It’s been a busy six weeks in the FM world

Rumour has it, the summer months are the quietest time of the year. However, this didn't stop the FM industry from having a busy six weeks.

On 30 July, facilities management Middle East organised its first roundtable event, ‘Women in FM'.

The discussion was steered in many different directions with gender, culture and acceptance being the most dominant subjects. The women came from various backgrounds, including an inspirational local, Iman Hassan, who shared her experiences and difficulties in securing a job with Idama.

Last month, we reported on the opening of First Security Group's new training facility. There are currently around 13,000 security professionals in Dubai to be trained to a minimum standard in line with regulations enforced by Dubai Police Academy.

Three companies have been approved by the Academy to train these professionals and at the time of writing, over 2,000 have been trained.

Another area that has seen an upsurge of attention is the region's hospitals. In this month's news, two hospitals are currently going through the motions of improving their facilities. In both hospitals, the facilities manager is playing a vital role.

Tawam hospital in Al Ain has already started its renovation plans, with the lobby being the first area to be refurbished. While Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) in Abu Dhabi has brought in an international FM professional to give his personal assessment of how the City currently stands and what improvements are needed.

For SKMC, retrofit is a possibility. The decision will be based on evaluations and whether or not the building and its façade can withstand being stripped. In this month's interview, Kit Ord of Faithful+Gould discusses this subject in line with best practice.

It is no secret that in the past, some buildings have been constructed with little thought. With this is mind, the life-cycle of the building is shorter and the next five years might see building owners faced with the decision of retrofit or demolish and rebuild. An expensive job the owner might not be able to afford.

Ord's comments on best practice are thought provoking. He claims the region is not ready for guidelines due to the baseline being so low. Do I agree? I'm sitting on the fence. Yes, the baseline is low. But how else will the standards rise if companies are not forced or guided into following some form of regulation? Answers on a postcard...

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