Description
The provision of new housing estates to cater for everyone in need of decent accommodation would not be possible in short term due to huge capital and other ingredients (such as land, building materials, labour and entrepreneur) that are usually involved. Consequently, any housing organisation, corporation or authority, which aimed at providing safe, healthy and conducive habitable housing environment must be ready to protect its housing estate from sliding into deterioration so that the vision and mission of housing estate concerned can be achieved and thereby prevent depletion in the number of the existing housing stock. It must be noted that dilapidated and unhealthy housing environment with poor infrastructures could negatively impact on the quality of life; and may even contribute to the outbreak of epidemic. The preservation of the value and utility of the stock of housing units are therefore essential to the economic well-being of the citizens and gives pride to social values of a country.
In recent years, FM has elicited great interest in Nigeria as it is now being seen as the solution to the myriads of problems besetting the built environment, especially housing. This being the case, there is the need to integrate FACILITIES MANAGEMENT (FM) into housing management so as to enhance standard and improve on the current level of practice. The most important phenomena of FM in housing are the concept of FM vis-à-vis its relevance and application to housing management.
This research based BOOK, an extract from my PhD research and thesis, examined the various aspects of FM activities in housing estates and equally evaluated the practice of FM, its nature, process and benefits therein. The research objectives included a critical examination of FM strategies, policies and processes adopted in housing management through data collection and elucidation. In conducting this research, qualitative grounded theory (GT) and case study methodologies were adopted. This was done in order to understand, and thereby gain knowledge of the practice of FM in housing. Consequently, interview was conducted with 26 Facilities Managers and 971 residents in 20 different housing estates. The emergent facts from the analysed data revealed that the organisation structure of FM department and their roles depend on the nature of the housing estate concerned, and their purpose. Furthermore, FM is of immense benefit to the housing estates where it is practiced, as it had positively impacted on their general condition and goodwill.
For easy comprehension, the BOOK is divided into three distinct but related parts as follows:
- Part 1: Housing development and management practice
- Part 2: Overview of facilities management practice in the built environment
- Part 3: Facilities management practice in housing
This BOOK will be of particular benefit to Facilities Managers, Property Managers, Building Managers, Office Managers, Procurement specialists, Contract Managers, Education Managers, Human Resources Managers and Training personnel, government departments, and anyone who is involved in operating, maintaining and managing the built environment (buildings, infrastructures, services, landscaping, etc) and wishes to update themselves on the basic elements of facilities management, best practices and operational aspects of facilities management.
