ISSN 2071-9299
MAY / JUN
KEEPING WARM & SAVING MONEY
DIFFERENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY IN HVAC
SMART AND SECURE
SMART BUILDINGS HAVE AN ADDED BENEFIT OF PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SERVICES TO ITS OCCUPANTS ALONG WITH SECURITY
THE STODDART REVIEW
WHY THE WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT IS KEY TO PRODUCTIVITY
2018
FM No. 019
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. Nestle
Industrial
Situation: The main waste pipe draining the factory was constantly blocking due to the acidic chemicals used in the factory eating away the bottom of the pipe. Solution: Nu Flow relined over 300 meters of 160m and 200mm pipe at Nestle using structural liners.
Dairy farm in Jeffrey's Bay
Commercial & Residential
Situation: Grazing land at the dairy farm was dying from sea water infiltration into the irrigation supply pipes. The pipes run under canals in a residential estate nearby.
Solution: Nu Flow relined the pipes under the canals in the residential estate thereby stopping the sea water leeching into the pipes.
Municipal sewer line in Meyerton
Municipal
Situation: The old cracked 160mm earthenware sewer line was leeching sewerage into the ground which was contaminating one of the residents boreholes.
Solution: Nu Flow relined the sewer pipe with a structural liner working from two manholes as access points and thereby not needing to dig or excavate at all.
The Pivot Hotel
Hotel & Casino
Situation: The Hotel had three 110mm full bores blocked with concrete. The water sitting in the blocked pipes was leaking trough the pipe joints into the server room. Solution: Nu Flow unblocked the full bores and relined the pipes sealing the joints thereby causing no disruptions to the server room.
Neotel
Commercial
Situation: 160mm fire line leaking in multiple places. The pipe runs under a section of paving and a concrete slab by the loading bay. Solution: Nu Flow relined the 160m pipe using Nu Flow’s technology thereby causing no damage to the building.
jfm@nuflow.co.za
087 160 0383
www.nuflow.co.za
EDITOR’S COMMENT
Phil Woods
Contents 2
News & Products
6
Efficient heating & cooling
14
Keeping warm and saving money
18
Smart and secure
23
FM Expo & Convention review
26
Up to date office space
28
Stoddart review
31
Paper towels or hand dryers
Half the year gone!
W
e are now, nearly half way through 2018, its hard to believe that time has gone so quickly and a lot has happened in this space of time. In particular, our facilities management expo and convention in Johannesburg has just taken place and what an event that was. A more detailed report can be found on page 23 so all I will say was that the event was an outstanding success. This was the first time for a while that we organised our own convention and it was, for us, an opportunity to engage with some really great experts in the FM sector and beyond. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all concerned, Editor Phil Woods phil@fmexpo.org
Layout Alois Sajanga alois@fmexpo.org
Journalist Lerato Mashiane lerato@fmexpo.org
the speakers, our visitors and exhibitors, our team within the FM Expo and in particular, Cliff Hocking and Andrew Mason for their help in putting the programme together. We also co-located the event alongside the Totally Concrete and African Construction Expos which brought an additional dynamic to the event and a greater opportunity for our visitors to see additional products that may have a benefit and vice versa. Now we move on to our Cape Town event on the 26th of September, please note this in your diaries. Thanks to all that got involved, it was a great success for our industry.
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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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May / Jun 2018 FM
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NEWS & PRODUCTS
20 18
& Convention
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he bottling company unveiled its new office based in the Waterfront Business Park in Humerail. This new establishment of the world’s seventh largest CocaCola bottling partner by revenue will house the largest Coca-Cola bottler on the African continent, accounting for around 40% of all Coca-Cola volumes sold in Africa. In a statement, CCBA Chief Executive, Doug Jackson, said by building a successful shared value for the business and the communities the region will be successfully served. “We are optimistic about the future growth of our business
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ransformation initiatives and empowerment are the only way to go to unlock the potential of the South African construction sector. This is according to Tracy-Lee Behr the Portfolio Director for the Built environment at DMG Events. The company which hosted the 6th annual African Construction and Totally Concrete Expo,
August 2014 May / Jun 2018 FM jFM
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on the continent and we aspire to be the best Coca-Cola bottle in the world and Africa’s most valuable independent food and beverage company, driven by engaged, motivated and capable employees,” Jackson said. With more than 30 bottling plants servicing over 550000 outlets and serving a consumer base of over 249 million people across the continent. Jackson further said “we aspire to be the best Coca-Cola bottler in the world and Africa’s most valuable independent food and beverage company, driven by engaged motivated and capable employees. The opening of a new head office is
part of creating a first class working environment for our staff with a design that truly reflects the ambition of CCBA on the African continent. The new CCBA office is being rented from developers which adds additional value with Port Elizabeth being a far more cost efficient place to have to have a head office versus the rental prices in Johannesburg. The new head office was created by developers Jenz Heinberg to meet the growing needs, CCBA will accommodate 102 employees, DHK Interior Designs Architects has created a modern artwork.
conducted a host of educational sessions alongside the event. Africa’s infrastructure gap is expected to cost more than $30 billion over the next two decades. It is believed by Behr that the business and development opportunities are extensive. however, industry growth is best achieved with improvement knowledge sharing and skills. She further explains that “the best way to support
transformation initiatives is to offer education that is free and accessible to all.” Underprivileged groups, small contractors and architects operating in Africa’s built environment was the focus at the Expo this year. The keynote training sessions were tailored to address the industry’s challenges which may help in job creation in South Africa.
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ecognising the increasing pressure on the built environment from growing populations and development in African countries, global engineering and infrastructure advisory company Aurecon has appointed Kolosa Madikizela as its Unit Leader for the Built Environment in Gauteng. Madikizela has built her 14-year career in the construction, property development and engineering sectors at organisations such as Bigen Africa, Aveng Group, and Nexus Facilities Management Company, as well as Life Healthcare and Shell South Africa in facilities management. Her most recent role was as the Managing Director at Pragma, an engineering organisation specialising in physical asset management. “African skylines are going through a period of unprecedented change. Growing populations and digital disruptions are changing how people live, work and play, and I look forward to pursuing ways to grow the Built Environment Unit and take on more work in Africa,” says Madikizela. Ferdi Nell, Aurecon Managing Director Africa, says that the company’s built environment capabilities are fundamental to the successful execution of its business strategy and Madikizela’s
appointment is key to achieving the company’s business goals. “I am delighted to welcome Kolosa Madikizela to lead our Built Environment Unit. She will play a key role in bringing together the right people to make sure that we deliver worldclass buildings to our clients, as well as use innovation and emerging technologies that will create future-ready African environments,” says Nell. Aurecon is working on some of the most significant buildings across the property, health, education, manufacturing and infrastructure sectors in Africa. These include some of the largest and greenest commercial office buildings in South Africa, such as Aurecon’s Tshwane office at the Lynnwood Bridge Office Park, “The Towers” in Cape Town, and Atrium on 5th in Johannesburg. Madikizela describes her leadership style as coaching and guiding. “Leaders within a business need to give their team members space to shine as well as to learn from their mistakes. As leaders, we need to start becoming more comfortable with showing vulnerability and not be afraid of leading with love because vulnerability is one of the character traits that builds trust. I’m not afraid to say I don’t know the answer to something
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Hessequa Municipality. Witsand was selected as the site for this innovative project as it often suffers from critical water shortages, even outside of drought periods.
outh Africa’s first solar powered desalination plant is set to be commissioned in the Western Cape later this year. The project, which was initiated by Prof. Erwin Schwella, Professor of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch and Tilburg Universities with the Municipality of Hessequa, is being co-funded by the Western Cape Government through the drought relief fund, and by the French Treasury, through a fund dedicated to the implementation of innovative green technologies. The plant is expected to come online by the end of October 2018 at Witsand in the Western Cape’s
because it is not always the leaders that have all the answers. Many of the greatest innovations have come from collaboration between employees and staff members who aren’t necessarily in the C-suite. One of my goals is to foster greater mentorship opportunities for our people,” she says. One of her favourite TV shows is MasterChef Australia because it isn’t simply a cooking show; it can also teach you a lot about business and strategy. “If you have watched MasterChef Australia then you will know that it’s not always the most talented home cook that wins; it’s the person who can be nimble, flexible and innovative. The people who can stay calm under pressure and take advice from the judges are the ones who excel and win. This is particularly relevant to the engineering consultancy sector. We need be able to adapt and to innovate while still staying true to who we are and our core business foundation,” says Madikizela. She serves as an industry expert on the advisory board for the Built Environment at the University of Cape Town’s department of Construction Economics and Management. Previously, Madikizela was an external supervisor to Masters
students in the Department of Industrial Engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and a Guest Lecturer at the Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying. She served on the industry advisory boards for Industrial Engineering at CPUT and Stellenbosch University. Madikizela has contributed many articles to the African Facilities Management online website (AFM online) and she is a freelance talk show host at Cape Talk radio station where she covers a wide range of topics from engineering innovation, gender equality and transformation to lifestyle, property development and politics.
Addressing peak pressure According to the municipality it will produce 100kl of fresh water per day to address the normal local water requirement and will only be powered by solar energy. The plant will also be able to supply drinking water outside of sunlight hours through a connection to the local electricity grid. The municipality says the project will be used specifically to address the December holiday peak period
with a daily production capacity increased to 300kl. The technology for the project was developed by the French Company Mascara Renewable Water and brought to South Africa by their local partner TWS-Turnkey Water Solutions. It is the world’s first reverse
osmosis desalination technology coupled with photovoltaic solar energy without batteries, designed to supply coastal or borehole-dependent communities, with drinking water at a competitive price and without CO2 emissions.
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NEWS & PRODUCTS
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he Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has completed the first phase of refurbishments to Phuthaditjhaba Industrial park costing the department R50 million. The renovation involved the upgrade of security infrastructure which included fencing, street lighting, the installation of boom gates and pedestrian gates, the installation of CCTV cameras and control room as well as the refurbishment of high mast lights. The park’s upgrade is part of the department’s Revitalisation of Industrial Parks programme which aims to renovate state owned industrial parks across the country in order to promote industrialisation, contribute towards job creation and the growth of the country’s economy. The Revitalisation of Industrial Parks Programme is in line with DTI’s economic transformation initiatives intended to ensure that all
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regions and enterprises of the country are fully and meaningfully participating in the mainstream economy. The Director-General of the Special Economic Zones and Economic Transformation division at the DTI, Mr. Sipho Zikode, said He was confident that the refurbished park would attract more local entrepreneurs to set up their operations in the park because of the good infrastructure and security. Stakeholder representatives were present on the 7th of May 2018 as the DTI officially handed over the site to the Free State Development Co-operation (FDC) which will manage the park. The FDC is an agency of the Department of the Economic, Tourism and Small Businesses Development and Environmental Affairs in the Free State. The CEO of the FDC, Ikraam Osman, said the upgrade would have a positive impact on the park as well as surrounding areas because it will attract more investors who will contribute in creating jobs
for the local people. Zikode said “the handover marked a very important milestone in the implementation of the revitalisation programme. We are witnessing the fruits of the importance of collaboration and using the expertise available in government and its affiliates. The Industrial Parks and the DTI have collaborated with the Development Bank of Southern Africa, who are our technical partners, the Free State Provincial government as well as the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality. We are looking forward to the next milestone when the national and provincial political leaders launch the park officially. Thereafter, we will be embarking on the second phase of the revitalisation programme,” The Industrial Park was built 40 years ago and currently houses 296 factories. The different companies manufacture various products such as textile, clothing, glass products, bags and belts, as well as aluminum. Osman said “Currently the park’s occupancy rate stands at 66% and we expect this to improve. Firstly, the upgrading
of the infrastructure means that we will have happy business people in the park. Secondly, our investment rate will increase as better the parks look, the more investors it will attract. That will bode well for the park and the economy of the Phuthaditjhaba area in particular and that of the province in general,” The DTI has identified five Industrial parks that will receive upgrades including Phuthaditjhaba Industrial Park. The other parks that will be receiving upgrades are Nkowankowa, Ekandustria, Bodirelo and Garankuwa Industrial parks. The Upgrades are estimated to cost the department R216 Million, Dr. Rob Davies, the minister of DTI said “The revitalisation process will ensure that the upgraded parks appeal to private investors, provide a conducive environment and attract investments that will create jobs and assist in promoting economic transformation.”
TECHNOLOGY
EFFICIENT HEATING AND COOLING.
The situation at Eskom has become precarious, many have speculated the possibility of load shedding this winter. Having Energy efficiency in buildings is important in addressing climate change and reducing carbon emissions. Many have argued that very few offices are supportive of maximum human productivity. Buildings that do not perform at optimal capacity are the biggest risk to the health and well-being of its occupants. There is not a clear consensus on the methods to use to achieve green status. All arguments have their merits and shortfalls and there has not been clear accord on the matter. By Lerato Mashiane
I
n the construction and architectural environment buildings have been categorised into four categories that display how much energy is consumed by that particular building. Some have argued that the Heating Ventilation and Air conditioning (HVAC) is the best solution to energy efficiency in buildings and returns on investments. In completely air-conditioned buildings the HVAC component ranges between 30 and 60% of the buildings overall energy consumption. Reducing lighting usage impacts directly on the HVAC system because of all the heat generated by light.
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Energy efficient light and HVAC system improvements could halve the HVAC consumption. With LED lighting technology could reduce the consumption by 40%. Of These interventions could lead to the building saving energy of around 30% of a typical office block. There are regulations that specify energy use in buildings such as the SANS 10400XA:2011 and SANS 204:2008 documents. SANS 10400-XA:2011 supports the National Building Regulations which are mandatory. All new buildings need to adhere to the regulations along with any alterations and extensions made to existing
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Comfort is subjective but research has shown that most building occupants are comfortable between 20 and 26 degrees Celsius.
buildings. SANS 10400-XA:2011 requires new buildings to adhere to the energy efficiency requirements that are set out. SANS 204 has tables which stipulate the maximum energy demand and the maximum annual energy consumption for various kinds of buildings in the various areas of South Africa. Any performance that is above these must be justified through rational design by a competent person. Electrical appliances in new buildings are required to have an energy rating while thermal systems equipment and components must have insulation which minimises heat loss or gain. Large emphasis is placed on building orientation and the thermal performance of the envelope (walls, roofs and windows) to be within the maximum allowable energy consumption. HVAC is the largest (up to 60%) energy consumer in most buildings and therefore represents a significant opportunity for contributing to the energy use reduction. A result of this is that building thermal performance will have to be modelled in advance including that of the HVAC
system, in order to obtain planning approval. This is a specialist task and the modellers will have to demonstrate competence and that they are using accredited software. There is at least a solar heating of at least 50% of the hot water unless a competent person can prove that it is no feasible. In such cases it is necessary to make up the solar shortfall from waste heat.
Air-conditioning systems overview In South Africa most air-conditioning systems are associated with keeping building occupants comfortable (cool) during summer. Comfort is subjective but research has shown that most building occupants are comfortable between 20 and 26 degrees Celsius. The ventilation component is also important as many fully air-conditioned buildings do not have easily openable windows and the HVAC systems have to provide for outdoor air.
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TECHNOLOGY
...continued from page 7
Areas of the country that are regularly subjected to long cold periods would also need to consider heating requirements. Air-conditioning equipment ranges from a simple window or a wall mounted unit for a small space to centralised systems for tower buildings. These larger systems can take the heat from the occupied space or warm them. They are usually named for their significant energy carrier like, water, air or refrigerant. All air systems use distributed chilled or hot air if heating through large ducts as the principal means of controlling the temperature in a building. An advantage of these systems is that they can draw in air from outside of the building to refresh indoor air. All water systems use distributed chilled water as the principal mean of extracting heat from a building for heating purposes air or water in these systems. Air or water in these systems can be heated by an electric element or steam hot water from a boiler.
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In refrigerant-based energy distribution systems Cooling and heating is transported from external units to air distribution units within the building by refrigerant flowing in small diameter pipes. The refrigerant flow rate is varied to provide more or less cooling and heating. The system is known as variable refrigerant flow (VRF) or variable refrigerant volume (VRV). These systems can operate can operate heat pumps in heating mode they extract heat from ambient air and delivery into the conditioned space. Many large commercial buildings in South Africa now have a particular kind of all-air system known as Variable Air Volume (VAV). A VAV system delivers only as much conditioned air to the occupied space as required by the temperature control in that space. A VAV system using an economy cycle with the supply air temperature schedule according to the external ambient conditions is probably the most efficient system of all. Globally the building sector accounts for more electricity use than any other sector, 42 per cent. No wonder considering that we spend more than 90 per cent of our time in buildings. With increasing urbanization,
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In many developing countries there is normally very little margin between existing power supply and electricity demand.
higher in developing countries, the number and size of buildings in urban areas will increase, resulting in an increased demand for electricity and other forms of energy commonly used in buildings. Africa’s rate of urbanization of 3.5 per cent per year is the highest in the world, resulting in more urban areas with bigger populations, as well as the expansion of existing urban areas. There are currently 40 cities in Africa with populations of more than a million and it is expected that by 2015 seventy cities will
have populations of one million or more. In many developing countries there is normally very little margin between existing power supply and electricity demand. With increasing electricity demand, new generation needs to be brought in. Although renewable sources of electricity such as hydro, geothermal or wind provide electricity at a much lower cost, their capital outlay is large, they are complex
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TECHNOLOGY
and take much longer to implement. Diesel based generation is usually brought in the short term to meet this demand, which results in increased cost of electricity. Investments in energy efficiency in a building can be compared with the cost of capital investments necessary on the supply side of the energy system to produce a similar amount of peak capacity or annual energy production. Usually, the capital costs of efficiency are lower than comparable investments in increased supply and there are no additional operating costs of efficiency compared to substantial operating costs for supply-side options. In addition, energy efficiency investments generally have much shorter lead times than energy supply investments, A particularly important consideration in countries where the demand for energy services is growing rapidly. One consistent quality in the building sector is that it is subject to a high degree of regulation. Building codes often influence material use and appliance standards that have a significant effect on energy efficiency. Regulatory regimes, to the extent that they exist, may therefore provide a pathway to improve efficiency for both building construction and a variety of building appliances.
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Executives have different choices to reduce the energy consumption of their building portfolio. Buildings can be designed more efficiently at the outset, but these opportunities are limited. For existing infrastructure, the primary focus has usually been on retrofitting projects which are foten capital-intensive and disruptive to operations. But using software to ensure infrastructure runs more efficiently requires minimal capital investment and results in little or no disruption for occupants. From an economic standpoint, this should make it the preferred starting point for increased energy efficiency in a real estate portfolio. Analytics software can help detect and address numerous sources of waste such as HVAC equipment that is simultaneously heating and cooling a given space due to a failed sensor or other fault. Technicians dealing with anomalies, while the notification system fails to highlight more impactful issues. Even default configurations for all systems and pieces of equipment, meaning they run in suboptimal set points and are rarely updated after initial configurations. It is also important to be aware of the occupants and the lack of visibility and attention to energy waste.
By introducing a smart building solution that provides an additional analytics layer. A single data repository is created for all buildings and engineers are equipped with a powerful toolset to analyse data. In addition this provides a foundation for tighter integration with a smart utility grid that manages energy supply and demand dynamically on a local regional level. Microsoft created a pilot programme to evaluated smart building applications from three vendors across 13 buildings within the company’s main 118-building campus. These applications added an analytical layer on top of existing building management systems without the need to replace existing infrastructure. This new layer enables Microsoft to aggregate and analyse its building data to generate actionable insights that save energy and cut costs. In its initial stage, the program addresses energy consumption in three specific ways: 1. Fault detection and diagnosis to enable timely and targeted interventions in cases of faulty or under-performing building equipment. 2. Alarm management to prioritise the many notifications generated by existing building systems and point engineers to the most impactful issues. 3. Energy management through systematic tracking and optimisation of building energy consumption and performance over time while changing the behaviour of building occupants with visual dashboards and benchmarks.
How can others replicate Microsoft’s pilot program demonstrates how corporate real estate organisations can collaborate successfully with IT, putting smart building technology to use in cutting costs and securing environmental benefits. Its experience has helped define a set of key design principles that can be sued in any such rollout. Setting up automated aggregation of building weather, utility and organisational data from building systems and other sources to feed into smart building solution. Cloud computing, combined with on-site building management technology can provide a powerful platform to gather, store, exchange and process diverse datasets in a secure and scalable way. Energy efficiency has become a very important aspect of the built environment and many companies are trying to find a balance between saving money and saving the planet. n
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www.softworx.co.za +27 11 607 8299 May / Jun 2018 FM
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FM BUILDINGS
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KEEPING WARM AND SAVING MONEY
Winter is drawing closer and closer and many people will find themselves spending most of their time indoors. Building owners and facilities managers have a great challenge to ensure that occupants are kept warm and are provided with quality fresh air. There are many technologies that have been developed specifically for that purpose. We explore the different options available with new technology in HVAC. By Lerato Mashiane
H
eating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems can be one of the biggest energy consumers in a building and new technologies are geared towards the reduction of energy use whilst still providing the best services possible. Many scientists and engineers believe that enhanced technology is the best option to lessening energy usage. Reducing energy makes business sense
because it saves money and enhances the corporation’s reputation and helps everyone lead the fight against climate change. There are various actions that can be taken to save energy, cut costs and increase profit margins. HVAC systems control the temperature, humidity and the quality of air in buildings to a set of chosen conditions. To achieve this the system needs to transfer heat and moisture into and out of the air as well as control the level of air pollution either
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Reducing energy makes business sense because it saves money and enhances the corporation’s reputation and helps everyone lead the fight against climate change.
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FM BUILDINGS
by directly removing them or by diluting them to acceptable levels. Heating systems increase the temperature in a space to compensate for the heat losses between the internal space and outside space. Ventilation systems supply air to the space and extract polluted air from it, cooling is then needed to bring the temperature down in spaces where heat gains have arisen from people, equipment or the sun and are causing discomfort. HVAC systems vary widely in terms of size and the function they perform. Some systems are large and central to the building services - these were probably designed when the building was originally commissioned and use ventilation to deliver heating and cooling. Other systems may provide heating through boilers and radiators with some limited ventilation to provide fresh air or cooling to certain parts of the building such as meeting rooms. In some cases individual comfort cooling units have been added to
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a building to overcome a specific heating problem that had not been a specific heating problem that had not been thought of at the time of the original design. HVAC systems have been thought of holistically when they have been performing different tasks in a building. These separate systems are looked at holistically because they often interact with one another and with the building itself. By considering the HVAC systems as individual elements rather than as interacting systems, it would be easy to overlook a major area of energy wastage that one component might impact on another, for example, it would be wasteful to increase heating inside a building while the cooling system is fighting to reduce temperatures, it is therefore useful to look at how the elements of an HVAC system interact with each other and fine tune each part to save energy and money. The true definition of an air conditioning system is one which has the ability to control temperature,
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The design and specification of buildings and HVAC systems have a big impact on the energy use and hence, energy spend.
humidity and air quality within precise limits yet the term is often applied to systems which simply cool the space. These cool air systems are more correctly referred to as comfort cooling.
Energy Consumption HVAC systems can account for the majority of money spent by an organisation on energy, even small adjustments to these can go a long way in improving the working environment and at the same time save money. There are five important factors that determine the energy use of an HVAC system. 1. The design layout and operation of the building, this affects how the external environment impacts on internal temperatures and humidity. 2. The required indoor temperature and air quality- more extreme temperature, greater precision and more refined air quality consume more energy. 3. The heat generated internally by lighting, equipment and people-all of these have an impact on how warm your building is. 4. The design and the efficiency of the HVAC plant provides heat, cooling and moisture control exactly where it is needed in the building. 5. The operating times of the HVAC equipment and ability of the controls these limit operation to exactly when it is needed. The design and specification of buildings and HVAC systems have a big impact on the energy use and hence, energy spend. Sometimes natural ventilation provides the best solution to HVAC needs is changing staff behaviour. The way occupants use a building and its HVAC system plays a big part in the way a building performs. Most HVAC systems are fitted with controls. Learning how to set and regulate these can
provide substantial savings and enhances comfort conditions for building occupants. Maintaining existing systems is vital for maximising energy savings and avoiding costly breakdowns. If you are considering upgrading or refurbishing your HVAC systems, there are some good opportunities for energy saving. The typical energy usage in an air conditioned office is 40% lighting, 6% office appliances, 3% hot water, 2% fans and pumps and lastly 47% HVAC equipment. HVAC systems are varied widely in terms of the individual components that make them up and how they are set up within a building most systems contain some common basic components. Boilers produce hot water (or sometimes steam) to distribute to the working space. This is done either by heating coils which heat air as part of the ventilation system. The internet of Things is rapidly growing and many industries have grasped the benefits of smart equipment. Advanced controls in HVAC could reduce energy consumption in unoccupied spaces in a building and they can adapt to the demands of a particular building and detect needs for maintenance. According to a report titled “Digitalization and energy saving� produced by the International Energy Agency (IEA), digitalisation could reduce energy use by 10% in commercial and residential areas in the year 2040. These gains could be seen largely in the HVAC industry. This could be done through digitized thermostats and sensors. However, the organisation warns against smart devices that remain on standby and therefore idle, these could potentially offset any gains made towards reducing energy consumption. Smart HVAC systems allow demand control by improving the response. n
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TECHNOLOGY
SMART AND SECURE
As the old adage goes it is better to be safe than sorry, security is one of the most important aspects of a business that should not be neglected. So many businesses fall prey to all kinds of attacks which may cripple the business if they are not anticipated. Technology has come a long way in ensuring that business operations are automated and run at an efficient level. Smart buildings have an added benefit of providing additional services to its occupants along with security. By Lerato Mashiane
I
n the smart age building owners and facilities managers have a slew of security attacks that they have to protect the building and its occupants from these attacks. Technology plays a huge role in ensuring efficient and maximum protection against attacks. Cyberattacks have become commonplace since information and data has rapidly moved to cloud-based storage. The multinational technology company, Intel, frequently releases information and guidelines on the different ways building owners and facilities managers can best protect the business from unforeseen attacks. There is a wide variety of ways that hackers and cybercriminals could potentially attack a network through a smart building solution. Smart buildings will connect
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Most building owners and facilities managers are aware of cybersecurity risks but when it comes to phishing (a fraudulent action of sending emails claiming to be from reputable companies in order to entice individuals to revealing personal information such as passwords) the user is still the weakest link.
together a variety of building systems for example HVAC, lighting, refrigeration and surveillance and stakeholders including building managers and engineers, accounting, finance, IT and occupants. Building systems do not surf the web or open emails however, they still need to be safeguarded against malware hiding in payloads (a part of the transmitted data that is the actual message, headers and metadata are sent only to enable payload delivery. In the context of a computer virus or worm, the payload is the portion of the malware which performs malicious action. That could cause serious problems, like sabotaging mission-critical data or equipment damage. It is also imperative that malware does not gain access to the building’s systems through removable devices such as USB drives, CDs and DVDs. What also requires security protection are the personal computing devices that the stakeholders use to gain access into the building’s central system,
malware sometimes can gain access into the building’s central systems through a user interface. The personal computing devices would typically be infected through email attachments or websites and sometimes through shared networks, like internet connections. Most building owners and facilities managers are aware of cybersecurity risks but when it comes to phishing (a fraudulent action of sending emails claiming to be from reputable companies in order to entice individuals to revealing personal information such as passwords) the user is still the weakest link. The Verizon Data Breach Report of 2014 revealed that nearly one in five users will click on a link from a phishing email. However, malware is not the only way buildings can be attacked. Identity theft is also something that can wreak havoc to the security of the building. Impostors can impersonate staff members especially those who have administrative
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TECHNOLOGY
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Databases are an attractive target for cybercriminals especially if they contain personally identifiable information that can be sold or credentials that help them gain access to physical or intellectual property.
privileges that would allow them to take control of the central system in any way they desire. Databases are an attractive target for cybercriminals especially if they contain personally identifiable information that can be sold or credentials that help them gain access to physical or intellectual property. Robot networks, which are commonly known as botnets, are a series of script commands, or a programme that is designed to connect to something (in most cases it is a server) and carry out various functions. Botnet are not harmful in and of themselves however, malignant
programmes set up a botnet system once that have infiltrated the network. The result is a command-and -control architecture capable of spreading an infection within the network making cleanup considerably more difficult and damage potentially much greater. An attacker can cause a network to fail for a period of time by sending a deluge of requests and useless traffic that will slow the network down to a point of being unusable. A distributed denial-of services (DDos) attack is often carried out by multiple cybercriminals or machines. These attacks are usually done using botnets (remote computers that are under their own control) to bombard the site with requests.
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TECHNOLOGY
Cybercriminals create botnets by infecting a collection of computers sometimes hundreds or thousands with malware that gives them control of the machines, which will then allow them to stage an attack. With the introduction of the internet of things the security paradigm compared to conventional IT systems has changed. A transition from closed networks to the public internet takes place. Taking this fact into consideration protecting personal data becomes an important issue. In an IoT system many devices like sensors or actuators are located and each of them has strict security criteria. The networks themselves have to also be secured with additional security measures to minimise weak points of potential attacks. This includes the data protection on the transport layer of the IoT system. The information to be transmitted will be encrypted to protect the confidentiality and integrity. The use of certificates in a public key infrastructure ensures the authenticity. Relating to this to the highest levels of security will be given through mutual (server/client) authentication. Some hackers try to use “brute force” to access networks. This is essentially the high-tech version of trying every password combination within the parameters of the organisation to thwart login credential verification. It is easy for property owners and managers to become overwhelmed by the scope and complexity of securing a smart building. Good security captures the essential or minimum capabilities property owners and managers should ask their solution vendors to incorporate.
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The building management solution should have a central console that provided a unified view of the security across assets in the enterprise, including device, data, user, network and data center visibility delivered by the building management system. It is needed to simplify security operations, detect vulnerabilities and take prompt action when needed with the help of automated management capabilities. Configuring alerts and security responses based on the type and criticality of security events in the smart building as well as create automated workflows between security and IT operations systems to quickly remediate outstanding issues. Integrating security intelligence from multiple sources (firewalls, gateways, networks, cloud and building systems) and have them work as one. Automatically generate self-learning, contextual knowledge that that pinpoints threats and quickly adapts. Maximise protection when systems are able to learn about threats collectively. Security products are loaded on building systems and stakeholder devices. It is also advisable to block malware and unauthorised application through device lockdown and changing control. Minimise security risks on things that run on building systems and protecting their memory. Furthermore, avoiding unintended interactions between applications running on a building system, like an application accessing another’s memory space ad corrupting or stealing its data. In essence smart buildings can be very efficient and save money for property owners and businesses however, they are also vulnerable to all kinds of cyber-attacks, managers need always be alert. n
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Security products are loaded on building systems and stakeholder devices. It is also advisable to block malware and unauthorised application through device lockdown and changing control.
FM EXPO & CONVENTION
EXPO & CONVENTION
2018
HIGH SPIRITS AT THE 2018 FM EXPO
The cold Johannesburg weather did not seem to be a deterrent for people who were keen on attending the FM expo. When the doors opened for the visitors on Wednesday this signaled the positive mood that would carry throughout the show. The array of products exhibited on both days were suited for facilities managers, from landscaping, to coffee machines and even elevators. The exhibition was teeming with visitors eager to find out what the different vendors had on offer.
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ollowing the success of the past six years the FM Expo has become the go-to event for facilities managers and stakeholders alike. This year, however, the expo was held alongside Totally Concrete and African Construction and visitors were given the opportunity to attend all three shows. For many exhibitors it allowed them the opportunity to expand to other industries. Hall four at the Gallagher Convention Centre was abuzz with eager visitors and exhibitors ready to do business. The decision to hold the show on the 16th of May was strategically made to coincide with World FM Day. The show provided a space to learn and garner business for industry professionals and those aspiring to
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FM EXPO & CONVENTION
EXPO & CONVENTION
2018
be in the industry. Even in the cold weather, visitors were enthused by the effort that many of the exhibitors made for them. Like Nespresso and The Daily Buzz who were always available to provide piping hot coffee for those who came to their stands. Dave Kets from Nespresso was also very happy with the foot traffic that was moving towards his stand, however, he was not particularly happy with the students that only attended for the free coffee “[I] was concerned about the students because of the lack of business interaction, but the co-location with the other exhibition shows was great�. Dave soon found a quick solution for those who only came to stands for the free coffee: No business card no coffee. Some exhibitors were nervous having heard about other exhibitors pulling out, they soon found that to be advantageous because there was less competition vying for the attention of potential clients. Visitors were also very happy with the show and the spacious environment which allowed them to move around comfortably between the stands. The exhibition was not the only part of the show that was a success, the convention was
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also a huge hit. The speakers kept the delegates enthralled with their informative talks concerning the FM industry. For example, Jacques Swart, whose talk provided the technological perspective in facilities management. Taking a look at the technology that is changing the FM industry from drones to the internet of things. Many industry professionals kept their notebooks open ad their pens poised to jot down the very important information that was being shared. Cliff Hocking did an exceptional job as the convention chair ensuring that each speaker kept to the allotted time. David Pierre-Eugene from Discovery advised the delegates on how to create an iconic building and explained in detail the concept of ‘One’ which played a huge part in the planning of the building. Graeme de Bruyn interacted with the audience as he provided his perspective on influencing strategic alliances. The convention this year was independently organised by FM Expo, and many would say that it was a great success. Keenan Paulsen ended off the convention with a motivational talk, he too interacted with the audience, giving them different exercises to remind them of their desires. Save for the few minor glitches, all who had been in attendance confirmed that the FM Expo was a great success and are looking forward to the next one in Cape Town on September the 26th. Registration is open, so diarise this event and go to fmexpo.org and register today. n
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FM BUILDINGS
UP TO DATE OFFICE SPACE
PARK SQUARE LEADS THE WAY FOR FUTURE FORWARD WORK SPACES Rapid technological advancements have gifted people with the ability to redefine their work lives. Saying goodbye to the nine-to-five, many professionals around the world are now untethered from their desks, able to work remotely from anywhere and at any time thanks to WIFI, smartphones and a whole host of other tech savvy tools.
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he benefits of this work method have been lauded for increasing productivity and work-happiness in employees. While it seems work may have left the building, companies and employees are still in need of future-forward spaces to connect, collaborate and share ideas. As a result, many office developments are responding to this need by providing considered work environments that emphasize openness, transcend the idea of the daily grind and encourage a healthy work life balance in campus-style and community orientated spaces. In a 2017 article for Director, Monica Parker a behaviourist and founder of organizational change consultancy, Hatch, whose clients include Microsoft, Deloitte and the BBC says, “People always need a place to come together, and while coffee shops are great, people still like to have a place they can call a work home. I don’t think work has left the building – there is still that communal driver.” Today, companies are understanding more and more the importance of nurturing
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productivity through the significant benefits of open and flexible office environments. These benefits include creativity, knowledge sharing, teamwork and coordination. While Google, Apple and various other tech advanced companies have been operating like this for decades already, South Africa is just beginning to ride the crest of the flexible and open work wave. Cue Park Square, Nedbank’s iconic R1billion mixed-use office and retail development located within uMhlanga’s New Town Centre and thriving commercial hub. Bordering the popular CJ Saunders Park and featuring innovative commercial and retail offerings, Park Square with its considered restaurants, shops and coffee bars will offer a connected work culture incorporating a unique leisure offering seamlessly linked to a vibrant and open urban square. The Four Star Green Star-rated building, due for completion in October this year, includes 36 000m² of commercial space, 4 000m² of retail and an impressive
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People always need a place to come together, and while coffee shops are great, people still like to have a place they can call a work home.
3 500m² open public piazza. Furthermore, it’s easily accessible to pedestrians, offers abundant parking and is close to a GO!Durban Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN) stop. Ken Reynolds, Nedbank Property Finance Divisional Executive, property expert and Director of Nedport Developments, a subsidiary of Nedbank and Park Square’s developers says, “Projects like Park Square are effectively turning the South African urban planning paradigm
around. This innovative and connected space encourages people to think beyond the boardroom, take time to unplug and to connect with one another. By similarly drawing the surrounding communities for shopping and relaxing, the overall effect is a sociable, communal space that emphasises a convenient and balanced work life experience.” Park Square has already secured a series of high profile tenants including Nedbank, Spar and the IBV International Vaults. Spar Marketing Manager, Travis Anderson says, “Customers no longer want to shop in large centres. They want the convenience of parking, walking straight into the building, doing their shop and walking straight out. We love Park Square because of its convenient location in a fast-developing area and its proximity to the CJ Saunders park which will allow us extra exposure as we piggy back off activities held there.” Reynolds says, “If you can imagine your day like this; arrive at work with your baristamade coffee in hand, in a reusable mug of course, use the morning for planning and responding to mails followed by a quick jog
around the park at lunch, tuck into an artisanal deluxe sandwich bought from the Spar then attend afternoon meetings and drinks in the Square with your new client? Then you have imagined a day at Park Square.” Not forgetting profitability, a positive work environment increases productivity and in turn can have a significant impact on a company’s success. A reduction in staff downtime having amenities within walking distance of employee’s desks also reduces stress, as well as the lunchhour rush with staff being able to avoid having to leaving the campus for their various requirements – from healthcare to lunch and even a spot of recreational shopping. Reynolds says, “Park Square offers mutual benefit for the employer and the employees with its unique commercial and lifestyle aspects. This world-class destination offers a win-win situation for both, where staff benefit by working in an open, futureforward environment and companies reap the rewards on their bottom line,” he concludes. n Visit: www.parkquare.co.za to find out more
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WORKPLACE
STODDART REVIEW – WHY THE WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT IS KEY TO PRODUCTIVITY
The Stoddart review reveals that an effective workplace can improve business productivity by as much as 3.5%. By Andrew Mason - Workplacefundi
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he beginning of 2017 bought the FM world the long-awaited publication of the Stoddart Review (www.stoddartreview. com) which provided the latest thinking on why the workplace environment is key to productivity. The Stoddart Review is named after a British Facilities Management stalwart Chris Stoddart MCIOB FBIFM and is aimed at continuing his work in raising awareness amongst business leaders of the importance of the workplace as a key organisational performance lever. The review represents
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the latest research backed up by the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) and Sheffield Hallam University.
A Worldwide Problem Whilst the report draws conclusions focused on the UK market, there is learning here for all of us outside the British Isles. The data is extracted from The Leesman Index which is a database of workplace effectiveness performance data from 63 countries around the world covering 1629 offices and incorporating survey data from nearly 204,000 employees. The Leesman
Index is the world’s biggest and foremost independent performance measurement of how workplaces support the employees that they accommodate. It comprises a simple index (Lmi) which is based on a scale of 1-100 and allows employers to benchmark and compare the fitness of their corporate workplaces and measure their contribution to organisational performance. The Leesman Index data shows us that on average only a shockingly low 53% of respondents believe that their workplace allows them to work productively. At the highest performing level, the index shows
86% of employees say that their workplace enables them to work productively. Conversely, in the lowest performing spaces, this figure dropped to just 15%. The room for improvement is vast and therefore the “deafening silence on the effect of real estate and facilities on production is all the more surprising” says the CEO of the Crown Estate, Alison Nimmo CBE. Drawing my own analogy, any production line in a manufacturing operation that was operating at 53% would go out of business. You can be absolutely sure that correcting this would be the single most important task of the entire management and board. Knowledge work is an increasingly large majority of our western economies, so why then do we turn a blind eye to the productivity of our knowledge workers? I would turn to Patrick Lencioni’s explanation of ‘Better Light’ in his book The Advantage where he recounts a story from his childhood of an old episode of the hit TV comedy series I Love Lucy; Ricky, Lucy’s husband, comes home from work one day to find his wife crawling around the living room on her hands and knees. He asks her what she’s doing. “I’m looking for my earrings,” Lucy responds. Ricky asks her, “You lost your earrings in the living room?” She shakes her head. “No, I lost them in the bedroom…… But the light out here is much better.” And there it is, most leaders prefer to look for answers where the light is better, where they are more comfortable. And this is certainly the case where productivity is easily measurable and where a production line can easily be seen to be working or not. The productivity of knowledge workers is not so clear cut, but that does not excuse the lack of attempts to measure it. If you cannot understand it, you cannot control it, if you cannot control it, you cannot improve it. How then can this be the way to run a business? How is it then that this subject has gone largely unnoticed for so long? The Stoddart Review is a concerted effort to uncover the link between a workplace and the link to productivity.
Productivity Crisis There is a workplace productivity crisis around the world. Counter-intuitively as our workplaces become more technologically advanced, the productivity of knowledge workers continues to plummet. So, whilst the report confines itself to comments regarding the UK, these problems are universal, and
connections and extrapolations can be drawn across all international boundaries. Many opinions have been put forward about the reason for the productivity gap, but little or no evidence has been put forward about the connection between this and the workplace. The Review unequivocally makes the case about the connection of the workplace as a critical performance inhibitor or facilitator. The Review brings into sharp focus the difference we see in the normal management appraisals of staff performance which happen in almost all instances on at least an annual basis. Conversely businesses typically only review the effectiveness of their infrastructure when a lease event arises which may only be every 5 or 10 years. This begs the question that with employees representing up to 90% of an organisation’s cost base, why is ensuring that their working environment is optimised to improve their performance, not a top priority?
Beware what you Measure Back in 2012, I gave the keynote presentation at the South African Facilities Management Association (SAFMA) annual conference in Johannesburg. The subject of that presentation was that few organisations and the people managing those organisations seem to understand that savings in operational costs are not the primary ‘value add’ of FM and that the potential gains in their staff’s productivity are far more significant. This misalignment had come about due to the prevalent measurement of office efficiency as space utilisation as opposed to staff productivity. FM has for too long neglected the significance of the properties in which corporations operate as a means to connect those corporations to their markets for resources and customers. It is this shortsightedness that has led to the dominance of the cost-based focus on property measures as well as our fixation with the measurement and benchmarking of performance from an operational efficiency perspective i.e. • costs/employee • costs/m² • facilities cost as a % of the total operational cost The Stoddart Review confirms that this focus is still prevalent with utilisation studies that continue to look at increasing workplace densities. Typical densities of one person/7m² are now being achieved. These projects may well deliver increased occupant to density and space optimisation but as the review
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WORKPLACE
states, “They confuse spatial efficiency with the productivity of people and that these terms are being far too easily transposed” The Review further states “…the key to increasing density effectively is mobility. The freedom to move coupled with a choice of working environments that suit different types of work and personal preferences is the key to improving productivity” If the focus is on cost-based measures, it is no surprise that our Customers will continue to exert undue pressure to slash facility costs. These measures have little relevance to organisational health or corporate objectives and so consequently little attention is paid to the added value that FM can generate from supporting core business processes. Unless we provide an alternative then we are doomed to measure costs and consequently costs will be all that is managed. If, however, we align facilities strategy with business goals and objectives, then the facilities, and the professionals who manage them will come to be accepted as the valuable assets they are. The call to action in my 2012 presentation was that Corporate Real Estate and Facilities Management need to be able to present the argument that Facilities are of no value to their Client, regardless of the economic value, if it does not support the objectives of the Client’s organisation. In my 2012 presentation, I presented figures, which indicated a potential twentyfold effect if we were to focus on productivity as opposed to operational cost savings. Better still the Productivity and Operational
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cost affect the numerator and denominator of the equation respectively. They are not mutually exclusive and so can have a ‘double whammy’ effect by increasing revenue on the top line and decreasing cost on the bottom line. This makes FM a revenue driver to be improved not just a cost centre to be reduced. Strategic FM should be making these connections and measuring the effect of the ‘box’ on productivity of the people in the ‘box’ In the Stoddart Review, headline productivity increases are given at anywhere between 1-3.5%. This doesn’t sound like much but do not be deceived, that translates into potential productivity gains for the UK economy in excess of £70 billion.
Workplace Distractions The Review provides a clear understanding that the workplace itself can be a barrier to higher productivity and that large open plan offices do not necessarily result in greater collaboration, in fact, they can create resentment and increased stress levels in staff members due to a lack of privacy as well as being too noisy, distracting and irritating. The much quoted 2013 study by the University of California found that office workers were interrupted as often as once every three minutes and that once these distractions had occurred it could take as long as 23 minutes to get back to the task at hand. This is a damning indictment and akin to a low-cost typical supermarket retail strategy of Pack’em, Stack’em and Rack’em.
Wakeup Call Clearly, the answers do not lay solely in the hardware of the workplace. When a workspace is aligned with the organisation’s purpose values and brand it drives pride engagement and unlocks the elusive discretionary effort of the staff. To illustrate this point research from Gallup on the 12 dimensions of a healthy workplace indicates some interesting pieces of data. Firstly, people who have friends in the office are at least four times happier at work than those that don’t. Secondly, 21 % of those respondents that indicate that they have a best friend at work report that ‘they have the opportunity to do what they do best every day’ The review is a wake-up call to our industry as we attempt to find relevance in today’s market by calculating the value that we add as the guardians of the workplace. The review provides us with plenty of examples and context for us to convince our customers that they cannot afford to ignore the opportunity cost of an effective workplace. The review has gone to great lengths to include all aspects of the Real Estate industry in the panel as well as economists who examine the questions in-depth with a single purpose to help business leaders fully understand the contribution of the workplace to organisational performance. But as the Review points out, productivity is ultimately a human outcome, not an organisational one and the purpose of the workplace is the same as any other business tool and that is to make it as effective as they can be. n
WORKPLACE
THE BIG DEBATE: PAPER TOWELS OR HAND DRYERS IN RESTROOMS?
Restrooms are an important integral part of any facility, however, it is often overlooked in terms of design and accessibility. The design of public restrooms should be at the forefront of any considerations concerning the comfort of the people who will be occupying that public space at any given time. By Lerato Mashiane
A
well designed restroom is described by the Restroom Association in Singapore, as a space that is clean and dry with impeccable ventilation. The restroom should also be easy to maintain while still being able to be easily accessible to people living with disabilities. There are a lot of aspects that are involved in well designed restrooms. There are regulations in place to ensure that restroom spaces for people are designed in a manner that will yield comfort. In terms of sanitation the Department is
very clear on what employees need to be provided with, for example, it is a regulation in the Occupational act of 1983 that every employee should be provided with toilet paper or a similar cleaning agent. The employer is also responsible for providing towels for the sole use of employees or provide disposable paper towels or hot air blowers, in addition to that running hot and cold water for the washbasins. Slip-free flooring and effective drainage must also be a priority. The restroom space should also be well ventilated. Fresh water is a limited resource – far too valuable to
be wasted by flushing it down the toilet. A traditional water-flushing toilet uses 6 to 8 litres of water per flush, and depends on gravity to function properly. There has also been a debate about the more energy efficient and more costeffective method of drying when it comes to commercial restrooms. Some would say that it hand-dryers are more cost-effective methods and are more friendlier to the environment than paper towels, while others would argue that paper towels are more hygienic than hand-dryers. This debate
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WORKPLACE
has been going since the advent of modern sanitation technologies, both method of drying have their own benefits and there are certain environments where one may be more suitable than the other. With the transmission of bacteria more likely to occur from wet skin than from dry skin. Proper hand-drying is an imperative part of the hand washing routine that minimises the survival and transmission of potentially disease-carrying bacteria. In order to ensure best practice for that hygiene, it is recommended that hand-washing facilities contain hygienic hand drying facilities like automatic hand dryers or paper towels. Given that it is important to consider the hygienic qualities of both hand dryers and paper towels. While each method is capable of drying hands, paper towels and hand dryers do so with varying levels of efficiency. Where sanitation is paramount, multiple studies have found paper towels to be the most efficient form of drying. Taking into account the recommended drying times to minimise the amount of water remaining on hands comparing those to the observed amount of time people spent drying their hands. People using a high traffic washroom are unlikely to stand under hand dryers for the recommended period of time to ensure dry hands and hence they maximise the risk
of transmitting bacteria. Hand dryers are also much more likely to spread bacteria from hands that have not been washed properly. Whether a washroom is intended for high or low traffic usage must also be considered when choosing a suitable hand drying method. High traffic washrooms such as in airports or shopping centres, where a constant stream of traffic is expected, require regular maintenance to ensure general cleanliness regardless of the hand drying option selected. Installing paper towel dispensers requires replenishment of paper towels as well as waste disposal serving throughout the day. Installing hand dryers requires general maintenance as part of a regular cleaning regime, but to a much lesser extent as there is nothing to replenish or dispose of. Low traffic washrooms on the other hand are not under the same demanding conditions from a maintenance or hygiene perspective. The same consideration as with high traffic washrooms still apply, but lower frequency. Similarly the relationship between a washroom and the number of drying facilities that may be installed within, is directly related to the space available. Hand dryers generally protrude out from the wall and suffer from only being able to serve one person at a time. In a smaller space that caters for medium to high traffic, this can
be a drawback. Comparatively, a paper towel dispenser can be utilised by multiple people at once and if protrusion from the wall is an issue recessed options are available. The acoustics of hand drying methods are of key concern in noise-sensitive environments such as hospitals and agedcare facilities, where noise and noiseincluded disturbances have been linked to increased recovery time, increased perception of pain and contributing to communication errors. While paper towels are unlikely to be cause for concern, hand dryers specifically can have a negative impact depending on the proximity of the washroom to sensitive environments. Whether or not the sound of a hand dryer in use will carry through into environments such as offices or restaurants is also an important consideration. For these reasons it is important to consider a hand dryer’s noise level. (generally measured in decibels) to ensure the products suitability for the intended environment. In today’s climate the environmental impact of both paper towels and hand dryers must also be taken into account. Most paper towels are manufactured using plantation timber so as not to contribute to deforestation, however, the pulping process and transportation requirements, combined with the fact that paper towels contribute a significant amount to landfill due to their consideration as sanitary waste after use, means that paper towels are responsible for 56 grams of carbon dioxide emissions per use. In contrast, the majority of the greenhouse gas emissions produced in relation to hand dryers are derived from their lifetime energy use. As more and more regions switch to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, the carbon emissions from dryers will only decrease. As it stands, modern high-speed dryers are the most energy efficient format, causing between 9 and 40 grams of carbon dioxide emissions per use. The complexity of restrooms demands the same amount of attention given to any other part of the building. With the changing regulations and the constant development of innovative technology we are sure to see green, smart and comfortable commercial restrooms. n
Advertisers’ Index ASPFIRE 5
Cape Town FM Expo
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OBC
Softworx 13 Twinsaver 20
Wilconox IBC
Make sure you have diarised this year’s Facilities Management Expo and Convention Cape Town The LookOut, Cape Town Waterfront 26 September 2018 Visit fmexpo.org for updates and make sure you have subscribed to our database to receive updates. For exhibition stand sales, please call Brendan Kristiansen on 011 781 5970 or 072 365 5646
EXPO & CONVENTION
2018