A Data-as-an-asset Facility Management Framework to Support Hybrid Workplaces

Description

Hybrid working that combines remote and in-office working is becoming a ‘civilization-level change’ working model in the post-COVID-19 era. These changes are disrupting existing facility management practices to (re)shape people-centered hybrid workplaces. While the FM industry has been adopting various emerging technologies and digital solutions (e.g. PropTech, industry 4.0, digital twin, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, etc.) to achieve workplace transformation, it is imperative to explore how data can serve as an asset to enhance the efficiency and reliability of facilities and hybrid workplaces. Nevertheless, increasing the productivity and operational intelligence of hybrid workplaces is challenging as it is necessary to collect, integrate, process, sharing and analyze volume and variety of facilities and workspaces data, behavioral and activity data of occupants, environmental data and operational analytics insights. The use of idiosyncratic data would result in information silos and inconsistency, and this could render the automation and intelligence of hybrid workplaces difficult. Reshaping and transforming traditional facilities and workspaces into hybrid ones through a data-as-an asset lens may open up new ways to harvest data essential for improving the total performance and operational intelligence of built assets and hybrid workplaces.  This research aims to develop a data-as-an-asset enabled facility management framework to improve the efficiency and reliability of hybrid facilities and workspaces. The framework consists of an information model for encoding, processing and managing metadata and domain knowledge; a service-oriented, asset-based mechanism to share and exchange facility and workplace information; a method to evaluate the value of personal, organizational, community, government and public data assets; and a cloud-based software reference architecture and a prototype system to support the implementation of the data- as-an-asset hybrid facilities and workplaces management (FWM) solutions. The research begins with a series of interviews, case studies and focus group meetings to unveil the obstacles and requirements of applying a data-as-an-asset approach to devise hybrid FWM solutions and to identify the feasible strategies and roadmaps for stakeholders to reformulate the value chain and implement workplace transformation. A data-as-an-asset based hybrid FWM prototype will then be developed based on a cloud native software reference architecture. Finally, case studies will be employed to validate the developed framework and prototype. The novelty of this investigation lies in the innovative use of the data-as-an-asset approaches and the social science theories to delineate the problems, capacities and solutions associated with next-generation FM solutions. The findings should help foster a harmonious community for smart, sustainable and resilient built environment.