Expect the Unexpected with Building Systems

SAN FRANCISCO—There are issues to keep in mind when maintaining a building and its systems. Building owners can presume that operational performance improvements will equate with increased tenant satisfaction.

One vital piece of the equation is asset tagging, according to Jeff Wilkins, CEO of Motili. This involves taking inventory of the systems inside a commercial building and making a list of the makes, models, ages and years of installation.

While asset tagging ensures that systems are cared for in a prioritized fashion, there are also other actions to consider when repairing or replacing a building system. The latest tracking systems allow building owners to understand and keep track of the type, age and condition of the equipment in a building and the best course for remediation. By gathering and using this information prior to making any investment decisions, owners keep tenants informed of any changes being made while building systems are maintained, says Wilkins.

According to BOMA, early adoption is crucial for technology effectiveness in commercial real estate. More than half of building industry professionals expect artificial intelligence/machine learning and drone technologies to have a significant or profound impact on the future of the industry.

High-use buildings such as multifamily buildings, hotels and senior living housing require particular ongoing and routine maintenance. A building owner can optimize ongoing efforts by cataloging those tasks that are completed the most frequently, have the highest labor rates and cost the most to complete. Those items that check two or all three of the boxes are prime candidates for streamlining, Wilkins says.

Property owners should also streamline equipment sourcing on some projects, while optimizing labor rates on others. Whatever repetitive tasks and equipment repairs occur at a facility, there is usually a way to improve the equipment or the labor supply chain to reduce operational expenses.

For example, there are ways to optimize work between in-house maintenance and outside contractors. Reviewing the type of daily work that internal staff is completing can provide important insight into how to optimize the workloads of the staff in the building and external resources. Additionally, contractors usually carry lower hourly rates than employees and can provide needed flex time without paying for additional overtime or headcount, Wilkins says.

“But, expect the unexpected,” he tells GlobeSt.com. “Often, when a single HVAC system or water heater fails at an apartment building or a hotel, others are likely to follow. Mechanical and electronic systems typically fail along a bath tub curve. This means it is likely to see a few failures early on, nearly zero failures during the middle of a warranty period and then an increasing failure rate as systems age beyond their warranty period.”

By collecting information on these failures, along with the information on system age and condition, a building owner can optimize system investments. That is, the systems that are most at risk of failure to prevent unnecessary downtime or tenant disruption. And often, tenants are the first to spot problems.

“The tenant is the first set of eyes on the ground,” Wilkins tells GlobeSt.com. “Tenants often are the first to notice when a system malfunctions. The break can be as simple as an air conditioning unit that needs to be switched out, to a water pipe leaking through multiple apartments. Some tenants may not notify you of an issue right away. However, some may leave a poor review online at the slightest hint of any malfunctioning system.”

Maintenance tracking can help property owners understand and predict what will happen to a building’s systems during its lifespan. It is also important to consider next steps and what will be needed when those systems need to be repaired or replaced.