With a goal of improving building use, supporting more flexible work and putting people at the center of decisions, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has introduced the International Building Operation Standard (IBOS), a data-based framework approach to measure and manage how buildings perform for people specifically.
The standard is designed to help organizations collect data on buildings to meet sustainability and wellness targets, while also considering user experience to go beyond traditional metrics, the organization said.
More than four of five (81%) of U.S. and 86% of Canadian professionals report that they are seeing an increase in demand for more flexible and local workspaces, highlighting a need for an all-inclusive, data-led standard. RICS will provide organizations an interactive, easy-to-use framework, supported by an assessment tool, to measure and benchmark building performance, by collecting consistent data to satisfy the latest needs of occupiers, investors, advisors and end users in commercial and public sectors. By adding a new dimension — user experience — IBOS goes beyond traditional building performance assessments, RICS said.
“The effective use of data can provide huge benefits in buildings. However, as the definition of building performance evolves and expands it is vital that there is a robust framework detailing the elements that need to be considered and the corresponding data to be used,: said Dan Hughes, director at Alpha Property. “IBOS does just this and is a foundational step for the sector to fully leverage data in the years to come – ultimately to drive better performance in buildings whether for people, the planet or finances.”
As COVID turned how we interact with commercial property on its head, and people look to return to work, International Building Operation Standard or IBOS is set to support organisations in attracting people back to the workplace, by delivering confidence for end users that the building they’re in is supporting their wellness, and benchmarking success against driving down the commercial sector’s carbon footprint.
The standard, which is supported by commercial and public sector organization as well as service providers and existing certifications such as Well and Wired, is the first of its kind globally to deliver a consistent approach to help organisations assess and improve their building’s performance in such a broad way, according to RICS. It will provide data on buildings with people at the centre of future decision making and help embed ESG into real estate strategy.
Many organizations already monitor their properties’ performance, including how sustainable a building is. But according to respondents to the RICS Global Commercial Property Monitor, only 79% of Americas respondents believe that there are currently techniques and practices in place to measure the environmental impact of buildings, and those that are in place, need further development.
IBOS can be applied irrespective of the type of property or its location. It provides a clear definition of the data organizations need to capture to create consistency in building operations and benchmarks services to determine the level of performance across five pillars.
The five pillars look at several elements, but importantly people’s wellbeing, the social impact of the building, the flexibility of the building, life cycle costs and temperature, air quality and health and safety. These areas are defined under the categories of compliant, functional, economic, sustainable and performing.
The standard will be supported by a free self-assessment tool in the first half of 2022, which allows firms and organizations to understand how their building is currently performing, providing simple results which will help influence future business decisions.
