International. According to a report published by Honeywell, 75% of U.S. facility managers surveyed say Covid-19 has led them to permanently rethink the operation of their facilities.
Nearly 6 in 10 respondents are more likely to invest in indoor air quality optimization and other healthy building solutions, while 7 in 10 are now more willing to invest in smart building solutions that help drive efficiency and support sustainability efforts.
This report, "Rethinking Buildings Post-Covid-19," the first in Honeywell's 2021 Construction Trends series, presents the challenges, priorities, and assessments of facility managers surveyed in the United States, Germany, China, and Saudi Arabia in the fields of education, healthcare, data centers, and commercial real estate industries. It focuses on the impact of Covid-19 on construction trends and the priorities of facility managers, now and in the future.
"A remarkable transformation brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic is driving U.S. facility leaders to rethink their operational strategies and invest in smarter, healthier technologies," said Vimal Kapur, president and CEO of Honeywell Building Technologies. "As occupants become more aware of how the buildings they use for work, school and care can affect their well-being, we hope they will drive building owners and operators to implement new procedures with efficient and sustainable solutions that better support occupant safety, comfort and enhance their experiences. not only for the immediate return to office, but also in the long term."
Survey results highlight five key themes
The pandemic is likely to have a lasting impact on facility management and operations. Three-quarters (75%) of U.S. facility managers surveyed indicate that Covid-19 has led their facilities to reconsider their modes of operation. Many believe that the changes and updates made during the pandemic will be maintained in some form; however, only 36% of respondents expect air quality system upgrades to remain permanent. Covid-19 is also driving facility managers to adjust their priorities and investments.
For example, 62% are more likely to invest in indoor air quality optimization and other healthy building solutions and 56% are more willing to invest in occupant experience solutions, such as contactless building access, smart parking, and personalized experiences.
Covid-19 remains a source of widespread unrest. Among U.S. facility managers surveyed, nearly 1 in 4 (22%) cite pandemic-related issues as their top concern.
Likewise, the majority (58%) of respondents consider having a healthy building to be one of the top priorities right now, and 62% say it will remain one of the top priorities after a pandemic. Improving indoor air quality ranks as the most important aspect of a healthy building for those working in educational and healthcare facilities, while those working in data centers and commercial real estate buildings cite cleaning procedures as their top priority.
The digital transformation of facilities accelerates
Since Covid-19, more than half (54%) of respondents have seen digital transformation accelerate as the need for remote facility management becomes acute. More than 9 in 10 facility managers (93%) said remote facility management is important now and 67% of respondents indicated they are more willing to invest in smart building solutions that drive efficiency or sustainability, including data aggregation, machine learning and artificial intelligence. .
Respondents are interested in updates to improve the occupant experience, with a contactless construction experience taking center stage. According to U.S. facility managers surveyed, there is strong interest in upgrades, such as improving indoor air quality, energy efficiency and sustainability efforts, and supporting an attractive and innovative building environment. However, respondents' comments show a gap in the technologies currently implemented in buildings.
More than half of respondents say the buildings they manage do not have air quality solutions (57%), integrated lighting that improves occupant productivity (66%), contactless building access (67%) or an app that provides real-time information on building health (73%).
To read the full report, visit Rethinking Buildings Post-Covid-19.
