Ben Ilozor

An analysis of the embodied energy of office buildings by height

Aims to compare the energy embodied in office buildings varying in height from a few storeys to over 50 storeys. The energy embodied in substructure, superstructure and finishes elements was investigated for five Melbourne office buildings of the following heights: 3, 7, 15, 42 and 52 storeys. The two high‐rise buildings have approximately 60 percent more energy embodied per unit gross floor area (GFA) in their materials than the low‐rise buildings. While building height was found to dictate the amount of energy embodied in the “structure group” elements (upper floors, columns, internal walls, external walls and staircases), other elements such as substructure, roof, windows and finishes seemed uninfluenced.

Management communication strategies determine job satisfaction in telecommuting

The aim of this article is to examine the relationships between several management communication strategies and the job satisfaction of telecommuters. A review of the literature revealed that several management communication strategies directly influence job satisfaction of telecommuters. However, this claim has not been objectively tested on Australian telecommuters. Hence, a sample of 43 telecommuters, mostly from IBM Australia, were surveyed and the results analysed using Pearson’s product‐moment correlation. Eleven aspects of the strategies were found to have significant influence on the job satisfaction of telecommuters: communicating job responsibilities; goals and objectives; deadlines and job expectations; communicating freely and regularly; providing appropriate equipment; training and career development; and reviewing work and salary regularly. This article concludes that cultural, economic and social contexts may have a distinct part to play in the impact of management communication strategies on the job satisfaction of telecommuters.

The impact of work settings on organisational performance measures in built facilities

A current facilities management discourse seeks to discover how the built environment promotes or retards organisational change. However, whether or not significant change arises at all is yet to be definitively established. Hence, a contribution to the school of thought in this direction is considered important. This research investigated organisational performance relative to innovative work settings. The aim of the study was to determine whether organisational performance and, hence, change are indeed brought about by innovative work settings. A sample of 102 work settings was studied, and several null hypotheses on innovative work settings and organisational performance were tested using the Kruskal‐Wallis H test. Although subtle shifts were observed in the aspects of organisational performance that seem predicated on innovative work settings, to some extent the proposition that the physical properties and design of the workplace can influence organisational performance was validated.

Height and construction costs of buildings in Hong Kong

The majority of buildings in Hong Kong come into the multi-storey category. The conventional wisdom of construction economics suggests that the cost of construction per square metre increases as buildings become higher. This paper summarizes earlier research on the subject and adopts a descriptive approach to present investigations into the cost-height relationship of buildings constructed in Hong Kong. Initial findings seem to suggest a different situation in Hong Kong - arguably the epitome of a ‘tall’ built environment. Possibly, there are factors concerning the design economics of tall buildings that are specific to those urban locations where they are more common. This point would suggest that a different set of criteria should be applied in the judgement of how height affects cost depending on the context and commonality of tall buildings in the location under consideration.

FM puzzle: sick building and Sydney’s open‐plan offices

Presents analytical findings of sick building situations in Sydney’s open‐plan offices. Aims to ascertain facilities managers’ perceptions of sick building impacts on discrete aspects of workspace management, with a view to raising general awareness. A total of 100 open‐plan offices in the Sydney CBD were studied, and collated data analysed using partial correlation. Significant associations were found between sick building syndrome and certain aspects. However, management control played moderating roles in some of the associations. Concludes that, with management control, sick building syndrome may be perceived as critical to only a limited workspace aspect. The implication is for sick building syndrome to be largely generalised as inconsequential to many aspects of work environment in Sydney, probably following the Hawthorne management ideology.

FM application in the hospitality sector

When applied to hotels, the terms “facilities management” and “hotel management” are in many ways synonymous. Certainly effective management of the physical aspects in the hotel business is essential for maximum efficiency. This paper presents a research into facilities management operations in medium sized hotels (11‐50 rooms) in the UK. Medium sized hotels were selected for this research, since 90 per cent of UK hotels have fewer than 50 bedrooms. The key objective is to establish any trends that suggest a relationship between the application of facilities management techniques and the success of hotel businesses. Financial measures were not identified as being of critical importance and there seemed to be more of an interest in cost reduction than in income growth.