In a bid to keep up with technological developments and to make Facilities Management (FM) more attractive to young professionals, a group of SIT students proposed their integrated FM ideas in the World Workplace Asia (WWA) 2019 Student Competition. They clinched third prize and walked away with a plaque and $500 cash.

Held on 3-5 April at Marina Bay Sands, the WWA Conference focused on technology’s role in facilities management with an emphasis on digitalisation. The competition was the first FM-themed contest open to all students from institutes of higher learning and BCA Academy.

Participants had to identify potential areas of growth encompassing technology within the FM industry, and to propose an integrated FM model for a hypothetical building. Other than a report and video to showcase their proposals, shortlisted teams had to do a final presentation to the panel of judges from Surbana Jurong, BCA Academy, and KK Hospital.

The SIT team presenting their integrated FM model to the panel of judges.

The SIT team – comprising Year 3 Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (SIE) (Building Services) students Leow Jun Kai, Chua Lin Feng, Gabryel Gn and Ryan Thio – applied what they learnt from their FM module into the challenge. They incorporated Building Information Modelling (BIM) with a Facilities Management System (FMS) to enhance tenants’ satisfaction and improve operational efficiency.

Some of their ideas included creating a data repository system for incident reporting and data analytics, using Internet of Things (IOT) for the building’s security surveillance, tapping on machine learning from CCTV to recognise and detect threats, and using facial recognition for access of commercial floors.

For the SITizens, the competition was an ideal platform to share their concept of incorporating technology to traditional FM practices. Explained team member Lin Feng, “In this digital era, it is important to integrate technology and streamline processes to make FM more attractive to young professionals, and to do it in a more efficient manner.”

The SIT team (from right to left) Lin Feng, Gabryel, Ryan and Jun Kai with their mentor Asst Prof Steve Kardinal Jusuf (extreme left).

One challenge for the team was finding time to prepare for the competition, as all four members were engaged in Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP) with their respective organisations – two in JTC Corporation, one each in SMRT Corporate and Lian Ho Lee Construction. They met up twice for about 4 hours each time to prepare the relevant materials, under the guidance of their mentor Assistant Professor Steve Kardinal Jusuf.

“Despite the time constraints, this competition was an eye opener as it gave us insights into the world of FM. On the industry front, we learnt about challenges faced by major stakeholders, and enhanced our understanding of various roles in the built environment industry. On the soft skills side, we learnt how to market our ideas during the presentation and Q&A session, which was our best and proudest moment during the competition!” shared Lin Feng.

The SIT team received their prizes - $500 and a plaque at the Workplace Asia 2019 Conference.