Honeywell's survey shows there's an urgent need to improve building health

Seventy-one percent of facility managers surveyed in China said the pandemic has prompted a rethink of the way facilities have been operating for a long time

Shanghai, China, July 1, 2021 – Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) today released a survey on building trends in the post-pandemic era. According to the report, 71% of property managers surveyed in China said that the pandemic has prompted a rethinking of the way facilities have been operated; Sixty-six percent of respondents expressed more interest in investing in healthy building solutions, including improving indoor air quality, while seven out of ten respondents were optimistic about the huge potential of smart building solutions in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability.

The report, "Rethinking Building Operations in the Post-Pandemic Era," kicks off Honeywell's 2021 Building Trends Series, which surveys property managers from different countries including China, United States, Germany and Saudi Arabia working in education, healthcare, data center and commercial real estate facilities, and answers them through a questionnaire to understand the challenges, priorities and feedback they are currently working on. The report focuses on the current and future impact of the pandemic on building trends and changes in the priorities of property managers.

"The pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of the industry, prompting managers of property facilities in China to rethink their operational strategies and invest more in smarter and healthier technologies." "As users become more concerned about the impact of buildings such as offices, schools and hospitals on their lives and health, they will be more motivated by the implementation of new rules and regulations by owners and operators to introduce efficient and sustainable solutions to improve user safety, comfort and user experience," said Ye Li, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Intelligent Building Technologies China. ”

The survey results from Chinese respondents highlight five key themes:

The pandemic has the potential to have a profound impact on facility management and operations: 71% of property managers surveyed in China said the pandemic has prompted a rethinking of the way facilities are operated. Many respondents believe that the changes and upgrades that buildings have undergone during the pandemic will remain unchanged in some form for a long time, with 43% expecting the upgraded air quality management system to remain in place permanently. The pandemic has also caused property managers to refocus and redirect their investments. For example, 66% said they were more interested in investing in healthy building solutions that included optimizing indoor air quality, and 63% said they were bullish on occupancy experience solutions such as contactless building access, smart parking, and personalized experiences.

Confident in the safe use of the building: 62% of Chinese property managers surveyed are very confident that their occupants will be able to use the building safely during the pandemic. Only 5% cited pandemic-related issues as their biggest concern for their work, a figure far lower than in other countries.

Healthy buildings are and will be a priority: 58% of respondents said healthy buildings are a top priority, and almost all of them are confident that this trend will continue post-pandemic. For all respondents in China, the implementation of a health screening system was at the top of the list of initiatives to build healthy buildings. In terms of priorities in specific verticals, respondents who manage high-end commercial buildings and healthcare facility buildings value indoor air quality the most, while those who manage educational institutions focus on real-time access to building health metrics.

Digital transformation of facilities is accelerating: 66% of respondents believe that the pace of digital transformation is accelerating since the start of the pandemic due to the increased demand for remote facility management. Nearly all property managers surveyed (98%) say remote FM is now important, with 71% saying they are optimistic about the potential of smart building solutions for energy efficiency or sustainability, including data aggregation, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Respondents want to upgrade to improve the user experience, with the most important value being the touchless building experience: Property managers in China surveyed said there is a strong interest in upgrades, such as improving indoor air quality, energy efficiency and sustainability, and promoting the attractiveness and innovation of the building environment. However, feedback from respondents indicates that there is a gap in the technology currently deployed in buildings. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they manage buildings that have not yet been deployed: air quality solutions (62%), integrated lighting to improve occupant productivity (69%), touchless building access control (63%), or applications that provide real-time building health information (70%).

Honeywell's survey shows there's an urgent need to improve building health

Honeywell's survey shows there's an urgent need to improve building health

Sections viewed

Contact

working hours