Eeva Määttänen

Facilities management driving green building certification: a case from Finland

Purpose – The aim of this study is to identify and understand the role of facility services in the environmental performance of existing office buildings.Design/methodology/approach – The study observes how a facilities management (FM) service provider develops its service processes to meet environmental efficiency objectives. The environmental objectives are adopted from a commonly used green building rating system. The developed processes and services are then analysed and tested against a case facility.Findings – The results indicate that FM service processes have both direct and indirect influence on the building environmental performance metrics. The results show that, by relatively light changes and modifications to the FM service processes, quite extensive environmental benefits can be achieved.Research limitations/implications – The study is preliminary and the results are based on the single case study. Only one service provider was assessed. Moreover, the case study represents a situation where ...

Applying the KANO model to analyse the value of green FM

Purpose – This research project studies office tenants’ perceived value of green service attributes, with the focus being on facility services and management. The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding of what kind of green attributes tenants value in their office buildings. Design/methodology/approach – The research project was conducted using a single case study methodology. A green facilities management concept was tested in a pilot building. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire based on the Kano model of attractive quality. In addition, open-ended questions were asked to further understand the tenants’ views on the matter. Findings – The findings of the research project indicate that tenants have begun to value green attributes in their office buildings. While environmental efficiency is not yet a strategic guideline for small tenants, it would increase their satisfaction with facility management and services. Practical implications – Facility management and service organisati...

Remote energy management benefits in retail building portfolios

Purpose – The study aims to investigate the effects of a remote energy management service to the energy consumption of retail buildings. The study focuses on analysing the changes in energy consumption after the implementation of a facility service concept where building processes are optimized with a remote energy management system. The paper seeks to demonstrate that remotely operated building management practices, which allow high competence service for all facilities, have a positive impact, beyond traditional facility services, on energy and environmental performance of buildings. Design/methodology/approach – The research analyses the metered energy consumption of two retail building portfolios comprising altogether 44 properties. Additionally, secondary data are collected from archive reviews, observation and interviews. Findings – The research shows that remote energy management service reduced the total energy consumption during the two-year service period by 12 and 6 per cent depending on the po...