology may be more appropriate where a supplier has to throw a line in the water and lure his potential Customer by offering up additional valuable information that can provide possible solutions to Customer’s problems and needs.

To do this, a supplier needs to maintain a presence online in much the same way as a retail outlet would and to encourage potential Customers to walk through their virtual doorway.

2. People only buy from people they trust With the plethora of marketing and sales messages we are bombarded with on a daily basis, it is only natural that people’s guards go up when it comes to marketing and sales, simply because there have been too many cases of high-pressure, exploitative tactics over the generations.

So the Customer’s journey is increasingly becoming a self-service one. This will often involve several months of careful research and deliberation on behalf of the Customer before engagement with a potential supplier is attempted.

The modern reality is that with the power of the internet many Customers source, research and reject potential suppliers without the supplier even being aware they were ‘engaging’ with a potential Customer. The anonymity of this process provides comfort to a potential Customer, while they educate themselves about the market and the major players in that market.

On my web site Workplacefundi, in the post “Do You Have Confidence in your Outsourcing Partner” I highlight that the confidence both parties have in an outsourcing relationship is determined by two competencies. The level of trust and the degree of control that govern the deal. We don’t need research by Gartner to tell us that trust is less objective, and therefore the

Jul / Aug 2018 FM

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more difficult, concept to understand.

Trust needs to be built for B2B buyers to be open to engaging with you; they need to feel confident that you’ve got their best interests in mind for the long haul. For the supplier, the building of trust during this period is a minefield.

How can trust be built if the supplier is unaware of the potential Customer, what their needs are and how they are expected to meet those needs?

So the challenge is that to build this trust the supplier has to take an anonymous Customer on a journey from being potentially antagonistic or at least unknown to becoming a trusted advisor often without ever actually engaging in a face-to-face conversation. The challenge is to ensure that we keep that relationship warm and increasingly more intimate over what can be an extended period, sometimes extending to years, before a buying decision is made.

To build this trust, the conversation has to be about the Client or Customer not about us, our services or how good we are. It has to focus on the problems they are facing not the offers we are selling.

As soon as you move the conversation to yourself, you stop being the trusted advisor and become the salesperson.

3. Interruptive marketing doesn’t work Networking events and trade-shows are expensive and unproductive. Outbound email campaigns are only considered successful if they achieve a meagre 2% open rate. Unsubscribe rates on un-solicited email are more than 90%.

Service companies for years have engaged in interruptive, outbound type marketing. The data gleaned from the BSG survey indicates that this is not only unproductive it is actually damaging your sales efforts.

The BSG survey tells us that a massive 81% of Clients do not want to be sold to by a sales team at least before doing the research themselves.

Outbound marketing and cold calling destroys trust with nearly 70% saying that they would usually or always be put off by suppliers that cold-call.

With only 3% saying that they are never put off by suppliers that call, you can market to your prospective Clients this way, but the odds are massively stacked against you.

It is perhaps unsurprising in this day and age of rising levels of interruptive marketing from chatbots, invading our downtime to sell us cellphone contracts, insurance or medical aid. Clients don’t want to be sold to or interrupted, and see this as an invasion of their space and this will almost certainly count against you in trying to sell to this Client. So this is not good news for the traditional outbound sales and marketing techniques!

What does this mean for FM Service providers?

We need to let go and recognise that the Client now owns the buying process.

We need to trust that giving the Client the power will pay off for us. What we need to do is to support the buyer through that process, nurture the relationship for however long it takes and to ensure that we do not try and force the decision to purchase.

We need to build a trusted relationship with prospects before they will consider buying and so we need to find a costeffective and scalable means of building trust with strangers.

We need to adopt more ‘Client-friendly’ Marketing techniques and move away from interruptive forms of marketing which not only do not work but are positively damaging our chances of building a meaningful relationship with our Client. n

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t hthe e ppower owe r to toprotect p ro te c t

BUILDINGS

FINDING FAULT IN PRECAST CONCRETE PARKING STRUCTURES

Developers of new parking structures often choose precast concrete construction, both for its cost savings and for the fast track construction schedule it allows. Fabricated in a manufacturing plant, precast concrete elements are shipped fully formed to the construction site, where they are assembled. Because it is cast and cured under factory-controlled conditions, precast concrete tends to exhibit better consistency, higher quality, and greater durability than does concrete fabricated on site.

Y

et, in spite of these assets, there has been a spate of precast concrete parking garage failures in recent years. While some have been catastrophic and highly publicized, the vast majority of failures don’t make the headlines. Nonetheless, if ignored, even inconspicuous defects can lead to dangerous conditions. The average motorist would be shocked to learn that upwards of tens of thousands of precast concrete structures exhibit some degree of structural distress.

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Given such dire potential consequences, parking garage owners may worry that the spall, crack, or displacement they’ve noticed could be indicative of greater problems. The causes of failure, though, can be as varied as the symptoms, ranging from inadequate design to defective fabrication to installation error to lack of maintenance. Armed with a basic understanding of precast concrete construction and its potential flaws, garage owners and managers will be better able to detect emerging issues that merit intervention.

cantilevered flanges supported by vertical stems. Single tee and quad tee beams have been used as well, although less frequently.

Placed side-by-side, the horizontal flanges create a large slab or deck that acts as the parking surface of the garage. Embedded steel plates in each beam are welded to those of adjacent members, creating a unified structural system. When these connections are properly configured, the parking surface also acts as a diaphragm to resist lateral loads applied to the garage through wind or seismic forces.

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Armed with a basic understanding of precast concrete construction and its potential flaws, garage owners and managers will be better able to detect emerging issues that merit intervention.

How They’re Built Reinforced Concrete Fabrication Precast concrete garages are usually made up of a system of conventionally reinforced precast concrete columns and prestressed concrete beams and girders. Conventional reinforcement consists of embedded steel bars or wires within concrete and is generally reserved for columns, load-bearing walls, and other members that undergo compressive stresses.

Flexural members, however, including precast horizontal slabs, are typically reinforced with steel tendons that are prestressed. Embedded tendons are tensioned before the concrete is cast and set. Once the prestressed concrete is installed on site, the internal stresses applied by the tendons work to counteract gravity and service loads, yielding lighter members that can span longer distances than their conventionally reinforced counterparts.

Beams that comprise the parking surface are most commonly fabricated in the form of a double tee ( TT ), with horizontal,

Field Assembly After the precast concrete elements are cast and allowed to cure, they are removed from the forms and delivered to the site where the garage is to be constructed. Each piece is marked with a unique identifier to facilitate correct assembly. Lifted into place by large cranes, precast members are joined to columns, supporting girders, or shear walls via welded connections. Embedded plates in the precast beams, usually fabricated of stainless steel to resist corrosion, are welded together at joints using a filler plate or rod. To prevent moisture intrusion, joints between individual members are usually filled with flexible sealant.

Precast concrete garages don’t rely exclusively on shop-fabricated concrete, however. Cast-in-place elements at the ends of beams are sometimes used to direct runoff to drains, and cast-in-place concrete toppings may be applied to the parking deck as a wearing course or structural diaphragm.

Because major elements are prefabricated, precast concrete construction is usually the quickest and most economical type of parking structure to build. Furthermore, when the T-beams are produced in large quantities, the forms are reused multiple times, resulting in even greater efficiencies and cost savings.

Why They Fail In engineering terms, “failure” does not necessarily mean a catastrophic event. Often, failures occur in individual components of the overall structural system: concrete spalls and cracks, sealant debondment, and fractures in welded components are among the most common.

Such failures usually do not, on their own, result in building collapse. However, if allowed to progress unabated, even seemingly unassuming deficiencies can escalate into serious conditions.

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BUILDINGS

Common Types of Failures Cracks. Shrinkage, flexure, shear, overloading: concrete cracking is so ubiquitous that conventionally reinforced concrete is designed with this eventuality in mind. However, prestressed members are designed not to crack due to normal service loads. Therefore, when a crack is discovered in a prestressed element, it generally means that something is amiss.

An engineer should evaluate the crack to determine whether it is indicative of a larger issue that is detrimental to the overall health and stability of the garage.

Spalls. A spall is a small to medium sized chunk of concrete that has broken away from a wall, beam, or other concrete member. In some cases, especially in parking garages, impact is the cause of the spall; however, in many more instances, the spall is indicative of something more serious.

Corrosion. In the presence of water, reinforcing steel corrodes, leading to internal

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distress within the concrete matrix. As it corrodes, rebar can expand up to 8 times its original size. Because it is embedded in concrete, the corroding rebar can release the expansive pressure in only one way: by cracking the concrete. Typically, these cracks begin as fissures at the site of corrosion.

Eventually, a spall results, exposing the reinforcing steel to yet more moisture and corrosive chemicals in a self-propagating cycle of deterioration.

Connection Failures. The most serious type of failure is related to the connections between precast concrete structural elements.

Flange-to-Flange Connections. Let’s start with the most common connection in a precast parking garage. Adjacent precast concrete tee beams are connected along their length through welds between metal plates embedded in the flanges. Functionally, the welds turn individual beams into one unified slab, allowing the flanges to mutually support one another against gravity loads.

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A qualified structural engineer can diagnose connection failure in its early stages and identify the root cause.

A program of preventative action can then be initiated to arrest deterioration before it becomes hazardous.

The connections also are designed to resist tensile loads induced by thermal expansion and contraction, as well as shear across the joint caused by lateral loads.

As these loads are applied, the flanges work as a system, distributing forces across multiple connections. For this reason, failure of one connection does not result in a catastrophic failure of the garage. However, each severed connection does have a deleterious, if subtle, effect.

When a connection fractures, it can no longer resist any load. Therefore, the load that would be carried by that connection is redistributed to adjacent connections, increasing the load that each must withstand incrementally. When enough of these connections fracture, the joint will “unzip,” severing all flange connections along its length. Loads from the unzipped joint are transferred to adjacent joints, leading to excess stress and further connection failures.

In a snowball effect, overall loads on the garage are resisted by fewer and fewer intact joints. As more joints unzip, the structural integrity of the diaphragm created by the tee flanges is compromised. Eventually, the garage becomes unstable.

A qualified structural engineer can diagnose connection failure in its early stages and identify the root cause. A program of preventative action can then be initiated to arrest deterioration before it becomes hazardous.

Beam End Connections. Configured similarly to flange connections, beam end connections comprise a vital part of a garage’s lateral force resisting system.

Embedded plates in the tees are welded to plates cast into a shear wall, column, or spandrel beam, by means of a connection plate. Differential movement or corrosion of embedded steel can compromise the integrity of these connections.

Common Causes of Failures Design Flaws. Design-related failure is the result of errors such as underestimating or, in some instances, overestimating the loads that will be applied to a structure. Case in point: to accommodate a planned future expansion, a parking garage is designed to handle lateral forces beyond those associated with the current structure’s height. The excessively rigid vertical members restrict the movement of precast beams as they undergo volumetric changes due to temperature differentials.

Enough force then builds up at connection points to cause overloading and, eventually, failure. Improper installation and corrosion can accelerate the damage.

A properly designed and consistently executed maintenance program is critical to the safety, functionality, and longevity of a precast concrete garage. Below is a sample program that highlights some of the typical maintenance items associated with precast garages. It is not meant to be inclusive of all defects or housekeeping items that should be periodically addressed, as garage conditions and situations vary.

As such, a comprehensive program should be tailored to the needs of your specific structure.

Monthly • Conduct walk-through inspection of the garage to assess general condition and locate obvious hazards or defects.

• Repair all observed defects as necessary.

• Clean soil and debris from expansion joints to ensure proper functionality. During winter months in colder climates, this operation may be required more frequently.

• Replace light bulbs in stairwells as necessary and remove debris. Twice per year • Flush / power wash deck surfaces.

• Check for broken flange connections. If observed, retain a design professional for diagnosis and remediation.

• Inspect deck surfaces for signs of excessive wear or deterioration.

• Examine expansion joints for tears and broken header material.

• Check deck membranes or other coatings (if present) for signs of wear or distress.

• Inspect undersides of all sealant joints for signs of water stains. Repair or replace damaged or defective sealant as necessary.

• Examine stair treads, landings and railings for loose or damaged elements or connections.

• Inspect drains. Remove debris that has accumulated in sediment buckets.

• Check windows and frames for leaks, peeling paint, or other associated defects.

• Wash windows to maintain clear visibility and overall clean appearance.

• Inspect light fixtures.

Once per year • Inspect previous concrete and connection repairs for deterioration such as cracking, debonding, or abrasion.

• Examine structural connections at ends of beams, girders, or spandrels for distress or deterioration.

Seek professional assistance for proper repair of defects.

• Inspect bearing pads at ends of precast double tee beams for defects.

• Check spandrels and columns for impact damage.

• Clean light fixtures.

• Inspect pavement markings. Re-stripe as necessary.

• Check signage and graphics. • Drain potable water systems for winter months.

Once per 5 years • Professional assessment of garage condition.

• Professional assessment of previously performed repairs.

Crazing (also called Map or Pattern Cracking) Fine, shallow, interconnecting cracks that mimic roads on a map Excess water in mix; Improper curing; Poor finishing techniques; Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) 1, 3-8 Drying Shrinkage Crack A surface crack that forms as water evaporates during curing Excess water in mix; Inadequate control joint spacing 3 Plastic Shrinkage Crack A surface crack that forms in freshly placed concrete prior to or during final finishing Rapid evaporation of water from concrete, typically due to climatic conditions 1, 3-8 Chevron Cracks Diagonal cracks that form a “V” pattern Shear force between beam stem and flange after de-stress 1 Longitudinal Crack A crack along the length of a concrete element Bending stress due to excessive gravitational loading; Corrosion of embedded steel reinforcing 1, 4, 5, 7 Shear Crack An inclined crack at an area subject to high shear stress Tensile stress that exceeds the design load of the concrete 1, 5-8 FreezeThaw Damage Deterioration of concrete matrix during temperature cycling Insufficient air entrainment 3 Scaling Surface flaking that yields an uneven patchwork appearance Insufficient air entrainment; Over-finishing; Insufficient curing 3 Spall Broken or missing pieces of concrete Corrosion and/or expansion of embedded steel; Impact damage 1-9 Failed Connection Fracture of embedded steel connecting elements, such as at flanges, spandrels, or girders Corrosion; Fabrication deficiencies; Poor installation technique; Misalignment 1-9 Sealant Failure (Adhesive) Failure of sealant to bond to a surface Inadequate surface preparation 1, 2A, 3, 5-7, 9 Sealant Failure (Cohesive) Tearing within sealant material Inappropriate sealant selection 1, 2A, 3, 5-7, 9

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BUILDINGS

Fabrication Deficiencies. Although manufactured under controlled conditions, precast concrete is nonetheless a product of human industry, and, thus, is subject to human error. For example, in far more instances than would be expected, embedded connection plates in precast concrete elements are improperly positioned. They don’t need to be off by much to create a problem during construction. As an example, consider a flange connection plate that is displaced laterally by a small amount, say 1½”. Because the displaced plate doesn’t fully align with the facing flange plate, the connection will be 1½” shorter than designed.

The smaller, weaker connection is now prone to failure through overloading.

Fabrication error is also responsible for the chevron cracking sometimes observed at the ends of beams. These V-shaped cracks are caused by premature release of stress in the tensioning strands. If concrete has not reached a specified strength when the tendons are de-stressed, a corresponding shortening of the beam stem will result.

Since the flange contains no tendons, it will resist this shortening. The resulting shear stress between the stem and the flange will be released through diagonal cracks at the surface of the beam.

Installation Errors. Many times, precast concrete garage elements don’t fit together exactly as designed. When field changes aren’t structurally comparable to originally

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designed connections, components are placed under unanticipated stress that may lead to premature failure. Incorrectly performed field welds can also compromise the integrity of connections between precast elements.

Unintended Usage. All structures are designed to withstand specific loading conditions. In the case of parking garages, where access lanes may be large enough to admit more than the structure can hold, this is especially important. It is all too easy to unknowingly overload a parking deck by driving a massive vehicle (like a truck) over it. With precast garages, this can result in broken flange or beam end connections, or even shear or flexural cracks in the beam stems.

Identifying the source of an observed deficiency can be more complicated than simply marking the location of a crack or severed connection. Failure in one part of the parking structure may manifest as a crack in a distant area, as redistributed loads from the compromised section place excessive strain on other elements. Moreover, accurately determining the severity of a crack, spall, or fracture is not as straightforward as it may seem. While some might be the result of a fabrication error, such as removal from forms before the concrete has achieved sufficient strength, others may be innocuous surface cracks. Still others might look like innocuous surface cracks, but may actually be a sign of bigger problems. n

WATER MANAGEMENT

WATER MANAGEMENT: WELCOME TO THE FUTURE

The water question is complex, it goes far beyond the availability of resources, there are other factors that influence the scarcity of clean water such as pollution, inefficient water management practices, a lack of infrastructure maintenance, unaccounted for water and poor governance. These challenges reveal that any devised solutions cannot be simple in nature.

By Lerato Mashiane

I

n 2004 the National Department of Water and Environmental Affairs devised a water resource strategy as a means to address challenges in the management of water resources. The goal of the National Water Resource Strategy (NWRS) was to reconcile strategies that were developed to assess water balance against future needs.

The strategies developed are said to inform the future water resource management, planning and investment. In 2013 the NWRS was revised and renamed NWRS2 which encompassed new problems that had arisen.

When the report was published South Africa was fast approaching the full utilisation of available surface water and new site dams were running out. The report also predicted that the water demand was most likely to increase by 1.2% in the coming ten years.

The national government recognised that the solution had to move beyond traditional engineering solutions of infrastructure development. Ensuring a sustainable water balance requires a multitude of strategies, including water-conservation and waterdemand management. It also required a further utilisation of groundwater, desalination, water re-use, rain-water harvesting and treated acid mine drainage. South Africa benefited from a surplus of water availability in the year 2000, however, the time has come where a mix of water resources is required to

reconcile supply and demand. Since the publication of the NWRS2 report two dams have been built in Limpopo and KwaZulu Natal to meet the growing demand of water in the country.

Water is seen as fulfilling a central role in socio-economic planning and development. A key challenge of the NWRS2 is not having the capacity to increase skills and scope within the sector for both water resources management and water services. Institutions must be appropriately staffed and resourced to achieve this end the national Department of Water and Environmental Affairs has prioritised skill development, staff motivation and capacity building at all levels.

It was the belief of the national department that the implementation of the water strategy will bring about the availability of water support in economic growth including small and medium-scale enterprises and the protection of precious water for current and future audience.

The purpose of the NWRS2 is to ensure that natural water resources are protected, used, developed, conserved, managed and controlled in an efficient and sustainable manner towards achieving South Africa’s development priorities in an equitable manner over the next five to ten years.

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When the report was published South Africa was fast approaching the full utilisation of available surface water and new site dams were running out.

The report also predicted that the water demand was most likely to increase by 1.2% in the coming ten years.

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WATER MANAGEMENT

Smart water Solutions The term “smart water” points to a water and wastewater infrastructure that ensures water and the energy used to transport it if managed efficiently and effectively. A smart water system gives a company a sound and viable strategy for sustainable growth. The water utility also facilitates the sharing of actionable data to create efficiency.

In an extreme weather event the watershed management team can automatically share stormwater modeling information which can point to potential flooding zones and time based on predictive precipitation data. Hospitals, emergency response teams and the like would be able to respond to these disasters more efficiently as they will have some time to prepare themselves.

This would ensure the general safety of the building and its occupants. Smart water and critical infrastructure as a whole should be viewed as the cornerstone of any smart building’s strategy. Modernising and then integrating a company’s infrastructure to work together is a challenge but, quickly demonstrates its value as part of a smart growth plan. Building water systems involve a variety of actors in extracting, treating and delivering water.

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Smart systems can be combined with data driven approaches to enable different parts of the system to “speak to each other” combining data from various sources to enable better decision-making.

A smart building uses Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance its livability, workability and sustainability. The objectives of smart buildings are to provide basic quality of life for residents as well as clean and sustainable environments.

Water and sanitation are one of the basic infrastructures of smart buildings.

Municipalities have commonly monitored the water delivery system by manually reading the flow and pressure meters and contamination would be monitored by collecting water samples that are analysed in a laboratory environment. In a smart water system grid, these parameters would be collected, stored and transmitted to a computer by the meter itself or from a sensor to detect combination.

Smart sensors for municipalities would include smart water meters for pressure and contaminant detection. This increases the amount and frequency of information about the system and decrease the need of field work.

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Smart systems can be combined with data driven approaches to enable different parts of the system to “speak to each other” combining data from various sources to enable better decision-making.

Two platforms, for example water and ICT, are introduced as examples of welldesigned platforms for the management of bi-directional water and data flows in accordance with both the consumers’ water distribution grids. Using the platforms and multiple water resources the intelligent water grid control plays a key role in satisfying the consumers’ as well as the suppliers’ water needs, using self-diagnosing sensors and ICT-Based Cooperative networks to improve water infrastructure, energy efficiency, low energy processes combined with alternative water sources are suggested as key costsaving methods for water.

Integrating the five prime areas in smart water grid technology provide water managers insight into planning water infrastructure and shed light on the roles of the smart water grid in future smart buildings. Sensing devices that collect and transmit data about the water system in a real-time basis are the foundation of any smart water grid.

The visibility of water flow enables operators to know the amount of water flowing through water pipelines in a building at any given point in time. This is achieved by fixing flow meters along the pipelines.

A geographical information system (GIS) map overlaid with a water pipe network.

This helps in visualisation of the building operations on top of a GIS map.

A GIS that maps all the building’s assets and location information is a big contributor

to what makes a smart building smart.

Flow meters are sensors that measure the flow of water in a pipeline.They transmit their readings to the central server through various communication modes which could be any one or a combination of radio and wireless protocols.

Flow meters, on sending their data at regular intervals, would allow building authorities to visualise water flowing through the building’s pipeline networks at any given point in time.

The data coming from flow meters would be saved into a data repository. With that, it would even be possible for building authorities to gather the history of water flown across a single group of flow meters in a specific pipeline, with historic data, it would be possible for the building to develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

This would allow the building operators to receive alerts whenever the amount of water flowing through a sensor is below or above a certain value in a dashboard.

Once the building operators receive an alert, they would investigate the cause for KPI violation (whether it’s a faulty or a water flow issue). This process of identification of problems and mediation would be done in predefined steps of a standard operating procedure in the event of KPI violations.

Smart water meters (SWM) SWM have additional advantages over manual meters. One of these advantages is increased sensibility to low water flows which increases data collection accuracy.

Other advantages of these more sensitive meters include the ability to measure backflow, which can indicate a problem in the system.

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WATER MANAGEMENT

Smart water meters are also less susceptible to corrosion from particles in the system. Smart meters, monitor measure and communicate water usage data to utility providers. They can operate autonomously or as part of a wireless “mesh” network with neighbouring smart meters and transmit information to utility companies using biologically friendly bursts of microwave radiation 24 hours a day.

Many appliances and consumer goods coming to the market these days feature tiny Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips which are capable of communicating with a ‘smart meter’ so that the system can log which appliances, devices and products are used, at what time and for how long.

Smart Pumps and Valves Smart valves and pumps adjust their operations based on environmental conditions or signals from sensors. These adjustments can happen automatically or remotely by a human controller.

The main benefit of smart controllers is increased efficiency for example, variable speed pumps sense water conditions and will ramp up or down depending on those conditions.

These pumps can also be equipped to sense clogs in the system and respond by breaking up clogs and/or reverse the flow.

This is especially useful for waste water and raw water conveyance. Smart Valves adjust

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or block the flow of water in pipes based on environmental conditions.

They can be used as part of pressure management strategies as part of leak detection activities, or to prevent environmental contamination due to combined sewer overflows. At the enduse level, smart irrigation controllers show promise in helping to save water that’s wasted on landscape irrigation controllers can receive and collect weather data or sense soil moisture levels as well as other parameters which helps determine proper water scheduling.

Using this information the watering schedules automatically on a daily basis the values and pumps that implement the actual watering of the landscape will then turn on and off at the best times possible.

Issues such as water loss, wastage or overuse, quality, energy consumption, disasters and draughts affect every business in varying degrees. Water losses occur when there are leaks, consumption and meter inaccuracies. At the level of the municipality and distribution system, the percent of water lost varies by location from 12 to 15 percent in newer buildings and 25 to 30 percent in older buildings.

Smart meters and end-user sensing devices can help with leak detection,

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Smart meters and end-user sensing devices can help with leak detection, for example, continuous data from a residential leak by showing a positive water flow when all fixtures are off.

for example, continuous data from a residential leak by showing a positive water flow when all fixtures are off. Finding leaks in municipal water supply could also be accomplished through smart step testing.

With a smart step testing system smart valves and smart meters can replace workers out in the field and would require only one person at a computer terminal.

The process could even be automated, only requiring human attention if something goes wrong.

Wastage or overuse can be defined as consuming more water than is needed to achieve the desired function, for example, maintaining landscape and flushing toilets.

Water conservation has seen improvement in recent decades through low-flow fixtures and educational campaigns. An area where water has yet to be addressed is watering of urban landscapes in water scarce regions.

Water quality monitoring in the water distribution system and end-use pipe system is usually very limited. At the same time, 30 to 60 percent of contamination events occur in the water distribution system.

These events are often detected by consumers who have already been exposed once the existence of a problem is discovered it may take days to identify the source of the event in order to fix it.

The quality in the drinking water distribution system can be affected by

several factors including disinfectant depletion. Contaminant intrusion from pressure differences and pipe work i.e installation, repair, and replacement.

In a smart water grid biosensors and multi-contaminant sensors could alert authorities to potential problems and their locations immediately, while smart meters could leak and pressure differentials that cause contaminant intrusion.

Smart meters could also help in the monitoring of water age and smart valves can isolate contaminated water to prevent its spread through the distribution system. These technologies can be adapted to continuously monitor and diagnose problems, prioritise and manage maintenance issues and use data to optimise all aspects of the urban water management network.

Smart water systems can be characterised as systems with a high degree of automation, rapid response times or the capability to capture information in real time and the ability to transmit data between remote locations and the data processing facility.

Smart water management can play a key role in the transformation of cities into smart and sustainable cities. If adequate policies, stern governance and broad stakeholder involvement are integrated into its planning and implementation. n

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WORKPLACE

INCENTIVES AND AMENITIES IN THE WORKPLACE

While Facility Managers aren’t always responsible for deciding what amenities to provide for the workplace, that’s often the domain of the Human Resources group, those of us in Facilities & Corporate Real Estate certainly end up managing many of them.

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egardless of your FM or CRE responsibilities, you can certainly provide input and make suggestions about amenities in the work place an overall part of your responsibilities for the physical work environment, even if you aren’t the one responsible for the ultimate decision. In fact, you may want to make sure you aren’t the decision maker - it keeps the pressure off.

Recently, I came across an interesting discussion on LinkedIn on one of the many Facility Management groups

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recently on the topic. I’ve compiled some of the amenities the group members mentioned. I am very envious of some of them.

An interesting discussion revolved around providing alcohol in the workplace. There is clearly a different cultural bias on this subject, with participants either saying it is an opening to bad behaviour and lawsuits and others saying that it hasn’t been an issue. Regardless, it’s certainly a polarizing issue.

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It may be appreciated, but if employees aren’t happy with their work, boss and recognition, it probably won’t matter for most employees.

What I’ve found is that these amenities are more likely to be put in place by HR to attract and retain quality employees, mostly when the market for staff is highly competitive.

I have been part of discussions about providing coffee for free in some of my workplaces, for instance, and most importantly, where the budget would come from. Generally, the companies were reluctant to make it an overall policy, so departments typically did their own thing and funded it out of their own budgets.

Whether some of the amenities truly work or not is uncertain. If you read the research about workplace motivation, and you should, employees are looking for more than just compensation from their workplace - interesting work and recognition are typically high on the list in surveys - as long as the pay is competitive. So as a Facility Manager, when looking at what you do in the workplace, keep

that in mind. It may be appreciated, but if employees aren’t happy with their work, boss and recognition, it probably won’t matter for most employees. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the infographic for an interesting comparison between what employers think employees want and what employees actually want.

Of course, there are other reasons.

Providing free coffee on each floor or a subsidized cafeteria in your building, for instance, will keep workers at their desks longer, boosting productivity.

Scroll down to see the infographic with amenities, and click it for a full sized version you can save and print out.

Below is some of the input directly from the LinkedIn discussion on a facilities management group. Keep in mind that these are from around the world, with very different cultures. n

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WORKPLACE

AVOCADOS

People have been talking about the death of the office for at least a quarter of a century. Leaving aside the often misleading conflation of flexible working with homeworking that is often involved, the underlying premise of such talk has been the same for all of that time.

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he main argument is, and always was, that there is an alternative to the tedium, aggravation and expense of travelling to an office solely to work inside its hermetically sealed and fluorescent-lit, bluecarpeted interior alongside people who can drive you spare, before you schlep home again. The problem with the argument is that, in spite of its evident drawbacks, office life maintains an attraction for both employers and employees and there will always be an upper limit on how long people want to spend home alone. Things are changing but the death of offices remains the enticing myth it has remained for decades.

As we’ve known for at least a quarter of a century, there is no absolute need for us to go to work at all. Theoretically we could just do away with offices completely if we wanted to. But as we have seen, the fact we have evolved technology to the point where we could forget about bricks and mortar, doesn’t necessarily mean we will. Not only are there practical reasons for offices to continue to exist, there are emotive ones too.

Mankind has a habit of preserving things that should no longer exist, and a great example is provided by the humble avocado.

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Like many fruits, the avocado evolved to have its seeds dispersed via the digestive tracts of animals. And the reason why the avocado’s seed is so much larger than many others is because the animals it used to perform this task were the giant mammals that roamed South America thousands of years ago including gigantic ground sloths the size of a truck and huge, elephant-like beasts called gomphotheres.

According to the evolutionary biologist Dan Janzen, after these creatures died out several thousand years ago the avocado clung on for a while waiting for an animal that would never come, until early man developed a taste for the fruit and began cultivating it. It survived because it served a practical purpose for humans and was to their taste as did similar supposed evolutionary anachronisms such as the papaya and the ginkgo tree.

There are plenty of vested interests lined up to paint the office as similarly anachronistic, many of them from technology and communications companies. But when companies such as Virgin Media describe the alternatives to office life, they tend to do so in unfeasibly idyllic ways.

It all seems lovely, until you stop to think about how realistic it all is. Will future workers

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Mankind has a habit of preserving things that should no longer exist, and a great example is provided by the humble avocado.

really all live in beach houses and Cotswold farmhouses? Will they drive on empty roads?

Will their colleagues from around the world dutifully sit around in videoconferencing suites until they have finished talking to their fathers?

And will meetings conclude in the time it takes to poach an egg?

Even with its undeniable drawbacks and the siren call of the literally fantastic alternative of homeworking, the office still does many things better than its alternatives. Not only that, we still love it for emotive and humane reasons; for the way it structures our time, offers us the company (and love) of others, gives us a sense of identity and a place to go that is not the place we call home. n

WORKPLACE

HOW TO PREVENT CORROSION IN FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Recently the Boksburg Retail Park experienced a harrowing fire as three retails stores went up in smoke and many other retails stores suffered expensive damage.

This event indicates that all building managers must always ensure that they are prepared for such occurrences at all times.

By Lerato Mashiane

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functioning sprinkler system is important for any building but it can be particularly important for health care buildings and senior care facilities because evacuation may be difficult in the event that a fire breaks out. If fire sprinklers are left unchecked they can lead to a loss of water pressure and burst pipes. Sprinkler systems provide an important sense of security because of the safety they offer to buildings and their inhabitants. Yet, this is only possible when the systems are working properly. If not, they can allow and contribute to catastrophic damage.

According to Bryan Templeton, a specialist in fire safety and prevention, corrosion is a common failure mode in both wet pipe sprinkler systems and dry pipe sprinkler systems. Corrosion happens when there is rust in the sprinkler system. For rust to form there needs to be oxygenated water in the sprinkler that will overtime corrode the piping from the inside out. There are two types of corrosion which are: Generalised Corrosion, which is also known and referred to as rust, and Microbiologically influenced Corrosion.

Corrosion is the spontaneous electrochemical oxidation, ionization, and dissolution of metals into contacting water.

When metals are exposed to electrolytes, essentially water with ions in it, corrosion spontaneously occurs.

There are many types of corrosion failures that can occur in sprinkler piping systems. However, the three most common types of failures in these systems are: 1. Pitting that leads to through-wall perforations and leaks.

2. Build-up of corrosion products and scale, often in the form of tuberculation, that leads to a loss of system flow.

3. General wall loss due to ionization and dissolution of iron atoms from the pipe wall leads to a loss of structural integrity, and pipe breaks under the static loads of the system weight or water pressure.

This type of failure often occurs at end of the life of the pipes.

Corrosion of sprinkler pipe metals (typically black steel pipe, galvanized pipe, or ductile iron, which all have iron as their primary alloying element) only occurs in the presence of oxygenated water. Therefore, because wet pipe and

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Performing inspections and flushing sprinkler systems are often lower cost expenses when compared to the cost of replacing damaged systems or dealing with the aftermath of a non-functioning sprinkler system. dry pipe systems have very different interior pipe environments, they are vulnerable to corrosion failures in unique ways. Use stainless steel, internally galvanized, or other corrosion-resistant piping. Note that you can’t use galvanized pipes in a place where the temperature could go over 54°C. Unfortunately, the problem may not be identified until during or after the emergency in cases where corrosion has caused unknown blockage or leakage of a fire sprinkler piping system, unless regular

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WORKPLACE

inspections are performed, including internal obstruction inspections that are a part of a 5-year inspection cycle. Preventative maintenance is key to avoiding corrosion therefore scheduling and performing regular inspections that will ensure that the corrosion is detected sooner if there is any.

Before your system begins to deteriorate, find the early signs of corrosion so you know the system is in need of maintenance.

To do this, you can implement a monitoring program and keep an eye on your pipe.

An internal inspection, the standard 5-year inspection, will indicate if your building’s sprinkler system potentially needs a flushing. “Even a half cup of debris can be enough to clog a sprinkler head and prevent it from working correctly, making it extremely important to stay proactive with maintenance,” said Nick O’Gara, service project manager for an international fire protection company.

Even just having basic knowledge about your sprinkler system, including where the valves and air compressor are located and how they should function, can decrease the hassle if a problematic situation arises. As a

of foreign materials that are associated with corrosion. As corrosion continues to build and becomes a more frequent issue, requiring more inspections and flushes. “Generally, once your sprinkler system has corrosion issues and needs to be flushed, the corrosion will continue to grow and will need to be inspected internally on a more frequent basis,” O’Gara added.

Treating the water can also be a great way to ensure that corrosion is prevented from the beginning stages. Determine which kind of microbe is affecting your system, then you can arrange a chemical treatment in order to get rid of that microbe. You can eliminate the microbe by treating the water as it enters the system.

Facilities Managers must always be the on the alert when it comes to protecting the building from any vulnerabilities. The maintenance of the sprinkler system is an aspect of fire prevention that is often overlooked yet it becomes very helpful when a fire erupts. This is just another reason why high-quality inspection, proper maintenance, and sometimes replacement of components of a fire protection apparatus are necessary. n

facility manager or building owner performing an inspection in house, many fire protection institutions recommend looking for corroded piping, system leaks or a continuously running air compressor. To ensure this inspection is thorough. To ensure that the inspection is thorough it is recommended to enlist professionals in fire preventative measures.

Nitrogen can be used instead of oxygen to pressurize dry or wet systems. It is an INERT gas, meaning that it will not react with metal and result in corrosion. This is one of the most effective ways to prevent corrosion, but it can be expensive. The installation process typically takes a few days and requires an additional investment to install but saves money on costly repairs. Nitrogen takes the place of the oxygen in the sprinkler system and prevents corrosion from getting worse.

Performing inspections and flushing sprinkler systems are often lower cost expenses when compared to the cost of replacing damaged systems or dealing with the aftermath of a non-functioning sprinkler system. Flushing the sprinkler system will clean the system of debris and the gradual build up

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STOPPING FIRES BEFORE THEY START!

ASP Fire is able to conduct fire-risk assessments and Rational Fire Designs for shopping centres.

Fire plans have to be resubmitted for approval whenever a tenant changes, or if the internal layout of a shop changes.

Most tenants are not aware of the specific requirements for automatic fire detection and alarm systems and their obligation to install them.

Ceiling void smoke detection, void fire protection and the activation of smoke extraction systems by tenant fire panels are areas often ignored when shopping centres are built.

+27 11 452 2169 michael@aspfire.co.za

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