Bridging Knowledge Gap Between Green and Non-green Facilities Management in Singapore

Abstract

The building industry has experienced a widespread shift towards green building standards since the last decade, calling for the need for more green facilities professionals in order to maximize green building potential in terms of energy efficiency, water conservation, occupant comfort and productivity, and waste reduction. Though several studies have investigated the operation and maintenance processes of green buildings, few of such studies considered facility managers’ knowledge and skills regarding green facilities management, and many fail to realize that the road to a sustainable future does not end by the presence of green infrastructures. Rather, it is equally important, or even more so to ensure that proper facilities management and maintenance planning need to be conducted such that the potential of green buildings is maximised. This indicates the need to identify and measure current knowledge gap between non-green and green facilities management. Set in the context of Singapore, this study aims to establish both quantitative and qualitative evidences on the presence of green knowledge gap, and evaluates the consequential effects on green buildings as well as on the facility management industry. A total of 90 survey responses were collected with key stakeholders were conducted in order to gain understanding and insights on the practices of green facilities management, industry trends, and possible ways to bridge the green knowledge gap. Through both quantitative and qualitative analyses, one of the most critical problems in green facilities management has been identified as the “inadequate experience, training and/or knowledge”. This set of results can potentially help facilities professionals, major industry players, and statutory boards make better policy decisions to better bridge green knowledge gap and to shape the future of the green built environment.