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Article

The Relevance of Automation in the Facility Management of Selected High-Rise Buildings in Lagos, Nigeria †

by
Orayinka Stephen Awosode
1,*,
David Ojimaojo Ebiloma
2,3,
Cyril Ayodele Ajayi
1,
Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa
3 and
Opeoluwa Akinradewo
3
1
Department of Estate Management, Faculty of Built Environment Studies, Redeemer’s University, Ede 232101, Nigeria
2
Department of Building Technology, Faculty of Built Environment Studies, Redeemer’s University, Ede 232101, Nigeria
3
Cidb Centre of Excellence and Sustainable Human Settlement and Construction Research Centre, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
This article was presented at the European Real Estate Society Ph.D Seminar (Milan, Italy, 22–25 June 2022).
Buildings 2024, 14(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14010016
Submission received: 21 July 2023 / Revised: 24 November 2023 / Accepted: 12 December 2023 / Published: 20 December 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Current Status and Future Prospects of Automation in Construction)
Browse Figure
Versions Notes

Abstract

:
Operators (owners/facility managers) of high-rise buildings are continuously faced with the challenge of finding innovative means of controlling and managing the facilities of high-rise buildings. This is due to consistent change in the nature and functions of building systems. Meanwhile, the use of computerized systems affords building operators the tools and methods that will enhance facility management activities. This study examined the importance of automation to the facility management of high-rise buildings in developing countries, using the case of Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research approach, administering a structured questionnaire to 53 facility managers of identified commercial high-rise buildings in Ikoyi, Lagos Island, and Victoria Island in Nigeria. It also applied regression analysis in determining the significance of automation on facility management activities. The findings of the study revealed that security services are the most automated facility management activity. Results also showed that automation had a positive effect on facility management practice, with R square of 0.66. The study concluded that although automation is seldom used in carrying out facility management activities, it has a positive impact on facility management services, with 66% significance level on facility management activities. It then recommended that steps should be taken by all stakeholders to develop the practice of facility management and research, as well as facility management education.

1. Introduction

The use of computerized systems, otherwise known as automation, is generally considered to improve any activity or task formerly carried out manually [1]. Facility management automation, often known as the use of computerized systems to conduct or supplement facility management tasks, is not an exception to this rule [2]. According to a number of studies, facility management automation reduces errors, omissions, and rework, while also saving money and time [1,2,3]. Furthermore, it has been shown that in industrialized nations, forecasting, budgeting, and building operations and maintenance are all impacted by facility management automation [4]. Studies on high-rise buildings in Nigeria have centered on construction, maintenance, and the impact on the economy [5,6,7,8]. There has not been extensive research on facility management automation as an option for building owners and facility managers of high-rise buildings in Nigeria to ensure the sustainability of investors’ investment in landed properties. Refs. [9,10] examined the level of adoption of automation in facility management practice and factors influencing the choice of automating systems, respectively. The studies concluded that the level of adoption of automation is basic and low, while the cost of acquisition, technical capability of personnel, organization strategy, availability of the system, organization need, and ease of use were the major determinants of choice of automation. This study is one of the few studies addressing technological innovation in facility management practice in Nigeria. It is aimed at examining the impact of automation on the facility management of commercial high-rise buildings in Lagos, Nigeria. The study addressed the following research questions: What are the facility management services rendered by facility managers of commercial high-rise buildings? Which of the services/activities were automated? And what is the effect of automation on facility management services/activities? The research was limited to commercial high-rise buildings that were partly or fully occupied in Lagos. Also, the definition of high-rise buildings was restricted to buildings of a minimum structural height of 33 m or 10 floors. Other sections of the paper present a succinct review of the literature, methods adopted in carrying out the research, findings, discussion of results, and conclusions drawn from the study.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Concept of High-Rise Buildings

High-rise buildings can be referred to as buildings with special needs due to their height, structural stability, facilities needed to make occupation conducive and the huge amount of investment that goes into their development [4,8,9]. The definitions of high-rise buildings centers around their height and number of floors. However, there is variation in these definitions due to the level of technological advancement in various regions [9,11]. To further affirm this, there were no high-rise buildings in Nigeria when the West (the United States of America and Europe) decided on the vertical transformation of horizontal expansion in the 19th century [10]. This is obvious in the definition given by [12] that a “high-rise building is any building that is higher than a three storey walk up”. Meanwhile, Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning Development Law considers “any building with minimum of five floors” as a high-rise building [13].
After the completion of the first skyscraper in history, the Home of Insurance Building, in 1885, the United States began to develop tall buildings, also known as high-rise buildings [8]. In the meantime, in the 1930s, work on them started in several Asian and Latin American cities, including Shanghai, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, and others [8,11,12]. Additionally, in the middle of the 20th century, Australia and Europe made the decision to adopt vertical construction [14]. However, the first residential high-rise building (Ritz Tower), with 41 floors and a height of 165 metres, was completed in 1926 [15]. The purpose of creating high-rise structures at the time was to counter the growing demand for office space [16,17].
The building industry witnessed groundbreaking inventions in the 19th century, which enhanced the construction of high-rise buildings. These inventions include the world’s first safety elevator in 1853; the replacement of the fragile combination of cast iron and wood with steel frames in 1870s; and the invention of air conditioning in 1902 [14,15]. Ref. [8] classified these buildings into single-use/limited mixed-use office buildings, residential towers, and affordable public housing. Facilities that are commonly found in high-rise buildings include vertical transportation systems, water supply systems, power supply systems, security systems, fire protection systems, and air conditioning systems, among others [18]. An effective and efficient maintenance reduces the risk of failure and interruptions in these systems [19].
More so, the sentimental attachment of high-rise buildings to the culture, prestige, and wealth of a nation necessitates the need to preserve investment made on high-rise buildings via proper maintenance of their facilities [8]. Consequently, in order to guarantee the long-term viability of the investments made in these structures, it is necessary to safeguard them by maintaining the building fabrics, building systems, and building services, all of which will enable occupants to live comfortably [18].

2.2. Concept of Facility Management

The term facility management is referred to as an integrated approach to operate, maintain, improve, and adapt the facility of an organization in a way to ensure an ambience that strongly supports the core business of the organization [20]: the concepts of cost-effectiveness, productivity improvement, efficiency, and employee quality of life. Facility management processes, facility management functions, and facility management activities are common terms that are often used interchangeably when explaining facility management practice [21]. Although these terms are synonymously used, there exists a defining line of differentiation amongst them [22]. Facility management processes are considered to be a strategic way of harmonizing the organizational structure, work processes and the enabling physical environment that will mirror facility dimensions in the organization’s strategic plans [23]. Using a ProFacil model, Ref. [24] categorized facility management processes into five generic activities: these are operating facilities, providing new facilities, providing rebuilt facilities, providing maintained facilities, and performing disposal of facilities. Another study by [25] identified six main facility processes, with twenty-seven subprocesses, of a typical office building, and these are identifying the facility; identifying the characteristics of tenants; developing a facility management plan; implementing operation and maintenance; collecting new information; and responding to and analyzing performance complementary actions.
On the other hand, Ref. [26] stated that facility management functions are categorized into strategic, tactical, and operational functions. Strategic functions are primarily concerned with setting out objectives to execute the long-term plan of the organization considering external requirement. Tactical facility management functions have to do with the structure and functionality of the facility management department in relation to the organization’s objective. Operational facility management function is concerned with the day-to-day decisions that were made in operating facilities. These functions were further expatiated into building operations and maintenance, building construction, landlord activities, facility planning, and general office service functions.
Lastly, building facilities and auxiliary operations for the control and maintenance of property and equipment are the main focuses of facility management activities, which were coined to mean hard and soft services. These activities include work/systems control and optimization; procedures; scheduling; and routine, preventive, scheduled, and unscheduled tasks performed with the intention of preventing equipment failure or decline in order to increase efficiency, dependability, and safety [4,27,28,29]. It is worth noting that facility management started as an offshoot of property management, and it was first provided in the United States of America and Europe four decades ago; meanwhile, the discipline gained prominence in Nigeria in 1997 [5]. It has since undergone evolution, ranging from being perceived as an overhead cost that needed to be kept to its barest minimum to a strategic business plan dimension [23]. Meanwhile, [29] stated that the evolution of facility management practice is centered around digitalization and sustainability. The study stated that the advances in information and communication technology aided the development of facility management when “office for the future” and paperless concepts were launched in the 1970s. The authors further stated that successive developments in office designs were results of the invention of globalized wireless communications that transformed the world into a “global village”. Ref. [6] carried out a comparative study on the delivery of facility management services between publicly and privately owned high-rise residential buildings in Lagos. Residents of the selected high-rise buildings (Eko Court complex and Niger Towers) were sampled. The mean value expectations and the mean value of perceptions of the delivery of facility management services were measured using the Service Quality Measurement (SERQUAL) model. The study revealed the availability of all facilities needed for safe and comfortable occupation of residents in the high-rise buildings. It further stated that Eko Court outsourced its facility management services, while Niger Tower adopted a hybrid facility management strategy. It was found out that the residents of Niger Tower were more satisfied with the level of facility management service provided, although residents of both residential buildings were not highly satisfied with the facility management services provided by the building operators. It then concluded the residents’ perception and expectation of facility management services can be positively enhanced by giving close attention to improving dissatisfying factors. The study recommended improving the standardization of services, the customization of services, the creation of a feedback channel, and the adoption of appropriate service recovery techniques as means of improving facility management service quality. The focus of the study is on the satisfaction of facility management service delivery in high-rise buildings based on residents’ perception. However, their expectation and perception of what effective facility management service should be may not be accurate.

2.3. Facility Management Automation

Ref. [11] stated that structures built in Nigeria decades ago are getting old, and technological evolution of facility management practice makes the use of automation in the management of buildings, most importantly high-rise buildings, a necessity [30]. Furthermore, recent developments in the built environment have shown that the orientation of national economies, societies, and environments has undergone significant, long-term shifts [31]. Several factors have contributed to the evolution of the built environment’s structure, practices, and overall functioning, including globalization, institutional and structural reforms, the liberalization of global financial markets, shifting economic policies, technological innovations and advancements, environmental sustainability, rapid urbanization, economic pressure, and the rise of emerging market economies [32]. Nevertheless, these concerns will have a significant impact on how our society functions going forward and will guide our decisions about how to manage the built environment [33].
The nature and purpose of building amenities are said to be constantly changing in response to technological advancements and the general digitization of our contemporary environment, as stated by references [34,35]. The findings went on to say that these advances in technology have forced building operators to always come up with new approaches to managing and controlling facilities. Through the use of information technology, sometimes known as facility management automation, they are progressively aiming for more control over the resource utilization rates of their facilities for a more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and optimized facility management experience.
Automation provides facility managers with the means and instruments to facilitate the administration of facilities, accelerates the execution of facility management tasks, and acts as a unifying element for people, places, and facilities [28,36,37,38,39]. Three main topics have been covered in the discussion of automation’s roles in the service sector [40,41]. These tasks include providing utility and support infrastructure for service innovations, as well as describing information communication and technology (ICT) as an enabler of service innovations. Automation has been shown to perform the aforementioned roles in facility management practice [42,43]. It has been proven that the facility management sector is one of the services.
As an ICT enabler, different automating systems [data containers and workflow systems, such as building information modeling (BIM), computer maintenance and management systems (CMMS), computer-aided facility management (CAFM), and integrated work space management systems (IWMS)], digital twins (DT), and the Internet of Things (IoT) have been developed to enhance facility management practice [37]). As a support infrastructure for a service innovation, facility management automation supplements facility management functions, while as a utility for service innovation, facility management automation has a positive impact on cost and time savings, minimizing errors, omissions, and rework [1,2,3]. These automating tools help in error detection and maintenance and aid thermal comfort occupant monitoring and cost saving maintenance.
Ref. [40] carried out a review of the literature on information technology in facility management. Data repository technology; BIM (interoperability software); Industry Foundation Class (IFC) workflow systems; CAFM (facility intelligence software); building maintenance system (BMS) sensor mobiles; augmented reality (AR); and field capture technology (drones) are the common automating systems used in facility management practice. It further stated that BIM is the most researched technology, while CAFM is the most used technology. The study lacks empirical data to support the author’s opinion. Ref. [10] revealed in their findings that CAFM is the most popular and the most used automating system in the facility management of high-rise buildings in Lagos, Nigeria.
According to [44], the digital twin, which is a more recent automating tool that integrates the physical product, virtual replica, and IoT, is a digital replica of a facility that shows its structure, accommodation details/spaces, flow of movements, and so on. The study stated that research on the use of DT in facility management can assist in assessing building performance through the real-time flow of data. A number of studies [44,45,46,47,48] have discussed the importance of DT in facility management to include: maintenance error detection and predictions; enhancing thermal comfort and occupant monitoring; prediction and cost saving; sharing a more equal representation; building performance; and room experience. These studies were carried out in developed countries with innovative technologies and supportive systems. Also, discussion on the importance of automation in facility management has gained popularity in the developed world. However, majority of these studies have been generic; this study focuses on the relevance of automation in facility management of high-rise buildings in developing countries using a case study of Lagos, Nigeria.

3. Materials and Methods

This study used survey research, with 53 commercial high-rise buildings purposefully selected from the 95 commercial high-rise buildings that were found in Ikoyi, Lagos Island, and Victoria Island, all in Lagos State, Nigeria, using field surveys. These areas were chosen for the study because they contain the largest concentration of high-rise buildings—159, or 97.5%—while Lagos State, as per [8], has the highest total number of high-rise buildings—163—in Nigeria. Based on a prior pilot survey that identified high-rise buildings that were either fully or partially inhabited and the kinds and sorts of uses they were put to; this decision was made. For the study, primary data were obtained from questionnaire that was self-administered on in-house facility managers of high-rise buildings over the course of eight weeks. Table 1 gives a breakdown of the number of high-rise buildings in Lagos metrpollis.
A total number of 53 copies of the questionnaire were physically administered using a purposive sampling technique. This represents 54% of the sample population, while 41 copies of the questionnaire were found adequate for analysis. The questionnaire, which was divided into four sections, obtained information on types of automating system used in high-rise buildings, time of acquisition of the system, and importance of automating tools. For appropriate data analysis of the information gathered from respondents, relative frequency index, mean ranking, and regression analysis were used, while Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 24 was adopted for analyzing the research result.

Conceptual Framework

This section provides a flow chart of the relevance of automation in the facility management of high-rise buildings in the study area. The flow chart depicts that facility services carried out by facility managers are results of facility management strategies adopted by the organization. It further shows that the use of automating tools (systems) in performing or augmenting facility management services leads to automated facility management, which in turn has a positive impact of facility management practice in high-rise buildings. This is presented schematically in Figure 1.

4. Results

4.1. Reliability Test

Table 2 depicts the test of assumptions on the adequacy of the matrix and the significance of the factors influencing the adoption of automation in the facility management of high-rise buildings in the study area. With a determinant level of 0.001, the prediction that the listed factors affect the adoption of automation in the facilities management of high-rise buildings in the study area is valid. More so, the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure of sampling of 0.770 is greater than 0.70; this indicates that enough items were predicted by each (principal factor component). Bartlett’s test also has a significant value of 0.000, less than 0.05, implying that the variables are correlated highly enough to provide a basis for factor analysis.
The results of the field survey are reported in this section; they were derived from the data collected and are presented in a way that was directly related to the goal of the study. Table 3 reveals that 17 (41.5%) of the selected commercial high-rise buildings had a structured facility management department or unit, while 19 (46.3%) had a property maintenance or management department that carried out the typical duties of property managers. This supports the findings of [8], which stated that facility managers of both public and private companies view facility management as a useful tool for managing their properties.
Also, one can infer from the result that ownership do not play a significant role in the choice of an organization in having a structured facility management department. The table also indicates the presence of an in-house facility management department in 21 (51.2%) of the sampled high-rise buildings; 10 (24.4%) chose a hybrid facility management method, while 10 (24.4%) embraced an outsourced facility management plan. Upon careful examination of the facility management strategy and building ownership, it can be observed that a greater proportion of public buildings (76.5%) have implemented an in-house facility management approach as opposed to outsourcing management. This suggests that rather than hiring professionals who are continuously updated about the latest advancements in the facility management field, public building operators would rather hire employees who will be treated like civil servants and may or may not comprehend the concept of a facility management department. This may account for the bulk of Nigeria’s public high-rise structures’ state of degradation [19].
The information provided in Table 4 indicates that security, building and ground maintenance, mechanical and engineering management, waste disposal management, and energy and environmental management services are the services considered paramount by most facility managers. Forty (40) out of the forty-one (41) responses provided security services, while thirty-nine (39) provided building and ground maintenance and cleaning and housekeeping services. The findings presented in this table show that the safety of the building and that of its occupiers are considered to be very important. This may be connected to the increasing level of insecurity of lives and properties in the country, thereby prompting individuals and corporate bodies to look after their own safety [9]. More so, there is need to protect the building fabrics, since the owners of high-rise buildings either hold them as investment or as corporate real estate, hence the reason that building and ground maintenance and cleaning and housing services were rendered by facility managers in the study area [10].
Table 5 presents facility management activities that were automated by facility managers. The information presented in Table 5 below ranks security as the most automated service, with a relative importance index of 2.81. This shows that nineteen (19) out of the sampled 41 high–rise buildings used automated doors and CCTV cameras, while the rest made use of security personnel. Energy management, building management/maintenance, preventive maintenance, mechanical and electrical management, and location awareness/equipment inventory ranked second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, with relative importance indices of 2.68, 2.63, 2.59, 2.56, and 2.49, respectively. Considering the relative importance index of the above-listed facility management activities, one can conclude that automation is sometimes been used in the management of security service, energy management, building management/maintenance, preventive maintenance, mechanical and electrical management, and location awareness and equipment inventory. However, the overall level of adoption of automation in the study area can be said to be below average because the average cumulative relative importance index of the facility management activities is 2.11. Hence, one can conclude that facility managers in the study area seldom use computerized systems in carrying out facility management activities. This in contrast with the situation in countries that are technologically advanced. For example, the term “facility management” is being used in Malaysia only when a building is automatically controlled by a computerized software [39,40]. Although facility management practice was introduced into Nigeria almost at the same time as the Asian countries of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, and Japan, these countries have taken steps in developing the practice of facility management, research, and facility management education. This cannot be said of Nigeria, where advancement in the built environment is an imitation of Western technology and not as a result of technological development within the country. This corroborates the view of [8].
Table 6 explain the importance of automation in facility management practice. Table 6 shows that dependent variables in the table were transformed into a single variable to obtain the relationship between the relevance of automation and facility management activities and the level of their significance.
Table 7 presents the usual statistics for all the variables. Also, N is 28 because 13 participants are missing a score or more variables, i.e., 13 facility managers did not fill this section of the questionnaire. And since the regression model only made use of participants who had complete data for all variables, the 13 missing participants were excluded from the analysis.
  • Predictors: (constant), competitive advantage, improves load aggregation, cost and time savings, improves performance of the building, aids remote monitoring, reduction in omission and rework, ensures safety of occupants, minimizing errors, aids equipment diagnostics.
The R square for the model is 0.66, which implies that competitive advantage, improvement in load aggregation, cost and time savings, improves performance of the building, aids remote monitoring, reduction in omission and rework, ensures safety of occupants, minimizing errors, and aids equipment diagnostics have 66% significance on the use of computerized systems in carrying out facility management activities. This corroborates the works of [1,2,3,4] that facility management automation has a positive impact on cost and time savings, minimizing errors, and reduction in omission and rework. It is also relevant in determining the building operations and maintenance and forecasting and budgeting. Also, the 0.007 significance level of the model, which is less than the standard 5% significance level, shows that the model is significant; this is presented in Table 8. It implies that the variables “competitive advantage, improves load aggregation, cost and time savings, improves performance of the building, aids remote monitoring, reduction in omission and rework, ensures safety of occupants, minimizing errors, aids equipment diagnostics” significantly influence the use of automation in carrying out facility management activities.

4.2. Regression Equation

The regression equation presents information on the t value and the significance of each independent variable to the regression model. The information provided in the table indicates that only variable X4 (ensures safety of occupants) has a significant influence on the adoption of the automation in facility management of high-rise buildings. However, the other variables will add a little to the prediction of the use of automation in the facility management of high-rise buildings.
Y = 6.856 + 1.829X1 + 8.835X2 + 4.368X3 + 28.459X4 + 0.597X5 − 23.545X6 − 8.566X7 − 2.296X8 − 2.190X9
Y = constant
X1 = reduction in omission and rework
X2 = aids remote monitoring
X3 = improves performance of the building
X4 = ensures safety of occupants
X5 = improves load aggregation
X6 = cost and time savings
X7 = minimizing errors
X8 = aids equipment diagnostics
X9 = competitive advantage

5. Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations

The concept of facility management is an integrated approach that operates, maintains, improves, and adapts the building and infrastructure of an organization [41]. Facility management is categorized into processes, functions, and activities, although they are used synonymously [23,24,25]. This manuscript examined the relevance of automation in the facility management of commercial high-rise buildings in Lagos State, Nigeria. The survey conducted revealed that security, building and ground maintenance, mechanical and engineering management, waste disposal management, and energy and environmental management services were considered the most important services provided by facility managers. This finding corroborated the works of [4,26,27,28] on the roles of facility management in the maintenance of building and its facility. The study further revealed that the automation of facility management activities was still below average, as the average cumulative relative importance index of facility management activities was 2.11. The study concludes that facility managers in the study area rarely use computerized systems in carrying out facility management activities; although automation was seldom used in carrying out facility management activities, it has a positive impact on facility management services. It then recommends that building operators should invest in facility management software and equipment to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of facility management in high-rise buildings. This investment will ensure that facility management activities are well-organized and automated, resulting in improved building performance, reduced maintenance costs, and increased occupant satisfaction and safety.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, O.S.A.; methodology, O.S.A.; validation, O.S.A. and D.O.E.; resources, D.O.E. and C.O.A.; writing—original draft preparation, O.S.A.; writing—review and editing, D.O.E. and O.A.; visualization, C.A.A. and O.A.; supervision, C.A.A., and C.O.A.; project administration, C.A.A., O.A. and C.O.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research is funded by the University of Johannesburg, P.O BOX 524, Auckland Park 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Data Availability Statement

Data are contained within the article.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the efforts of the peer reviewers in helping to improve the quality of the article with their constructive comments.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Buildings 14 00016 g001
Figure 1. Conceptual framework of the study. Source: authors’ design, 2018. Keys: FM = facility management, FMP = facility management practice, HRB = high-rise buildings.
Figure 1. Conceptual framework of the study. Source: authors’ design, 2018. Keys: FM = facility management, FMP = facility management practice, HRB = high-rise buildings.
Buildings 14 00016 g001
Table 1. Distribution of high-rise buildings in Lagos Metropolis.
Table 1. Distribution of high-rise buildings in Lagos Metropolis.
Local GovernmentFrequency
Apapa1
Eti-Osa106
Lagos Island53
Lagos Mainland2
Total163
Nature of UseFrequency
Commercial Office Space98
Healthcare1
Hospitality 8
Mixed use13
Residential43
Total163
Source: author’s field survey, 2018.
Table 2. KMO Bartlett’s test.
Table 2. KMO Bartlett’s test.
Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin Measure of Sampling
Adequacy0.770
Bartlett’s test of approximately chi-squared 433.488
Sphericity df0.91
Sig.0.000
Table 3. Facility management strategies adopted in high-rise buildings.
Table 3. Facility management strategies adopted in high-rise buildings.
Facility Management DepartmentFrequencyPercentage (%)
Property/Maintenance Department 1946.3
Facility Management Department1741.5
None 512.2
Total41100.0
Facility Management Strategies
In-House Facility Management2151.2
Outsourced Management1024.4
Hybrid Facility Management1024.4
Total41100.0
Facility Management Strategies Ownership of BuildingsOwnershipTotal
PublicPrivate
In-House Facility Management81321
Outsourced Management7310
Hybrid Facility Management9110
Total241741
Source: author’s field survey, 2018.
Table 4. Facility management services rendered by facility managers.
Table 4. Facility management services rendered by facility managers.
Services RenderedFrequencyPercentage (%)
Security Service4011.5
Building and Ground Maintenance3911.3
Cleaning and Housekeeping3911.3
Energy and Environmental Management3811.0
M and E Engineering management3811.0
Waste Disposal Management3811.0
Car park/space Management329.2
Customer Service308.7
Landscaping Service205.8
Health and Safety Management185.2
Internet Service144.0
Total346 ***100.0
Source: author’s field survey, 2018. Note: *** this figure exceeded the number of respondents because multiple responses were allowed.
Table 5. The use of computerized systems in carrying out facility management activities.
Table 5. The use of computerized systems in carrying out facility management activities.
Contribution of FM Practice Never (1) Freq.Rarely (2) Freq.Sometimes (3) Freq.Often (4) Freq.Always Freq.(5)MeanRank
Security 19224142.811st
Energy management 19-11742.682nd
Building management/maintenance191-1832.633rd
Preventive maintenance20-21542.594th
Mechanical and electrical management19-220-2.565th
Location awareness/equipment inventory19231522.496th
Visualization/3D model of facilities223313-2.177th
Car park/space management2533911.978th
Move management19125411.929th
Room scheduling25925 1.6810th
Cleaning and housekeeping288 1.4911th
Landscaping 37-2221.2912th
Waste disposal 365---1.2413th
Source: author’s field survey, 2018.
Table 6. Variable table.
Table 6. Variable table.
Model Independent Variables Dependent Variables
Facility Management Activities (FMA):
1Cost and time savingBuilding management/maintenance
Minimizing errorsEnergy management and sustainability
Reduction in omission and reworkLocation awareness/equipment inventory
Aids remote monitoringCar park/space management
Aids equipment diagnosticsVisualization (3D models of facilities)
Improves operational efficiencyMove management
Improves performance of the buildingPreventive maintenance
Ensures safety of occupantsRoom scheduling
Improves load aggregationSecurity
Competitive advantageCleaning and house keeping
M & E engineering management
Waste disposal management
Landscaping service
Source: author’s field survey, 2018.
Table 7. Descriptive statistics.
Table 7. Descriptive statistics.
MeanStandard DeviationN
Facility management activities34.2912.0828
Cost and time savings significance4.060.99028
Minimizing errors 3.960.9228
Reduction in omission and rework4.040.9628
Remote monitoring4.181.0628
Aids equipment diagnostics 4.121.0328
Improves operational efficiency4.211.0328
Improves performance of building4.040.9628
Ensures safety of the occupants3.860.9328
Improves load aggregation2.891.1628
Competitive advantage3.461.3528
Source: author’s field survey, 2018.
Table 8. Model summary.
Table 8. Model summary.
Model RR SquareAdjusted R SquareFSig.
10.8100.6570.4853.8270.007
Source: author’s field survey, 2018.
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Awosode, O.S.; Ebiloma, D.O.; Ajayi, C.A.; Aigbavboa, C.O.; Akinradewo, O. The Relevance of Automation in the Facility Management of Selected High-Rise Buildings in Lagos, Nigeria. Buildings 2024, 14, 16. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/buildings14010016

AMA Style

Awosode OS, Ebiloma DO, Ajayi CA, Aigbavboa CO, Akinradewo O. The Relevance of Automation in the Facility Management of Selected High-Rise Buildings in Lagos, Nigeria. Buildings. 2024; 14(1):16. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/buildings14010016

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Awosode, Orayinka Stephen, David Ojimaojo Ebiloma, Cyril Ayodele Ajayi, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa, and Opeoluwa Akinradewo. 2024. "The Relevance of Automation in the Facility Management of Selected High-Rise Buildings in Lagos, Nigeria" Buildings 14, no. 1: 16. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/buildings14010016

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