Retail FM re-thought
“Age no barrier” FM professional advises
The age of retail developments should not hinder their FM strategies, according to Emril FM consultant Alisdair Wilson, speaking ahead of CityScape.
The only FM firm to take part in the Retail City conference and workshop, the comments from Emril echoed similar observations for an increading trend towards asset management in the region.
“It is never too late to involve Integrated Facilities Management professionals in reviewing all aspects of a Mall’s operation, and while there may be challenges from an existing building envelope and structure,” said Wilson.
“Older Malls offer much scope for a fresh look. Given a third of a building’s operating cost is typically utilities, that is the obvious place to start,” he added.
In an interview with The Big Project, Paul Foster of built asset consultancy EC Harris said the economic downturn has increased the focus on asset management
“Previously the cycle was to develop, fund the development then conduct a bit of maintenance as necessary. Now what we are seeing is asset performance become a critical part of the development and its lifecycle.
“The building is treated as an asset where the value for the owner comes from the performance of that asset, so asset management becomes part of what is important round the success of that,” he said, further adding that the trend is a sophisticated asset management of built assets, driven by a strong lender and investor market.
Wilson specialises in strategy, analysing the specific requirements of a Mall and translating these into operational plans aligned to the investor’s interests and, vitally, the end user experience.
Emril’s clients span the corporate, residential, community, retail, and hospitality sectors across the UAE with the firm audited and certified to ISO 9001: 2008 for Quality Management Systems, ISO 14001:2004 for Environmental Management Systems and OHSAS 18001:2007 for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.
Wilson will lead a workshop on effective mall management on September 28.
