In 2022, you took on the commitment and responsibility of developing the new Master’s in Facility Management at Structuralia, and you are currently its director. How was the experience? Could you tell us more about this sport?
«After 13 years of participation in various graduate programs and master's degrees in facilities management in person at various professional associations and universities in Barcelona, and with my personal expatriation project underway.
At Christmas 2021, I decided to accept the challenge of making the leap into the world of online teaching and staying afloat in the industry remotely, pushing boundaries.
To build a team of professionals from scratch, my commitment to Structuralia was that it had to be as as multidisciplinary and diverse as possible. After reaching out to more than 20 professionals in the industry—many of whom were friends or former coworkers, all with extensive experience—I managed to put together a team of 13 people, which was eventually reduced to 12.
We’ll save the hundreds of hours of work, emails, WhatsApp messages, and virtual coordination calls across various time zones for another time. A wonderful challenge that we're all proud of, a great team, because we've all learned from each other, and it provides a a holistic view of what we truly believe a facility manager should be Throughout his life, a jack-of-all-trades, master of none—in the best sense of the word—maintaining the standards of curiosity and innovation among its ongoing priorities, striving to provide an experience that is as multidisciplinary as possible.«
Based on your knowledge, extensive experience, and the fact that many people haven’t yet fully grasped what the field of facility management entails, could you tell us… What are its areas of application and functions? And what benefits does it bring to the industry?
«The facility manager has historically been oriented toward the facilities management and maintenance-related activities these as its primary functions. Although In recent years, a shift toward profit-and-loss management has become apparent, along with greater visibility within management bodies.
Since the pandemic in 2020 and with all the needs that arose in its wake, the role of the facility manager has come to the forefront more strongly, giving due importance to focusing its role on user experience, the talent retention, focusing on people and highlighting the added value of having a professional or team of professionals within the organization dedicated to ensuring optimal management while balancing costs necessary, without neglecting the triple bottom line and the social and environmental impact of its actions.«
You recently gave a talk in Toronto, Canada, for the IFMA (International Facility Management Association) on professional growth in the facility management sector, user experience, and the implications of these topics for key areas of a company. Can you tell us a little more about this event and your involvement?
«Since my arrival in Canada in 2022 and after years of collaboration with IFMA Spain and the ACFM *Catalan Facility Management Association, I felt it was necessary to expand my network of contacts and learn about the reality of the country.
I joined the IFMA Saskatchewan chapter—the province where I live—as an associate and CFM (IFMA-certified facility manager in 2021), and soon They asked me to join the board of directors in the role of communications officer to help energize the association's activities, It's obviously an unpaid role, but it gives you insight into the local situation. They offered to certify me as SFP Sustainability Professional In the meantime, since my role at Bayer these days focuses on measuring the environmental impact of our buildings and determining how to reduce it.
Although I used to visit Bayer’s Toronto headquarters from time to time, my day-to-day work is now international and my responsibilities do not require my daily presence there; however, I do assist with some local digitization projects aimed at improving the user experience in a remote environment. I took advantage of the visit to get in touch with Katerina Karasyova, VP of IFMA Canada and president of the Toronto chapter—the second-largest in North America—and she invited me to attend the event at Gensler's offices.
An entire afternoon—four hours of workshops and talks with top-level professionals specializing in strategy and tactics—during which we discussed everything from Net Zero strategies in sustainability, emerging technology, digital twins, and the need for professional development...in leadership positions within the sector.
I'm proud to have been able to attend and expand my network of contacts. I can't think of a better way to make the most of the trip. One of the things that still surprises me most about this country is the ease of connecting with people throughout the industry Stretching from Vancouver to California or Ottawa, passing through Texas. The distances are enormous, but communication within the region is exceptionally easy—perhaps the use of the same language certainly helps.«
One of the most frequently raised concerns in the facility management sector relates to the future of workspaces in the post-COVID-19 era. What general trends do you think will continue to shape and define the purpose of workspaces going forward?
«Management teams still need some guidance, and while many of them are still hoping or wishing to return to the past by mandating a return to the office, the reality is that this is here to stay.". In the wake of COVID-19, we’re all different now. I myself work from the other side of the world, and I do so on a global scale. Something I never would have imagined for myself back in 2018 is that I would be able to transition from operations to portfolio strategy, moving away from the day-to-day management of buildings as a facility manager.
Spaces must accommodate this flexibility. Many organizations are gradually shifting to on-demand space, and the real estate sector will undergo a sharp contraction in many parts of the world until it reinvents itself.
Facility management must adopt the concept of Dynamic FM and provide services tailored to the flexible use of space, if we truly want to believe that we can continue decarbonization strategies and working toward carbon neutrality by 2030/50.«
Currently… What would you say are the challenges in FM? What initiatives exist related to sustainability and the adaptation of management concepts?
«The decarbonization of buildings It will become increasingly prevalent in organizations, in many countries simply because it is required by law. We will not be able to undertake facility retrofits without accurately measuring our carbon footprint that these entail, whether in the form of direct or indirect emissions.
Technology and data analysis play a prominent role Throughout this entire process, the facility manager must play a key role in understanding their position within the organization and being part of the ESG—«environmental, social, and governance»—teams, that is, environmental, social, and governance criteria.
A facility manager must find their place within that strategy and ensure effective stakeholder management to maintain balance at every stage of the triple bottom line—environmental, social, and governance. After all, sometimes what’s good for the budget isn’t good for the environment, or it causes a social uproar within the organization—or vice versa—or all of the above at once.«
Given the key aspects of building design and management, many experts point out that there is a need for a role that ensures life-cycle management starting from the design phase. Do you agree with this? What do you think about it?
«I completely agree. QAnyone who fails to recognize that the operations that follow the design phase have a subsequent impact on a building’s carbon footprint is building assets while considering only one of the legs of the table; in the future, it will be impossible for that table to remain standing, for the simple reason that regulations will evolve to the point of preventing it.
The role of the facility manager and aFor many, it is still a dream to inherit a building that they helped design from the very beginning, taking into account its future environmental impact, and social impacts, as well as its future maintenance costs.«
In closing… What do you think are the challenges facing the industry that we should keep in mind in the coming years, and what advice would you give to future professionals?
«Personal development, Advancement to management positions by leveraging technical expertise in asset management.
Knowledge of the market trends, especially the market for data analytics, Investment decisions will increasingly be based on facts rather than emotions—data-driven and fact-based.
The world is digital or phygital, We must not forget that a large part of our day is spent in the virtual world these days; the connection between buildings and users must extend beyond the real world. Digital twins will gain momentum in the coming years.
Facility management will be dynamic and increasingly results-oriented. A dynamic FM output-based approach. This will enable the optimization of income statements as long as we maintain service level agreements based on actual user perception; measuring comfort levels requires objective data, and technology is key to achieving this.
Last but not least, we must not forget our role in sustainability as asset and facility managers. Buildings account for 40% of global energy consumption, 25% of drinking water consumption, and 40% of global resources used in their construction, while 39% of our working-age population spends most of their workday sitting inside buildings. Figures from Renewableinstitute.org and Eurostat. These figures are too significant to ignore.
The construction, renovation, and maintenance of buildings account for between 10 and 40% of GDP in many countries. If we don't focus our efforts on addressing current inefficiencies, greenhouse gas emissions from buildings With this steady growth, they will more than double over the next 20 years, which is why our role and path toward decarbonizing buildings is key.
From Structuralia, we would like to thank Jordi Llárgues for his great dedication and contribution to this interview, which provides us with an in-depth, expert, and holistic perspective on the world of facility management, its important role, its pillars, and the new direction it has taken in recent years. We encourage you to comment on this interview!
