FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Fig 1: St. Luke’s International Hospital and University.
Specific FM activities consist of the following elements: l Planning/strategy: Based on business goals, formulating a long-term vision and strategy for facility needs.
l Planning/design: Designing the facility layout and necessary infrastructure based on the formulated strategy.
l Construction/renovation: Managing construction projects while strictly controlling costs, quality, and schedules.
l Operation/maintenance: Performing daily cleaning, equipment inspections, and energy management to maintain facility functions.
l Environmental management: Promoting initiatives to reduce environmental impact, such as energy conservation and waste reduction.
l Risk management: Identifying and mitigating facility-related risks, including disasters, crime, and health.
l Cost management: Optimising the total cost (LCC) from a long-term perspective.
l IT utilisation: Using information technology like FMIS and BIM to
Fig 2: Kurashiki Central Hospital.
streamline operations and decision- making.
l Human resource development: Enhancing the knowledge and skills of FM professionals.
The effectiveness of FM Implementation as seen in JFMA Award-winning projects The Japan Facility Management Grand Prize (JFMA Award) is a system that recognises excellent FM practices, and many healthcare facilities have received this award for their innovative initiatives. These cases concretely demonstrate the effectiveness of FM in the medical field, highlighting the potential of FM as a management strategy that goes beyond mere building maintenance. It is noteworthy that Yasushi Nagasawa (PhD), Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and Kogakuin University, Past President of IFHE (2010-12) and chairman of the Happiness in Life Foundation, a leading authority on Japanese medical facilities, is one of the members of award selection committee. The cumulative evaluations by the JFMA over many years indicate that FM is an effective tool for
solving the diverse challenges faced by Japanese healthcare facilities and creating value, from an objective perspective as a third-party organisation.
Practice of FM integrated with management strategy The following nine JFMA Award-winning cases show that FM functions as a core strategy supporting hospital management l St. Luke’s International Hospital and University – Fig 1 (15th Award Grand FM Prize and 3rd Award Excellent FM Prize) has consistently placed patient- centred care at the core of its facility planning. By integrating FM into the new hospital wing’s design, it has achieved effective facility management and disaster preparedness. It was praised for its comprehensive approach from the planning stage and its long- term facility strategy that is directly linked to the hospital’s mission.
l Kurashiki Central Hospital – Fig 2 (4th Award Grand Prize) was praised as a model of hospital FM, where ‘core business and FM are beautifully integrated’. The hospital’s three-way FM strategy, involving management, staff, and designers, has led to improved acute care functions, reduced length of stay, and stable operations. The project was evaluated for its innovative use of FM to enhance hospital management and its systematic implementation of a PDCA cycle using benchmarks.
Fig 3: Gifu Prefectural Gero Onsen Hospital. 40
Pursuit of patient and user-centred comfort and safety FM plays a crucial role in enhancing the comfort and safety of patients and medical professionals, directly addressing challenges related to securing staff and work style reform. l Gifu Prefectural Gero Onsen Hospital – Fig 3 (14th Award Excellent FM Prize) chose to make all patient rooms private. Through an FM perspective, they optimised staff movement and equipment placement to balance
IFHE DIGEST 2026
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