RICHARD GUNPAT

PETIT VALLEY. TRINIDAD - TOBAGO

My current workplace portfolio includes technical oversight of two (2) large airport facilities with over 350,000 square feet of space. More importantly I am responsible for all mechanical related systems at these facilities, inclusive but not limited to passenger boarding bridges, HVAC systems, Building Management Systems, baggage handling conveyance systems, transportation systems, plumbing, wastewater, automatic doors, fire systems, fueling systems, emergency power systems, fueling storage systems and all related mechanical systems that are typically found in airports.

For an FM professional who manages large airport facilities, it is critical to be well equipped with the right certifications and experience. In this regard, the IFMA SFP program and certification sets the framework and equips its recipients to manage their facilities in a sustainable manner, with the key word being sustainable. As FMs, we must ensure that our facilities are managed not only efficiently and cost-effectively, but also sustainably. I believe the IFMA SFP program will help me, and by extension all FMs to understand and apply sustainability principles more effectively.

One of the key tools I use to gain a better understanding of my facilities is the Facility Condition Assessment (FCA). This instrument incorporates a facility standard metric referred to as the Facility Condition Index (FCI) which enables the evaluation of a facility and an assessment of the likely impact of investing in specified facility improvements. Having conducted such an assessment for my facility in 2021 I was able to generate data for various The FCA serves as an important tool and precursor for identifying sustainability targets for a facility, as each system has already been analyzed for potential capital repairs, with a projection of the investment required. It all adds up to managing a facility in a cost effective and sustainable way. In addition, the Facility Manager is well positioned to make various business cases with a strategic advantage to C Suite management, and to influence them for high-level decision-making with sustainability as a focus. I believe that the IFMA SFP program will help its graduates reach sustainable targets in this regard.

For an SFP, it starts with building a sustainable facilities program. However, there must be some format, template and background information with data that has already been established and generated for any given facility. An FCA can serve as an important tool that any FM can use as a reference for building a sustainable facility program because FCAs are used as a rating system for buildings which account for as much as 40 % of the world’s energy consumption. Energy management and sustainability are intrinsically linked; therefore, the ability to harness the power of an FCA for any sustainable facilities program can give an SFP a strategic advantage.

A facility conditional mechanical assessment can identify Energy Efficiency Measures (EEFMs) for various facility and mechanical improvement project initiatives. A sample case study is shown below regarding the findings from a Facility Condition Assessment and the expected energy savings.

The following table outlines various energy efficiency measures that can be implemented, or that are already in the process of being implemented at PIA (Piarco International Airport):

N.B – The actual values were modified for confidentiality reasons. However values were not inflated.

Editor’s Note: Richard is the second 2022 awardee to earn his SFP certification under this scholarship program.