Robotics, automation and artificial intelligence have been. But how much is reality and how much is scaremongering? Here’s what our think tank poll respondents say Join the Think Tank to have your opinion reflected here — editorial@fm-world.co.uk 15 September 2016 | FM World team newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk Rob Farman Some robotic support is inevitable  Between 1998 and 2000, I had a break from FM and worked as commercial manager at  BT’s R&D centre, Adastral Park, in Martlesham. Back then, articles in BT Technology Journal spoke about driverless cars.  Today, 16 years later, we are seeing some of that technology deployed to aid parking. We’re also seeing Google trialing driverless cars and Uber embarking on driverless taxis. Online retailer Amazon recently demonstrated how it uses both robots and people in its warehouse in Dunstable, and you may recall that Forth Valley Hospital won the BIFM Award for ‘FM Excellence in a Major Project’ in 2011, where “patients will never see trolleys of laundry, waste or food and drink being wheeled around because of the use of automatic guided vehicles”, or so-called ‘robotic porters’. Robotics will advance steadily from warehousing into retail and I can imagine driverless trucks delivering to supermarkets overnight and robotic assistants stacking shelves during the quiet hours when people would prefer not to work. I can also imagine driverless window cleaning cradles with robotic cleaners. So why not robotic mail sorting in the post room? Robotic mail delivery? Robotic cleaning in offices? Robotic catering? Rob Farman is principal at Abacus FMEC Chris Kane  Robot age calls for courage We need to adjust to the digital age, where choice is ubiquitous and the business landscape complex. FM is on the cusp of significant change, where harnessing AI and robotics will pose a big challenge for those intent on maintaining the status quo.  My business partner Euan Semple speaks about how “much of the routine busy-work that fills our days will be done by machines. They will get smarter and faster than we can imagine. Staying ahead of them will call for creativity, insights, and courage”. Could it help us get to grips with supporting both the people and the place agenda? That would be something of real business value. The alternative is steady decline. Chris Kane is principal at Chris Kane Associates Kat Fulton They’re coming – and retail’s leading the way The retail sector has made extensive use of robots in warehouses to help package and ship orders, but a new generation of robots is graduating from the ‘back of house’ into the shops. For example, the OSHbot; customers type on its touchscreen menu to find a particular item they want, then follow the robot to the product location. Other retailers, like Sephora, have recognised the potential to automate transactions by moving to digital shopping. Shops have little or no stock, acting more like a ‘try before you buy’ showroom, which requires fewer staff. At ISS, we always look to enhance service and make working life easier for our own people by developing and adopting new technologies. We recently entered a partnership with IBM for building sensor technology that delivers data to improve workplace performance. While process automation has brought demonstrable benefits, organisations still recognise the power of genuine human interaction, which we know excellent service experiences depend upon. For now, we can breathe a collective sigh of relief‚ but there’s no doubt that the robots are coming. Kat Fulton-Allen is solutions director, finance & retail services, ISS Facility Services James Spires AI will soon Play a greater role in buildings Robotics, automation and artificial intelligence are disruptive technologies that will play a key role in the future of our industry. Their vast scope is only just beginning to be recognised. In our own service delivery we are pioneering applications of robotic process automation to carry out a variety of tasks without risk of error or downtime. Aside from increases in productivity and efficiency, it will release more of an FM’s time to concentrate on the people-focused and customer service elements of the role. We see AI systems playing a greater role in disciplines such as air quality, environmental and energy management within buildings in the near future. The impact of AI or machine learning technologies will be a built environment that is more responsive to the behaviour of its occupants. FM providers will need to think and operate differently, embracing innovative start-ups and SMEs and partnering with them to get the best from fast-moving, new technologies. James Spires is strategy director for Engie   Source link

Almost 800 workers who were blacklisted by construction companies for their political views and union activities have won an estimated £75m in a wave of new settlements. Under the deals 771 workers will each receive an average of £65,000 after the industry agreed to pay £50m in compensation as well as about £25m in legal fees. More IN UK Business & Economy Some of Britain’s best known building firms, including Carillion, Balfour Beatty, Costain, Kier, Laing O’Rourke and Sir Robert McAlpine were accused of blocking workers whose names appeared on a list held by a shadowy trade group based in the Midlands. Unite the Union announced on Monday that it had reached a settlement with eight construction companies that will see 256 workers share more than £10m of compensation. The GMB has also revealed that it settled for 116 blacklisted workers at a total of £5.4m plus £3m of legal costs in April – and can now divulge the terms of that arrangement. Other settlements have also been obtained by the union UCATT and by a law firm called Guney, Clark and Ryan. The industry had already set up a compensation scheme worth an estimated £10m three years ago but unions continued to fight for more generous payouts. The unions also called for a public inquiry into what they describe as a shameful incident in industrial relations. The existence of the blacklist was uncovered seven years ago by the Information Commissioner’s Office when it raided the Droitwich offices of the Consulting Association. The list allegedly stretched to 3,213 named individuals with personal information — gathered over more than 15 years — including political views and union activities. In some case the paper files included details of personal relationships. The colour coded files also included the details on nearly 200 environmentalists and animal rights campaigners. The mainly paper database was used by the construction groups to vet recruits and share information across the industry. The aim was to identify suspected “trouble makers” taking part in trade union activity or raising health and safety concerns. The industry has always claimed that the practice did not amount to “blacklisting”, which usually means automatic discrimination. But it has accepted that its secret vetting system infringed workers’ rights to confidentiality, privacy and reputation. “Unite is proud to have fought right to the end to get the maximum we believed was possible against companies that had to be dragged kicking and screaming to make unprecedented admissions of guilt last October,” said Howard Beckett, director of legal services at Unite. “In addition to financial compensation, admissions of guilt and formal apologies, the companies have agreed, as a result of this litigation, to issue guidance to site managers to ensure blacklisting is not occurring on a local level.” Dave Smith, secretary of the Blacklist Support Group, said the result was a “historic victory for the trade union movement” after years of denials and cover-ups. Tim Roache, GMB general secretary, said the companies involved had thought that they were above the law: “Finally they have been held to account in public and at great cost to them financially and reputationally. Government and employers’ organisations must never forget this sordid episode.” Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link

Leading Brazilian architect to receive UK’s highest honour for architecture The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is delighted to announce that Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Brazil’s most celebrated living architect, will receive the 2017 Royal Gold Medal. Given in recognition of a lifetime’s work, the Royal Gold Medal is approved by Her Majesty The Queen and is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence “either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture”. Awarded since 1848, past Royal Gold Medallists include Zaha Hadid (2016), Frank Gehry (2000), Norman Foster (1983), Frank Lloyd Wright (1941) and Sir George Gilbert Scott (1859); Oscar Niemeyer (1998) is the only other Brazilian architect to have received the honour. Born in Vitória, Brazil in 1928, Paulo Mendes da Rocha has received international acclaim for his significant contribution to architecture. Mendes da Rocha’s numerous notable cultural buildings, built in his particular Brazilian Brutalist style with exposed concrete structures and rough finishes, are widely credited with transforming the city of São Paulo. In 1957 he completed his first celebrated building, the Athletic Club of São Paulo, followed by a large number of further public buildings in the city including Saint Peter Chapel (1987), the Brazilian Sculpture Museum MuBE (1988), Patriach Plaza (1992-2002), the Pinacoteca do Estado gallery (1993) and the FIESP Cultural Center (1997). Outside São Paulo, notable buildings include the Serra Dourada football stadium in Goiás (1973), Lady of the Conception Chapel in Recife (2006) and Cais das Artes arts centre in Vitória (2008). Despite Mendes da Rocha’s international reputation, there have been just a few chances to experience his work outside his home country, with the significant exception of Brazil’s pavilion at Expo ’70 (Osaka, Japan) and Portugal’s National Coach Museum (Lisbon, 2015). Speaking about the award, RIBA President and chair of the selection committee Jane Duncan said: “Paulo Mendes da Rocha’s work is highly unusual in comparison to the majority of the world’s most celebrated architects. He is an architect with an incredible international reputation, yet almost all his masterpieces are built exclusively in his home country. Revolutionary and transformative, Mendes da Rocha’s work typifies the architecture of 1950s Brazil – raw, chunky and beautifully ‘brutal’ concrete.  “Paulo Mendes da Rocha is a world-class architect and a true living legend; I am delighted he will be presented with the Royal Gold Medal, one of the world’s most important honours for architecture.” Paulo Mendes da Rocha said:  “After so many years of work, it is a great joy to receive this recognition from the Royal Institute of British Architects for the contribution my lifetime of work and experiments have given to the progress of architecture and society. I would like to send my warmest wishes to all those who share my passion, in particular British architects, and share this moment with all the architects and engineers that have collaborated on my projects.” Paulo Mendes da Rocha has previously been honoured with the Mies van der Rohe Prize (2000), Pritzker Prize (2006), the Venice Biennale Golden Lion for lifetime achievement (2016) and the Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award (2016). The Royal Gold Medal will be presented to Paulo Mendes da Rocha in early 2017. ENDS Notes to editors: 1. For more press information contact: Melanie Mayfield melanie.mayfield@riba.org 020 7307 3662 2. Images can be downloaded from https://riba.box.com/s/9uartks04ojanjztyndlvrz6zflzuttx 3. For more information on the Royal Gold Medal visit https://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Awards/RoyalGoldMedal/RoyalGoldMedal.aspx 4. The 2017 Royal Gold Medal selection committee comprises RIBA President Jane Duncan with Sir Peter Cook, Neil Gillespie OBE, Victoria Thornton OBE and the 2015 Royal Gold Medallist Sheila O’Donnell. 5. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a global professional membership body that serves its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. www.architecture.com Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA 6. Paulo Mendes da Rocha – Biography Paulo Mendes da Rocha was born in October 1928 in the city of Vitória- the harbor capital of Espírito Santo, son of the naval engineer Paulo Menezes Mendes da Rocha and Angelina Derenzi, daughter of an Italian family that had emigrated to Brazil. When his father assumed the coordination of the Naval and Harbor discipline at the Polytechnic School of the São Paulo University (USP) in 1940, the family moved to São Paulo. Paulo Mendes da Rocha graduated from the Mackenzie University Architecture School in 1954 and built a career planning houses, schools, apartment buildings, museums, several urban projects, stations and sport equipment, furniture and theatre sets.  Soon after his graduation, in 1957 he won a national competition for the construction of a gymnasium – the Clube Atlético Paulistano. This work brought him public recognition and won the principal award at the 6th Bienal of São Paulo, in 1961 – Grande Prêmio Presidência da República. In 1968, he won the national project competition for the Brazilian Pavilion at Osaka Expo 70 and travelled to follow the development of the construction in 1969. Among several international honors, he has been awarded with the Mies Van der Rohe Foundation Prize for his Pinacoteca de São Paulo project. He was selected in 2000 to represent Brazil at the 7th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. He received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2006. In Brazil, he was twice honored with the Ordem do Mérito Cultural, in 2004 and 2013. He also received twice the trophy from APCA “Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte”, in 2012 and 2015. In 2016, he was awarded with the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at Venice Architecture Biennale and with the Imperiale Praemium in honour of Prince Takamatsu in the category of architecture in Japan. He joined the academic world in the sixties when invited to teach at the School of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo. He taught at the University of São Paulo from 1960 to 1969 and from 1980 till 1998; in 2010 he received the title