The Gherkins in Facilities Management Perspective - Case Study Example

 The Gherkins in Facilities Management Perspective INTRODUCTION OF TOPIC : Facility management is an interdisciplinary field primarily devoted to the maintenance and care of commercial or institutional buildings, such as hospitals, clinics, hotels, resorts, schools, office complexes, sports arenas or convention centers. Duties may include the care of air conditioning, electric power, plumbing and lighting systems; cleaning; decoration; ground keeping and security. Some or all of these duties can be assisted by computer programs. These duties can be thought of as non-core or support services, because they are not the primary business of the owner organization (e.g., the core function of a school is teaching, and custodians or HVAC system maintenance personnel are support personnel.). It is the role of the facility management function (whether it is a separate department or small team) to coordinate and oversee the safe, secure, and environmentally-sound operations and maintenance of these assets in a cost effective manner aimed at long-term preservation of the asset value, and also other janitorial duties such as making sure the environment is properly cleaned and sanitized for its tenants. In those cases where the operation of the facility directly involves the occupants and/or customers of the owner organization, the satisfactory delivery of facility-related services to these people will be an important consideration too; hence, the term "end-user satisfaction" is often used both as a goal and a measure of performance. I further explain the topic by considering a case study of “THE GHERKINS “ as a high performance work place to make the topic clearly understandable with examples that what are the key features that collectively cover the facility management field . CASE STUDY: 30 St Mary Axe Building “ THE GHERKIN “ 1.BUILDING BACKGROUND (Year,Purpose,Occupiers): The beautiful and exumberant 30 St Mary Axe, also famous as the Gherkin and the Swiss ReBuilding, is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London . It was constructed in December 2003 and inaugurated in may 2004 . The building of 30 St Mary is situated on the former site of the Baltic Exchange building and it was designed by Norman Foster an his business partner Ken Shuttleworth and Arup Engineers and was erected by Skanska . The building consists of 40 floors and the building tower is 190 metres tall Originally owned by swiss Re it was purchased by NG and Evans Randell in 2007 . Principal occupiers are Swiss Re and Kirkland and Ellis . 2. LOCATION: The eye-catching location of 30 St Mary makes it prominent for the beholders and its location is perfect for commercial and business purpose . As it is located at the centre of London’s financial district there are a number of major transport hubs , wide range of restaurants , bars , shopping malls and retail outlets on a wlking distance . It provides a fresh and full of energy working environment and really helps to maintain the good mood of administration as well as visitors . 2.2 TRAVEL MAP 3. Design and construction The 30 St Mary Axe Building is visible over long distances from the north, for instance, it can be seen from the M11 motorway some 32 kilometres (20 mi) away, while to the west it can be seen from the statue of George III in Windsor Great Park. The building of 30 St Mary was constructed by Skanska and was opened officially and commercially on 28th April 2004 .The primary occupant of the building is Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company, who had the building commissioned as the head office for their UK operation . After the name of primary occupants the building of Gherkins is also famous as Swiss Re Tower but this name is not used officially . The top floor of the Gherkin. As the internal and external architecture of the building is concerned , it is worth watching and sensibly designed . The internal temperature of the building is maintained by using energy saving methods allow it to use half the power a similar tower would typically consume .Six shafts have been created between the gaps of each building floor that serve as natural ventilators for the entire building . The shafts pull warm air out of the building during the summer and warm the building in the winter using passive solar heating. The shafts also help in keeping the lighting costs down as they allow sunlight to pass through the building making work environment more pleasing and cozy . T As designed by Arup it signifies their statement of style having fully triangulated perimeter structure making the building sufficiently stiff without any extra reinforcements. Despite its overall curved glass shape, there is only one piece of curved glass on the building the lens-shaped cap at the very top.The primary methods for controlling wind-excited sways are to increase the stiffness, or increase damping with tuned/active mass dampers On the building's top level (the 40th floor), there is a bar for tenants and their guests featuring a 360° view of London. A restaurant operates on the 39th floor, and private dining rooms on the 38th . The main lift only reach the 34th floor, and then having a push-from-below lift to the 39th floor. There is a marble stairwell and a disabled persons' lift which leads the visitor up to the bar in the dome. The base of the tower 3.3 ACCOMODATION: 30 St Mary Axe has a significant position in famous buildings of London . It provides highly adorable and flexible working environment as well as spectacular views of London . 30 St Mary Axe is one of the buildings that remain evergreen for centuries and set new social , environmental and spatial standards . 3.4 BUILDING FEATURES : The most exciting feature related to 30 St Mary Axe is that its every floor is different from other . The meeting of floors with the walls and orientation of floors is different at every floor that proves it as a genius piece of architecture and makes it exciting building to experience . Arup designed the building intelligently but keeping the design simple as well They designed 360° steel nodes to connect the complex diagrid together. The nodes consist of three steel plates, welded together at different angles. The connections helped to make the diagrid straightforward and cost-effective to build. The diagrid itself consists of intersecting tubular steel sections that follow the curvature of the building and provide vertical support to the floor, giving the additional benefit of column-free office space. As well as structural support, the diagrid provides the building with resistance to buffeting from the wind. Arup used extensive 3D computer modelling to determine the sizes of the steel frame. A 3D model of the structure helped the architect to co-ordinate the overall design. It also enabled the steel contractor to generate the information needed to produce the 10,000 tonnes of steel in the buildings, 2,500 tonnes of which make up the diagrid structure. This helped to make the process of going from drawing board to fabrication as simple as possible. 3.5 SCHEDULE OF AREA: 4.HIGH PERFORMANCE WORKPLACE FEATURES Lounge Bar / Restaurant 30 St Mary Axe is not just an official building , it is a fun place too where people can easily entertain and relax .At 39th floor of the building there is a lavish and top class restaurant and a lounge bar managed by searcy’s and these eating areas also facilitate the visitors with outstanding views of London . During the day , restaurant and bar is used by tenants and their guests and in evening it can be hired by general public . Private dining 30 St Mary Axe can also offer a facility of private dining experience . On the 38th floor of the building there are five decent and lavish private dining rooms which can be hired by public for breakfast , lunch and dinner and are managed by Searcy’s . Lobby 3o St Mary Axe has a great and well decorated lobby that can be noticed immediately after entering the building . Airy entrance hall , beautiful interior , Smart and helpful receptionist , efficient registration service and cutting edge security makes it worth arriving place . 5. World Class Facilities Management : 30 St Mary Axe is London’s first environmentally progressive working environment that not only provides world class facilities but also environmental friendly features as well . Spirally lightwells enable natural light to flood interiors and maximize natural ventilation as well .Superior class A performance specification is complemented by 360’ panoramic views . The building’s fully glazed double-skinned façade reduce the overall heat load and is cooled by extracted air from the offices .The façade has been designed in such a way as to provide cleanable surfaces and safe and efficient internal and external glazing . A high performance grade A specification providing : Dual Power supply Low energy services and envelop design Design criteria of one person per sq m Four pipe fan coil air conditioning system combined with option of natural ventilation 2.75m typical finished floor to ceiling height 150mm raised floors. 16 high-speed , high-capacity passenger lifts 1.5m planning grid Strict Security . Visitors must pass through a number of stringent security checks before entering the building . From the airport style security in reception , to the visible security presence on the plaza , security is in place 24 hours a day , 7 days a week , 365 days of the year. 6.Effect of Proper Facility Management : If any building is designed to facilitate fully their owners , Employees , stakeholders and other related people , it provides a great relief and effect the mental and physical behavior of the people . Three levels of environmental effects can be viewed . Physiacal Comfort : 30 St Mary Axe provides extreme physical comfort because of the following features : • Responsible design decisions • Quality construction standards, code requirements • Respecting comfort standards • Making sure everything works (elevators,bathrooms, parking) Psychological Comfort 30 St Mary Axe provides extreme psychological comfort because of the following features : • Territoriality (privacy, status,control) • Environmental empowerment • Strategies of user involvement through information dissemination and environmental choice Functional Comfort 30 St Mary Axe provides extreme functional comfort because of the following features : •Environment designed to support the performance of work • Not oriented to users’ likes and dislikes • Needs analysis focused on tasks • Environmentalcompetence (control) 7.Contribution of Building To organizations : To add a final dimension to the case study, an analysis of how the building’s maximum uses lie with its stakeholders is presented. Maximum use here refers to the utility derived from the 30 St Mary Axe office by the stakeholders. The individual stakeholders are identified and the utility they derived is outlined. Customers From customers’ perspective, the exterior architecture of the building as well as the interior decoration makes a good first impression. The building presents a strong image and identify with the 30 St Mary Axe brand, which is reputed for value products and services. Located within proximity of residential and retail communities, the 30 St Mary Axe office is very accessible to its customers and the access control measures in place provide customers with a sense of security and safety. Employees For employees, the 30 St Mary Axe office represents a great place in which to work, with its fair share of amenities, environmental appeal and identity with a successful organisation. The location of the 30 St Mary Axe office, with ready access to residential and retail shopping communities makes it even a more attractive place at which to work. Shareholders For shareholders, the 30 St Mary Axe office represents a sense of accomplishment in owing such a prestigious piece of real estate and represents a strong asset on the company’s balance sheet. Executives For its executives, the 30 St Mary Axe office represents an asset used in the generation of wealth. 8.Awards To 30 St Mary Axe : A number of awards have been given to the 30 St Mary Axe that strongly assures its beautiful architecture , exclusive interior , world class facilities and extremely efficient role for the satisfaction and development of its stakeholders . Here is the list of awards given to this exumberant piece of art , Stirling Prize Riba 2004 Special Steel Award Detail 2004 Best Central London Office Development Award IAS/OAS 2004 Best New London Building The inaugural London architecture biennale in clerkenwell The London Region Award Riba 2004 Future Project Award 2003 architectural review Skyscraper award Emporis 2003 Best British Innovation Walpole Award For British Excellence 2003 European Steel Structure Award ECCS-CECSM 2003 9.Conclusion of Case Study : The discipline of facility management and the role of facility managers in particular are evolving to the extent that many managers have to operate at two levels: strategic-tactical and operational. In the former case, owners need to be informed about the potential impact of their decisions on the provision of space and services. In the latter, it is the role of a facility manager to ensure proper operation of all aspects of a building to create an optimal environment for the occupants to function. This is accomplished by managing some of the following activities. 30 St Mary Axe gets complete success in both levels . Here are some feedbacks from users. 1 . High above the streets of London, encapsulated inside one of the capital’s newest landmarks, lies the Gherkin’s very own restaurant – 30 St Marys Axe. For panoramic views across London and quality cuisine, this members’ restaurant offers everything. KELLY HUSSEY 2. Everyone is just happy to be here . LINDA FELMINGHAM HUNTON & WILLIAMS 3 Being in the Gherkin’s puts a spring in everyone’s step , staff . customers and their visitors . JULIE CALDER ABBEY 4.Visistors never cease to comment on the “vow” factor when they enter into our offices . CHRIS MARSHALL KIRKLAND & ELLIS INTERNATIONAL LLP List of Reference : 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facility_management 2. www.30stmaryaxe.com 3. Management Information System2nd edition by Charles Parker , Thomas Case 4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Mary_Axe 5 http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/30_St_Mary_Axe.html Read More