Inefficiencies in the Management of a Residential Building and Solutions

This article discusses the inefficiencies in managing a residential building and proposes solutions to address them. It covers topics such as energy sources, indoor environment, water usage, emissions, materials, and transport. It also explains how to apply Life Cycle Management in procurement. No specific subject, course code, or college/university mentioned.

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Task 1
Section 1
Inefficiencies in the Management of a Residential Building
Current trends in facility management require managers to apply sustainable methods in
managing a facility. The current trends expect facilities and buildings to use a form of energy
that is environmentally friendly. The quality of the indoor environment should be conducive for
the residents. Homeowners must ensure that the residents are using and reusing water to prevent
wastage. Constructors of a residential facility should recycle the materials to minimise the
building and maintenance costs. The managers should also manage gaseous emissions to prevent
their entry into the atmosphere. This section will discuss the inefficiencies in managing a
residential building.
The current trends require residential building managers to install sustainable sources of
energy in the residential premises1. However, a residential building that I monitored in the past
had energy inefficiencies. The manager relied on generators using petrol to supply power to the
entire building. The combustion of the petroleum emitted harmful gases into the atmosphere.
Additionally, the generator was a source of noise pollution to the residents and the neighborhood.
Apart from the generators, the management connected all tenants to one meter of electricity. The
joint meter was a source of commotion among the residents as they fail to agree on electricity
payment.
The quality of the indoor environment determines the comfort and health status of the residents2.
The residential building that I worked with in the past had a poor quality of indoor environment
due to various reasons. Firstly, the houses lacked comfort controllers hence limiting their
1 Campbell. "An exploration of how research can aid the development of facilities management." Facilities
35, no. 5/6 (2017): 356-366.
2 Ibid.

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inhabitability. Secondly, the facility lacked a device to monitor its carbon dioxide levels; high
amounts of the gas make life uncomfortable for the residents. Thirdly, the painters used VOC
paint on the walls. The smell of the paint is harmful to the environment and the tenants.
Sustainable water use is also a current trend in Australian Property Management3. In the
residential building that I dealt with in the past, the residents had to carry water to the urinals.
The act of cleaning the urinals after use consumed a lot of water. The residential building lacked
rain harvesting tanks to store rainwater; thus, the residents could not tap the natural resource for
their usage. The premises also lacked facilities for retaining stormwater; hence limiting the
sources of water for the residents. Therefore, the tenants relied on water from the water and
sewerage cooperation companies.
Efficient usage of materials during construction is a trend that most masons are
embracing in the current age4. However, I noticed wastage in the residential building that I
observed in the recent past. The masons used the concrete without recycling the one falling off
the roof. The management of the building spent a lot of money in purchasing construction
materials. The Masons failed to reuse the building components; thereby, leading to wastage.
Additionally, I witnessed a wasteful use of the PVC during the construction process. The
plumbers used unsustainable timber products leading to additional wastage of construction
materials.
Controlling gaseous emissions to the atmosphere prevents global warming and climatic
changes5. Managing the emissions of harmful gases is a current trend in the management of
residential buildings. The building that I observed lacked detectors of refrigerant leaks.
Refrigerant gases contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer; hence, permitting the penetration
3. Ibid., 358
4. Ibid., 361
5.Ibid., 363

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of UV rays. The propellants and the refrigerators in the building lacked the recommended low
ODP. Moreover, the pieces of machinery used during the time of construction were emitting
carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The residential premises also lacked a proper method of waste
disposal; thereby, allowing the environmental emission of waste materials.
Sustainable means of transport are essential in the management of a residential facility6.
The residential building that I recently monitored applied certain unsustainable transportation of
construction materials from the hardware to the site. The manager used a private car to transport
light materials to the construction site, an exercise that consumed a lot of fuel. The management
opted for truck transportation in moving heavy materials, an exercise that was costly to the
building owners. The management opted for road transport in moving materials that required
containerization. The building owners failed to use the sustainable means of transport like
electric vehicles.
Section 2
Addressing the Inefficiencies
The residential building that I dealt with in the past had several inefficiencies regarding energy
sources and the quality of the indoor environment. Sustainability issues also arose in water usage
and the management of emissions. Improper usage of materials and unsustainable means of
transport also need urgent attention. The usage of petroleum generators requires a renewable
energy alternative to prevent air and noise pollution. The management should also adopt
sustainable means of transporting building materials from the hardware to the construction site.
This section will propose solutions to address the inefficiencies at the residential building.
6. Nielsen, Sarasoja, and Galamba. "Sustainability in facilities management: an overview of current
research." Facilities 34, no. 9/10 (2016): 535-563.

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The building joined all residents to a single electricity meter. Additionally, the tenants
rely on generators using petroleum to supplement electric supply. The management should apply
tenancy sub-metering for effective electric supply. The custodians of the residential premises
should also replace the generators with power sources like solar energy which is environmentally
friendly. Ocean Wave Technology and wind turbines are other sustainable sources of energy that
can replace the use of petroleum fuel7. The tenants should request for LED lighting and T5 to
facilitate their indoor activities at night. High tech roves and facades area also source of
sustainable energy.
The building had a poor quality of the indoor environment; thus, making tenants
uncomfortable. The premises lacked comfort controllers, devices for monitoring carbon dioxide
among other inefficiencies. The management should insert comfort controllers in each room at
the residential building. The custodians should also monitor the levels of carbon dioxide and
control it to ensure comfort. The painters should use low VOC paints for decoration to minimise
the emission of global warming gases. The building should have a weather station to help
residents in observing any atmospheric changes. Thermal modelling ensures a quality indoor
environment; hence, the management should embrace the modern trend.
Tenants of the building experienced water wastage due to improper management. The
residents use a lot of water in the urinals and also lack tanks for harvesting rainwater. The
building lack water tanks for harvesting rainwater. The management should construct waterless
urinals to minimize water wastage8. The custodians of the building should avail a tank to harvest
rainwater. The tenants should reuse the water to avoid further wastage. The residents can use
7. Kassem, Kelly, Dawood, and Lockley. "BIM in facilities management applications: a case study of a
large university complex." Built Environment Project and Asset Management 5, no. 3 (2015): 261-277.
8. Ibid., 262

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dirty water to irrigate their crops. The building management should also put measures to retain
storm water. Additionally, the tenants should re-use the storm water to eliminate wastage.
The masons and plumbers did not recycle building materials; hence, escalating the costs
of construction. The masons should recycle specific materials to cut the costs of purchasing new
ones. Additionally, PVC minimization contributes to the cutting of construction expenses9. The
management should encourage the use of sustainable products of timber during plumbing. The
construction specialists should recycle paper and flooring products to minimize the costs of
materials. The masons should also recycle concrete to ensure sustainable construction process.
Applying recycled components also cuts the costs of purchasing new building materials. The
construction experts should prefer renewable materials to nonrenewable ones to ensure
sustainability of resources during construction.
The building that I dealt with in the past also lacked a proper method of dealing with
harmful gaseous emissions. The refrigerant lacked a leak detector. The management of the
residential premises should use low ODP propellants and refrigerators to avoid the emission of
ozone gases10. The refrigerant should have a leak detector for detecting the emission of harmful
gases into the atmosphere. Technicians should mend the refrigerant to prevent any leakages. The
construction experts should also ensure that the machinery under use emits little levels of carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere. The management should have appropriate ways of managing
chemical wastes from the residential area.
The manager of the building used unsustainable means of transporting building materials
from the hardware to the construction site. For example, the manager opted for personal care in
moving materials to the site. The management should opt for public transport in moving
9. Ibid., 266
10. Ibid., 275

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materials as it is cheaper than private means11. The custodians of the residential premises should
also consider other sustainable means of transport like electric vehicles and car-pooling
initiatives. The management should also reduce the use of truck transport due to its unsustainable
nature. Transportation of goods through containerization is also a viable means of transport.
Section 3
Applying Life Cycle Management (LCM) in Procurement
LCM is a strategic system of management that explores the environmental, economic,
and social impact of a purchased product or service12. Therefore, managers applying LCM in
procurement would purchase products with desirable environmental, social, and economic
impacts. The life cycle of a product entails its manufacture, usage, and disposal. Application of
LCM enables procurement officers to purchase products or services that are durable. The
strategic system can help procurement officers to choose an expensive product or service over a
cheaper one due to durability dynamics.
The Think-Ask-Access-Act cycle relies on the LCM to source for an appropriate service
for a facility like the Australian property management13. The procurement officers should first
brainstorm about the potential and actual impacts of the service. The management should source
for services that are environmentally friendly. Additionally, the social implications of the service
should be desirable to the users. For example, a residential building should use renewable
sources of energy due to their favourable environmental impacts.
11. Roper and Payant. The facility management handbook. Amacom, (2014): 345-400.
12. Epstein Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring corporate social,
environmental and economic impacts. Routledge, 2018.
13. Sonnemann, Gemechu, Remmen, Frydendal, and Jensen. "Lifecycle management: Implementing
sustainability in business practice." In Lifecycle management, pp. 7-21. Springer, Dordrecht, 2015.

7
The procurement officers should request the suppliers to avail the data on life cycle
during the process of tendering14. Services or products with long life cycles are desirable due to
their economic advantages. The purchasing officers should ask the suppliers to help reduce the
undesirable environmental impacts of a specific product. If possible, the company should hire
services that have desirable social and ecological effects on users.
Proper assessment of service suppliers is necessary before deciding on hiring or
purchase15. The evaluation should base on the life cycle of the service or the product. The service
should meet the economic, social, and environmental requirements. For example, managers of a
building premise should purchase LED lights if all tenants are comfortable with the lighting
system. However, the procurement officers should overlook services that do not appeal to all
residents in the building.
After thinking, asking, and assessment, the procurement officers, should proceed with
hiring the most qualified service. The management of a residential building should make an
investment that can address possible environmental problems. An example of an environmental
issue is pollution. The painters of the floor should use paints with low VOC to curb the emission
of global warming gases. Therefore, the procurement team should prioritise the purchase of
paints with low VOC to curb environmental effects.
The LCM framework requires procurement officers to purchase products or services with
unique features16. Appropriate products are those with systems that protect them against fire.
Therefore, the purchasing officers should overlook products without the fire protection system.
An example of a product that should have a fire protection system sockets and television sets.
Additionally, the purchasing officers should employ an expert to maintain the fire protection
14 Ibid.
15 Ibid., 8
16 Ibid., 9

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system. The management must source for compliance testing in the maintenance of fire
protection devices. Regular editing services are also needed to maintain the system. Therefore,
the management must ensure proper supervision of the system. Facility administrators should
monitor and respond to fire incidences at all times.
The LCM framework also requires purchase officers to hire mechanical services for
maintenance of several facility types of equipment17. The services include air-conditioning,
ventilation, and heating. Additional mechanical services are plumbing, building automation and
pipework. The manager should ask the in-house specialist to conduct the mechanical services.
The management can also outsource the services of a specialist organisation to sort out any
mechanical issues. An air-conditioned apartment breeds comfort to the residents than one
without the service. Providing water to tenants is another way of ensuring their comfort at the
residential premise.
LCM also requires facility managers to employ the appropriate security for various
fields18. Physical security services are necessary to protect the tenants against theft and other
criminal activities. Physical security includes bars, locks, doors, gates, and fences. Electronic
security also assists in protecting the well-being of the residents. Access controls and alarm
systems provide the required electronic security. Human resources security like mobile patrol
and employing security guards also protect the residents. Armed security personnel should escort
cash-in-transit to prevent incidences of theft. Finally, information security prevents access to a
company's data by unauthorized individuals.
17 Ibid., 12
18 Ibid., 15

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Bibliography
Campbell, Lucy Zarina. "An exploration of how research can aid the development of facilities
management." Facilities 35, no. 5/6 (2017): 356-366.
Epstein, Marc J. Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring
corporate social, environmental and economic impacts. Routledge, 2018.
Kassem, Mohamad, Graham Kelly, Nashwan Dawood, Michael Serginson, and Steve Lockley.
"BIM in facilities management applications: a case study of a large university complex."
Built Environment Project and Asset Management 5, no. 3 (2015): 261-277.
Nielsen, Susanne Balslev, Anna-Liisa Sarasoja, and Kirsten Ramskov Galamba. "Sustainability
in facilities management: an overview of current research." Facilities 34, no. 9/10 (2016):
535-563.
Roper, Kathy, and Richard Payant. The facility management handbook. Amacom, (2014): 345-
400.
Sonnemann, Guido, Eskinder Demisse Gemechu, Arne Remmen, Jeppe Frydendal, and Allan
Astrup Jensen. "Lifecycle management: Implementing sustainability in business
practice." In Lifecycle management, pp. 7-21. Springer, Dordrecht, 2015.