Research
The centre focuses on three themes of overlapping research activity
- facilities and organisational goals
- lean and sustainable facilities
- facilities and narrative ecologies
We undertake research into facilities management (FM) in several forms. Commercial research can be commissioned by specific clients, academic research is supported by PhD and MPhil students and we promote collaborative learning through our research networks.
Our contract research and consultancy is commissioned by a variety of clients ranging from banks, government departments and professional associations, on a range of issues including security benchmarking, surveying the market, and the private finance initiative.
We have an active group of full-time and part-time doctoral students researching various aspects of the overlap between people and organisational culture, their physical environment, and business activities. For part-time students in managerial positions we recommend the FM route on the Doctorate in Business Administration.
Research by network
Our networks are the platform for the majority of the centre's research and provide the context for any future planning. All network planning is currently subject to the current economic uncertainty, and what follows is subject to that proviso.
The health network has recently agreed with its steering group to develop longer-term research in six key areas, five of which map well onto the three themes identified above.
- patient choice: how to evidence impact of estates and facilities
- life cycle management incorporating lean and sustainability
- social enterprises: what is now happening and what is their role
- usable performance indicators
- patient (and staff) safety: keeping abreast of developments
- leadership in NHS FM
The higher education network is concentrating on bridging the often considerable gap between the FM community in the sector and the academic users of the space whose expectations and practices lag behind those of modern knowledge-based companies and organisations.
The government network has previously led development of an output approach to assessing office performance. The network is home to a considerable bank of data which is being used to develop the lean theme. As the narrative ecology theme develops, the network is a source of potential case material, as it has been in the past.
The schools network is a new departure. Pilot work this year has revealed new direct evidence of the importance of physical space for social networking/learning to pupils and indications of impact on staff behaviour. The initial results have been published in a major research report available from the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT).
