Journal of Facility Management August 2009 Issue
5 Construction Tips To Reduce Operating And Maintenance Costs
By J.F. McCarthy A Facility Manager’s Construction Advice can Pay Big Dividends Facility managers are not construction experts by training and do not build every day, but they do know operating and maintenance methods and costs. On occasion, a facility manager will be asked to provide advice on design, or oversight and management of a renovation or construction project. In these cases, facility managers can suggest low or no cost construction changes that will drastically reduce operating and maintenance costs, and minimize the impact on the comfort and productivity of the occupants. Most of these suggested changes focus on engineering and practical installation details, not the architectural design. The mechanical design engineers will be well schooled and pay close attention to the energy efficiency of major mechanical systems. However, the cost effectiveness and efficiency of day-today operations and maintenance are not part of their thought and design process, so they may over look things that seem obvious to a facility manager. Contractors who install and commission the systems will be somewhat better, but will have a different purpose and point of view, and therefore may not give the attention to operation and maintenance concerns the facility manager might find most beneficial. Know what to request, and how to ask to gain acceptance To increase the probability that designers and contractors will readily understand and accept your suggestions requires “walking a mile in their shoes”, and “talking in terms of their interests, not yours”. This requires knowing just a little bit about how they do their work, and how they think about the construction project and their future prospects for additional work at the completed building. Both the designer and the contractor will always be optimistic that since they have constructed the building, they will have the “inside track” on future renovations or construction projects at the facility. So they will believe that any detail that makes future renovation activities more economical and easier will benefit them. ( Pride in good work well done can also contribute to this attitude.) Ease and low cost of future alterations and maintenance activities is also the goal of the facility manager, so both parties can win. The contractor will be responsible for commissioning the entire project, including the mechanical electrical systems. Commissioning requires adjustment and possible replacement of individual fixtures and components throughout the facility. Segregation of the mechanical and electrical systems into small zones makes this activity hugely easier and cheaper. This segregation also translates into ease of maintenance and lower operating cost for the facility manager. Using these ideas, five construction changes the facility manager can request to improve operations are identified below. And how to ask for them, speaking in terms of the other person’s interest so that acceptance is probable at low or no cost, is explained.
Curbs, Sidewalks, and Floors Should Align for the Life of the Building Connections maintain smooth walkways For safety, handicapped accessibility, and appearance the walking surfaces of the building floors, stoops, sidewalks, and curbs must remain aligned throughout the life of the building. However, changes in the moisture content of the underlying soil and, and in cold climates freezing and thawing of the soil, will cause portions of these surfaces to heave and settle. Improper compaction of the soil at time of construction could also be a cause. This motion can be managed by connecting these adjacent surfaces either by doweling (inserting a piece of steel reinforcing such as #5 (1/2” diameter) rebar from one surface to the other) at about 12-18 inches on center, or by resting one surface on a ledge constructed in the other. This is most easily done when pouring the concrete, but can also can be drilled or sawn after the concrete has hardened. These connection would appear both on the architectural and civil drawings. Be willing to accept either the doweling or the ledge. The concrete forming practices in your area, or the forms owned by contractors, may make one of the solutions impractical or very expensive. Make your request in the form “ we would like doweling or keyways to reduce the possibility of future weather caused movement.” By blaming the weather you will not appear to imply poor workmanship. And the contractor will know this is the right thing to do, and that it will minimize callbacks and complaints. Plumbing Maintenance should be Easy and Not Inconvenience Occupants Zoning domestic water distribution with valves keeps repairs fast and simple Domestic hot and cold water distribution pipes should include valve segregation by functional zone to maximize ease of maintenance and minimize impact on the occupants. Building codes are nearly silent on this feature, so the facility manager must speak up. The functional areas are any grouping of plumbing fixtures, such as a break room, mechanical room, or set of toilets. Each area on each floor should have a hot and cold water shut off valve, so that maintenance can be performed without a building wide shut down. These valves should be shown on the engineer’s plumbing drawings. The valve stops under a sink do not often hold or hold properly, so should not be counted as zone control valves. Separate valving of men’s and women’s back-to-back toilets will require costly doubling of the piping, so should not be requested. Keep them both on the same zone. Ask “show me the valves I would shut off to replace a fixture in this room, and what else does it shut off” and they will get the picture in terms of their interests. The contractor will appreciate this control in the commissioning process, and will think this was the right thing to do it anyway.
Fire Protection Sprinkler Maintenance can be Managed Zone valves and drains lower maintenance cost and add convenience When maintenance, repair, or construction requires alteration to the wet fire protection sprinkler system, the system’s water must be drained. From the time that it is drained until alterations are complete and the system is refilled, there is no fire protection of the building. If the system is valve segregated into smaller
zones, only a small portion or the system needs to be drained and taken off line. This both speeds the operation and maintains fire protection coverage for the rest of the building. The valving of fire protection sprinkler lines is substantially governed by NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) codes, but there is some latitude in the number and location of valves. A shut off valves located on every riser on every floor can change a service activity from a four hour service call to a twoman job requiring over sixteen hours – and this is just for the drain down and refill. The contractor would have this diseconomy in commissioning, but the facility manger would suffer this cost for each and every such activity for the life of the building. The drain downs require a drain near the valve location, and in a location suitable for your purposes, so that hoses or buckets are not placed in undesirable occupied areas. The valves will be shown on the fire protection drawings, and the drains will be shown on the plumbing drawings. Point to an area and say “ if I need to change a head in this area, where is the valve and how much area will it shut down” and “ show me the drain we would use”. Freight Elevator Cab Right Sizing Aids Moves and Renovations Buy standard, but buy wisely Vertical transportation is critical for moves, maintenance, and renovation. Electrical conduit, much piping, and drywall for nine foot ceiling heights requires elevator cab depth of 10 foot 6 inches. All elevators will have a ceiling hatch, but the hatch can be oversized to accommodate metal studs in the 12 to 16 foot range. Elevator cab sizes are usually shown in the specifications, but less frequently on the architectural drawings. If these depth and hatch requirements are met, renovations, alterations, and moves can be accomplished with no special hoisting provisions. If no correctly sized freight elevator exists, the need for special rigging on top of the elevator cab (not the safest procedure), or removal of windows and erection of temporary platforms and crane hoisting can make small simple activities time consuming and cost prohibitive. The practices and economies of the elevator industry make purchase one of their standard models compelling, but there still is some dimensional variation in these models. The requirements described above can just barely be accommodated with these standard models. Don’t get greedy and ask for more. The next step in size is a big one, and may also require costly alteration to the building structure. Manage the Number and Kind of light fixture Lamps for Economy The number of light fixture types should match your inventory management goals To optimize lamp inventory, the number of different light fixtures should be minimized. An office building may have 15 different light fixtures, and an adjacent warehouse or production facilities might add 5 more. Some buildings with many functional areas, such as a hospital, legitimately require a greater number. If a straightforward building has a large number of light fixtures - 40 to 60- the design engineers could be asked reconsider the level of precision required and reduce the number to conform to your operating and maintenance goals. The number of light fixtures can be found on the engineer’s electrical drawings on the “fixture schedule”, a matrix listing the fixture type, name, make, and model number.
Lamp costs vary hugely. Small changes produce large cost savings Lamp costs vary a lot, so the cost of each lamp should be identified. The exact lamp for each fixture can be found usually not on the engineers’ electrical drawings, but on the on the detailed technical submittals called “fixture catalog cuts”, “fixture cuts” or “fixture submittals”. Preparation these submittals by the electrical supply house (usually through the contractor) is a normal and customary requirement. Prices on these lamps can be obtained from your current vendors, or commercial electrical supply houses. Prices on lamps of similar purpose, light quantity, color characteristics, and life can vary by a 1000 percent. Don't look for perfection, but look for lamps that are within 200 percent of the lower lamp price.
Ask Early for Maximum Benefit Make your suggestions part of the design, not a change to the design These construction suggestions with big operating benefits can be obtained at very low, or in most cases, no cost. But you have to ask the designers and contractors in a way they understand, so they think they are benefiting themselves rather than helping your future maintenance and operating activities. Accepted construction suggestions lower operating and maintenance effort and cost, while maximizing the convenience and productivity of the occupants. To obtain maximum benefit from these suggestions, the facility manager’s input should be given very early in the design development process. If these suggestion are built into the final design drawings, the cost will be minimal. If asked very late, after the drawings and prices are finalized, some may feel compelled to request extra compensation for work that previously would have given for free. More information on these and other suggestions can be found in the book Choosing Project Success- A Guide for Building Professionals. The book can be reviewed at www.partebi.com, or in the IFMA bookstore in Houston.