In the aftermath of this tragedy, we as a nation have become vividly aware of our strengths and weaknesses. As a result we feel an urgent need to take positive steps to begin to right this horrible wrong. As with all businesses and industries nationwide, it seems appropriate and necessary to make a difference within the context of our own lives. This may include donating money and time, reviewing policies and procedures, rearranging priorities or making required changes.

Within the interior design industry, facility management plays an ever-increasing role in our future and the future of the built environment, facility management has become a multi-faceted practice for the long-term maintenance, efficiency and security of the buildings we inhabit, focusing on companies and people utilizing the space. Facility Management services integrate building owners and administrators, architects, interior designers, city and state officials, behavioral scientists, laboratory technicians and engineers, as well as maintenance, construction, moving, security, landscape, insurance and remediation specialists.

From the initial design and planning, facility management encompasses a broad scope of services crucial to the health, safety and welfare of all its inhabitants. These services includes cost-conscious, flexible solutions to maximize budgets, extend services and increase security for manufacturing plants, medical and commercial, utilities, retail centers, educational facilities, museums and parks. These facilities may consist of multiple sites reaching beyond our borders into the international arena.

Strategic & Tactical Plans - Workplace Standards & Policies - Audits - Benchmarking

Preparing a strategic plan will help identify and anticipate financial requirements and investment goals to determine the many functions of a specific facility over time, such as the workforce size, occupancy, space requirements, restructuring, real estate acquisitions and project management. Establishing workplace standards offers a guideline for company employees regarding allocation, position, title, seniority and authority. Audits will give valuable data in determining the success of a specific plan, while benchmarking provides comparison and insight into workable solutions discovered and shared by other facility managers. Planning and flexibility are essential for preparedness in dealing with unexpected crises and emergency situations.

Gross Area - Net Assignable Areas - Building Core - Mechanical, Circulation Construction and Custodial Areas

Identifying areas required to perform specific functions within a structure provides import key information in a strategic plan. The industry refers to the "gross area" of a building as all internal, covered space within the exterior walls of a structure. The gross area, less "assignable areas" (such as mechanical, construction, circulation and custodial spaces = building core) becomes the net assignable square footage (NASF). NASF refers to areas available for occupants or specific uses. It does not include unassigned space used for protection or maintenance. Establishing data helps Facility Managers establish allowances for budgetary purposes.

Cost of Operation - Building Maintenance

Maintaining a building on a long-term basis extends the usefulness of buildings and helps reduce operational costs. These costs include building maintenance, repairs, utilities, gates and barriers, sound and music systems, furnishing and artwork investments, landscaping, roadways and parking facilities, administrative costs, custodial services, garbage collection, recycling, roadways and parking garages.

Code Compliance - Risk Management - Temporary Locations - Remediation - Insurance Issues

Buildings must meet environmental guidelines and standards, as well as The American Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for accessibility. It can become necessary to reduce, minimize or eliminate the detrimental effects caused by factors including contaminated property or water, fire, indoor air quality or acts of violence. A situation may arise requiring temporary locations, while remediation experts handle toxic materials removal and insurance companies investigate.

Signage - Key Plans - Space Planning Layout

Signage, key plans and evacuation diagrams provide useful information to all occupants by identifying entrances, corridors, stairwells and lifesaving emergency exits. Space planning layouts serve facility managers by identifying the placement of tenant improvements, such as partition walls or panel systems, as well as space utilization to develop an emergency circulation routes, should the need arise.

Activity Settings - Amenity Areas - Huddle Rooms - Systems Furniture

Additional activities and amenities can range from conference rooms to smaller areas, such as huddle rooms. They might also include day-care facilities, health and fitness centers, cafeterias, employee dining rooms, vending areas and catering facilities. These specialty spaces need to be considered in the overall plan with regard to maintenance, security, access and integration.

Private Offices - Open Plan Environments - Bullpen Offices - Workstations - Free Address Environments - Shared Space - Hoteling - Shared Tenant Services - Intraoffice Areas

Tenants choose various space planning combinations and configurations, including private offices, open office plans or common areas. Others might utilize space by "hoteling" where space is utilized on a first-call basis. Or, through Free Address Environments where spaces are utilized by employees at different times of the day based on specific tasks. Many buildings also share telecommunication services where tenants receive additional benefits, but share in the expense. These various spatial layouts influence furniture specifications, standards, purchases, inventory, budgeting and scheduling.

Satellite Offices - Remote Tele-centers - Telecommuting - Virtual Corporations

Satellite offices and remote Tele-centers can be made available for the convenience of customers. Advancements in technology have created new ways of working. These extremely flexible methods offer employees the freedom to office from any location they choose through the use of laptops, modems, telephone lines and cable. Companies may not have a "brick and mortar" corporate office.

Ergonomics & Human Factors- Accessibility - Evacuation Procedures

Efforts are made towards reducing fatigue or discomfort, injury and illness when creating man-made structures and equipment through Ergonomics and the Study of Human Factors. This data aides in accessibility for the disabled, appropriate lighting levels for daily tasks, acoustics for sound or music systems, as well as influencing evacuation procedures in times of crisis. Workplace safety, job performance and productivity are maximized.

The circumstances of September 11, 2001 have altered our lives forever. We believe changes in attitude will dramatically affect the way we choose to look at the buildings we occupy, how they are managed and how our most viable resource, the people/workforce are factored into the picture; remaining a major influence on future decisions and goals.

The lives of those lost will truly be honored when adequate measures are taken by everyone involved in the process to provide building inhabitants with a reasonable means of escape, while also giving fire-fighters more sophisticated tools and methodology for dealing with such unimaginable situations. Climbing up the stairs into a "towering inferno" with a fire hose in hand was, unfortunately, not enough.