How facilities managers are protecting against climate risks

With today’s buildings increasingly feeling the effects of a changing climate, facilities managers are facing the dual challenges of improving resilience and ensuring the right emergency plans are in place.

Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, more frequent and intense storms and heavier flooding are already putting building infrastructure and operations to the test.

By 2050, over 90% of the world’s largest companies will have real estate financially exposed to climate risks, according to S&P Global.

“Mitigating climate risks in real estate is becoming an urgent priority as companies seek to protect business continuity and minimize the costs of disruption,” says Glenn Milner, Senior Climate Advisor at JLL. “The changing regulatory landscape also demands action to make buildings more resilient.”

In addition to implementing resilience measures, companies are evaluating existing emergency procedures against mounting climate risks.

“In drought-prone regions, water audits are helping to establish usage and potential solutions prior to and during an emergency,” says Milner. “Resilient operations rely on monitoring costs, spending and damages related to climate impacts at the facility level. Establishing a baseline for how climate-related changes affect an organization is an important aspect in response plans."

Robust facilities management strategies should also consider a company’s regional infrastructure and supply chain, mapping critical systems across different assets and quantifying local risks to establish focus points within response plans.

“When analyzing where to allocate limited funds, organizations must identify their most exposed buildings and their potential impacts to prioritize key requirements for keeping business running,” says Karim. “Each building needs a tailored approach, with engineering and design teams assessing the right solution.”

Technology offers growing support for planning around volatile climates. “With the proliferation of smart building platforms, facilities managers can leverage weather data and AI modelling in predictive maintenance, projecting long-term impacts to make proactive adjustments, which also drives cost savings,” says Jim Whittaker, Head of Global Engineering Product at JLL.

Applying data about future climate events to existing hazard vulnerability analyses can also influence how – and how frequently – contingency plans are updated.