How Facilities Management Services Can Increase Your Building's Lifespan

Preventative Maintenance 

One of, if not the most beneficial aspect of Facilities Management is the implementation of preventative maintenance. Instead of waiting for systems to breakdown or malfunction, your Facilities Management team will schedule and carry out inspections and maintenance of your critical systems, ensuring that they are functioning as expected, and alerting you of any potential issues. 

These routine checks and minor repairs maintain the smooth operation of your facility, preventing otherwise unseen issues from becoming large and costly problems. This also means that you don't have halt your workflow in order to react and remedy unexpected issues. In doing so, this keeps your facility running under less stress, in-turn increasing its lifespan and reducing any downtime for your business. 

An example of this can be commonly found in foul water systems, where you only become aware of any issues when you are faced with a nasty blockage, which damages your property, halts your businesses workflow, and unnecessarily costs you money in unblocking what could have easily been avoided with proper routine maintenance. 

Optimised and Smart Systems 

Using energy efficient and smart systems reduces the overall stress on your buildings infrastructure. This is generally done in two ways: 

Firstly, by implementing smart sensors, your Facilities Manager can access and monitor information, aiding with their routine preventative maintenance. This data can alert them to areas which will require attention sooner than expected, and therefore prevent any damage from occurring. This also means that anomalies can be detected, such as severe weather deteriorating areas of your facility, which would have otherwise gone undetected. 

Secondly, by optimising the systems within your building, you can reduce the overall stress of the loads it experiences. Your Facilities Manager can implement this in regard to many areas, from electrical loads, to maintaining the best temperature for your facility. Optimisation can also come in far simpler forms, such as using more suitable materials, meaning they require less maintenance and replacements over time. 

Safety and Compliance 

As the times change, so do the regulations and scrutiny that your facility faces. In order for your workspace to function far into the foreseeable future, you must ensure that it complies with the law. Your Facilities Manager will update you as these changes occur, and let you know exactly what needs to be done. 

A safe workspace isn't only beneficial to keep the insurance companies happy, it also means that your building won't experience any unnecessary damage, such as a fire caused by unsafe electrical appliances, and it keeps your occupants free from any preventable dangers.   

Cleaning and Upkeep 

The longevity of a building doesn’t just concern its systems, but also its surfaces, materials, and relevant surrounding areas. A Facilities Management specialist will cater to all of these; this means making sure that all parts of your facility are kept maintained and clean, that the correct methods are used depending on the materials, and that any surrounding areas, such as foliage or parking areas, are well managed. 



This is important, as many providers attempt a ‘one size fits all’ solution when it comes to this aspect of maintaining a property; unfortunately, a hoover and a pressure washer won't fix all your issues! Depending on the facility, an arsenal of different techniques will be required for the optimal result. 

Taking care of the surrounding areas to your main building is also important; if you have any nature on your site, this will need to be well maintained for both the aesthetic appeal it brings, and also to prevent any erosion caused by plant life, such as weeds, vines, or even destructive tree roots; things such as tree surveys can be easily overlooked, however the potential damage caused could be dire. 

Space Optimisation 

Your facility hosts your business, making it a dynamic, purpose driven space, and for your building to last as long as possible, it must be used in the most optimal manner. One of the earliest functions of Facilities Management was the optimisation of office spaces (click here to learn more!); this means ensuring that you have the best equipment and furniture in the best places. Doing so can prevent unnecessarily high traffic areas, and therefore unnecessary wear and tear. A good Facilities Manager will assist you in redistributing your different workstations into the best places, therefore increasing the longevity of your building. 

If you would like to talk about increasing the longevity of your building, SEFM are proud to offer facilities management services across the UK; if you need any help with your facility, fill out our form by clicking here and a member of our team will be happy to assist you!