Transform workspace to meet reduced budgets

12 August 2010

FM professionals will hear how to inject new life into school and hospital buildings while making financial £millions in savings at a conference in Sheffield next month.

The Embracing Change In Times Of Uncertainty event held at Sheffield Hallam University comes at a time when the role of facilities management in delivering better and more sustainable buildings with reduced budgets. The conference, on 9 September, will hear how a similar project to redesign office space saved a government department £10m and slashed its carbon footprint by 50 per cent.
The conference for FM professionals organised by Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Facilities Management Development (CFMD),will hear how consultants EC Harris helped redesign the Sanctuary Buildings in London - saving the Department for Children, Schools and Families millions. Bob Calver will explain that the project revolutionised office space at the Department for Children, Schools and Families, boosting staff morale as well as saving millions. Calver says that lessons learnt during the project can be applied to CFMD forum members, who are working on projects and networks to achieve better and more financially sustainable use of school, university and hospital buildings.
He said: "I will be using the lecture to explain how it was possible to deliver world class facilities and save £10m in the process, which will hopefully inspire similar projects across the membership of CFMD forums. "We were able to achieve a complete workplace transformation by changing the way space was used at the Sanctuary and creating an environment that helped the DfE staff work more efficiently – in post project research they told us the space improved collaboration and operational effectiveness and was more adaptable to change. In trying economic times where buildings projects are being squeezed it is more important than ever for facilities management professionals to look at ways they can achieve more for less."
The conference will also feature lectures from Nick Tovey, director of Wardell Armstrong Ltd, and Iain Murray, former chairman of the British Institute of Facilities Management.
Tim Davidson-Hague, head of the Centre for Facilities Management Development at Sheffield Hallam University, said: "The current economic climate is exactly the time to think calmly and creatively about the challenges facing facilities management professionals. This is when FM can really prove its worth by capitalising on an opportunity to deliver better services. Good leadership, change management, innovation and partnership will always prevail in the longer term."
The key areas that the conference aims to cover are leadership and change, people management, crisis management and how facilities management can lead to organisational change. It will feature a number of workshops and expert panels.

To book a place on the conference, go to www.shu.ac.uk/sbs/research/facilities-management/events or call CFMD on 0114 225 6243.