Inefficiencies in the Management of a Residential Building and Solutions

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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.