Facilities Management Ensures Sustainability Takes Root

Oasis Terraces, Singapore
Oasis Terraces, Singapore

There is a common misconception that the facilities management sector handles only the up-keeping, operations and maintenance activities of buildings. In reality, the role of facilities management goes beyond operations and maintenance – FM plays an integral and key role in the pursuit for environmental sustainability and a healthy and comfortable space for its occupants and users.

We are seeing an increasing demand for Sustainable Facilities Management, which refers to the process of maximising the economic, social and environmental benefits of sustainability by bringing businesses, people, and places together in an integrated manner.

The facilities management sector are in a driving position to help building and property owners achieve its environmental sustainability objectives with the reduction of utility consumption, reduction of potential environmental impact, and improvement of indoor environmental quality for better health and well-being. For example, facilities managers ensure that building occupants and users have conducive space to work in, while also balancing resource usage to ensure the building remains environmentally friendly.

With the built environment driven by all things sensing, connected and intelligent, its environmental sustainability initiatives can be achieved through the adoption of smart lighting design and devices to ensure a well-lit space whenever in demand, deployment of smart sensors to ensure that air-conditioning is only active in areas in which people are present, and smart water meters in identifying high consumption and eliminating wastages due to leakages, to name a few features in a green and sustainable space.

It is no coincidence that the sustainability initiatives are well integrated into CPG Facilities Management’s DNA – CPGFM’s office was certified with the BCA’s Green Mark Office Interior (Gold Plus) in 2018 and obtained Green Facilities Management accreditation from the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) in the same year.

As Singapore becomes increasingly aware of the importance of environmental sustainability in the built environment, it will be exciting to see how the role of facilities managers evolves, and how CPG Facilities Management can work together with building and property owners in ensuring that sustainability takes root.

For further discussions on the issue of sustainability, check out some of the other insightful articles on the CPG News and Insights page, including this piece about the importance of greenery and sustainability in the ASEAN region, as well as this post discussing the benefits of biophilic design and its ties to the focus on sustainability.

By Alan Goh and Phoebe Ong

Alan Goh, Senior Vice President at CPG Facilities Management, heads the company’s corporate services and a facilities management division.

Phoebe Ong, Vice President & GMFM at CPG Facilities Management, was instrumental in the BCA-MOE Back to School Programme, an initiative to enhance students’ engagement and education in environmental sustainability and to groom the next generation of “green collars” workforce.