Operations & Maintenance

Day-to-day building operations, maintenance systems, safety, grounds, and the standards that keep educational facilities running at peak performance.

Building Architectural and Structural Systems Building Framing Types There are five basic structure or framing types and many alternative structural systems. Wall Bearing. This type relies on masonry walls to support floor and roof structural members and is generally one to two stories in height (many stories require necessarily thicker fir...
Building Control Systems Building heating and cooling control systems facilitate proper functioning of building heating and cooling systems so that the internal environment is comfortable at the optimal price. Control systems have become more sophisticated, enabling facilities managers to better maintain cost and energy ...
Building Electrical Systems The design, construction, and operation of electrical systems in educational facilities call for careful consideration of fire safety, energy efficiency, and electrician safety. The Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) and ICC documents are adopted as a whole or used as resource documents in sta...
Building Fire Protection This chapter briefly discusses the process and tools for managing institution fire risk, including many references to documents such as NFPA consensus standards for specific in-depth and current information. Fire Risk Design techniques and construction materials greatly reduce risk of injury or d...
Building Interiors The campus encompasses all aspects of daily life and forms a village or town center, with a variety of specialized building types. Users experience the interior portion of each facility daily, so, the discipline of interior design should not be viewed as insignificant. Designer’s Qualification ...
Building Mechanical Systems Building mechanical systems provide an environment that protects the building structure, creates safe and healthy surroundings, and allows equipment to operate properly. This chapter details how mechanical systems work and their comparative advantages and disadvantages, costs, and maintenance nee...
Campus Security The role of campus security has changed dramatically in the past several decades, from self-sufficient and relatively unnoticed to highly visible integral partners. Campus Security Roles In early American education, campus security heated buildings, served as fire watch, and locked doors; while f...
Cleaning Operations The primary role of educational institutions is to advance the education of students and conduct research, where no two campuses are the same. Some campuses have one million square feet or less of building space, and others have tens of millions of square feet. Some campuses are older, and others...
Deferred Capital Renewal and Deferred Maintenance Introduction Historical Perspective. The dramatic expansion of higher educational capacity in the years after World War II has left colleges with a serious backlog of underfunded capital needs for facility renewal and replacement. Enrollment has expanded from 2.3 million students in 1950 to an es...
Elevator Systems In any multistory academic, administrative, athletic, or residential building, the vertical transportation systems are typically composed of elevators and escalators. Because these units represent a significant expense, their proper design, installation, and maintenance is essential to building o...
Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity As subject matter experts (SMEs) on facilities, utilities, and operations, facilities managers are vital in preserving business continuity and in helping universities respond to emergencies. Whether acting as emergency manager or supporting that officer, facilities managers can direct respond...
Environmental Health and Safety Risk Control in Facilities Management Facilities managers have problems if they ignore, overly delegate, or haphazardly manage risks. Employee perceptions include their approach to risk, and how a health or safety issue can lead to regulatory agency investigation and even litigation. Managers do ...
Facilities Condition Assessment Facilities Condition Assessment Objectives. The main assessment objective is to measure the condition and functionality of buildings, infrastructure, and sub systems. Assessment methodology objectives are identifying renewal and replacement needs and guiding capital project decision options (e....
Facilities Maintenance and Operations Facilities maintenance is on the threshold of radical change, driven by higher education forces such as demographics, accountability, and competition and by technical issues such as information technology advances, sophisticated research environments, antiquated buildings, and environmental and s...
Fire Prevention on College and University Campuses This chapter is intended to provide information that can help in the development of campus fire prevention departments or in restructuring existing departments. At the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to: Understand the various components and staffing options available to campus fi...
From Concept to Reality: The Crucial Role of Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing (TAB) in HVAC Design In the process of testing, adjusting, and balancing (TAB), qualified engineers and technicians meticulously document data and establish preliminary and final airflow, water flow, and temperatures for all components of a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. This process may al...
Grounds Maintenance and Operations First impressions of the grounds can affect student enrollment, faculty and staff employment, and visitor and benefactor attitudes. Grounds maintenance operations face the unique challenge of contending with unpredictable variables (e.g., living plants, pests, weather) that ground maintenan...
Recapitalization Management Recapitalization is defined in funding terms as periodic recurring costs for replacement/renewal projects and one-time funding for improvements and programmatic projects. These are capital costs associated with the reinvestment of funds in a building or fixed asset. These projects are typical...
Solid Waste and Recycling For many people, the term “out of sight, out of mind” would be most appropriate for describing municipal solid waste management. The responsibility ends once the item is put in the trash. In these times of increasing regulatory oversight and societal pressures, this is the last sentiment that...
Standards and Codes for Educational Facilities Professionals This chapter of the APPA Body of Knowledge (BOK) is intended to give facilities managers and engineers a starting point to better understand the nature of codes and standards for educational facilities. This chapter is not intended to be all-encompassing, but rather a launching point from which f...
Work Management In educational facilities management, work management matches customer needs with resources to provide the optimum physical environment for instruction, research, and public service. Work Management Information Work management converts customer (e.g., faculty, staff, students, police, secur...