RICS 2011年第二季全球商用物業調查RICS 2011年第二季全球商用物業調查顯示多數的全球商用物業市場仍然保持強勁，儘管全球經濟已軟著陸。該報告指出，大多數接受調查的國家，在投資需求及使用方面均呈增長，即使今年第二季開始能源成本進一步增加。

中國經濟增長雖放緩，商廈市場仍強勁2011年第二季經濟數據表明，中國經濟開始放緩，商用物業使用及投資需求仍然強勁(數字分別為63及42)。儘管持續加息及其他經濟緊縮措施，地產代理仍對房地產前景仍然樂觀，預期租金會升至+73而商廈樓價則升至+71。

根據第二季數據，中國及香港無論在使用及投資市場均為市場亮點，即使當局採取各種壓抑措施冷卻需求。投資需求正健康地推動商用物業的使用及租戶市場，因中國、香港及新加坡的需求持續上升。另外，儘管市場穩步發展，需求推動令使用率大幅增加，令中國商用物業供應空間為負數(由+34降至-25)，同樣香港亦為負數(-15)。

RICS中國分會主席李旭指：「在中國政府於1月26日提出的『十二‧五』規劃及『新國八條』的影響下，大量房地產快速增長的中國城市看到更多經濟及社會發展機遇。中國前20位地產發展商開始轉移發展趨勢，由住宅轉向商業。」

綜觀本地商廈市場，RICS香港分會發言人霍家禮(David Faulkner)說：「隨著港府推出多項措施冷卻住宅市場，投資者的興趣已轉移到商用物業。但由於放盤仍然稀少，市場僅有幾宗交易正在進行。現時商廈租金高企，是由於高使用率及缺乏供應而造成，現時無論寫字樓及零售行業，對商用物業需求仍然強勁。」 

特選國家重點歐洲「核心」國家德國，其商用物業市場無論使用率及投資市場的得分均高企。商用物業空間供應短缺令租金被抬高，但投資者仍對該國充滿投資憧憬。由結果可以預見，歐洲非核心國家經濟環境在第二季進一步惡化，尤其對希臘債務違約的擔憂加劇。事實上，希臘、愛爾蘭、葡萄牙(西班牙亦相約)，其榜末排名將成為關鍵指標。

 日本及阿聯酋的投資情緒仍然為負數，前者仍然從今年311大地震後恢復當中，因此預期第三季前景仍偏向疲弱。

 同時，調查顯示，美國房地產復甦在第二季已失去動力，源於整體經濟遭遇挫折。商用物業預期出租率在第一季轉向積極，但現已轉為負數。這現象表明，商用物業投資市場需求或窒礙仍在上升的用家需求，儘管樓價升幅仍然溫和。   關於全球商用物業調查報告RICS每季發布的全球商用物業調查報告提供商用物業市場以及租戶市場的發展趨勢。這份關於二零一一第二季市場情況的報告是由國際性的房地產企業以及本地機構所提供的資料搜集得來。  如欲索取全球商用物業調查報告，請瀏覽以下網址：www.rics.org/economics

The idea of being processcentric may or may not ring any bells at a real estate (RE)/facilities management (FM) organization.  After all, if the management team is seemingly making the right strategic moves, why fix what’s supposedly not broken?

However, executives are well-advised to think again; a process-centric focus is becoming a real value add throughout the industry. Let’s see what’s behind this “new” direction and how it’s re-shaping the way that executives and management conduct their business.

Solving key issues.

Three key issues have significantly affected RE/FM operations. One, management has an intense desire for data to make decisions but they rarely, if ever, have any “real” data to work with.  Compounding the problem, the data is usually in multiple forms.  Therefore, it must be translated for others to convert their data into a format fitting their individual needs as opposed to the organization or corporation as a whole.

Two, organizations have too many people doing work the same way that others before them did, executing on RE activities without actually having clearly defined processes. As a result, they are doing the work different ways and defining actions differently, leading to a “worthless ball of data” collected every quarter.

Third, working differently expands the problems exponentially.  Organizations have a revolving door of service providers with different ways of working and different ways of reporting information. This strikes a bad chord, with no cohesive hand-off of data from one to the next when contracts change hands on a set of services.

Yet, give credit to many business-savvy people in RE/FM for doing more than just allowing these problems to go unchecked. For example, there may be an internal push to (1) define their metrics and to (2) attempt the implementation of an integrated workplace

management solution (IWMS). The latter lets them gather data in a cohesive format whereby they can, in fact, make decisions based on that data.However, that promising approach faded when they realized their data was not good because processes were not aligned. Not much has improved in this regard because there are still regional or geographic differences or different organizations have different reasons for how they use space. So, there is no clear understanding of all the nuances for each individual division and how they roll up into the whole.

For example, organizations must have space available in a compressed timeline, based on projections that are often highly inaccurate. Yet, without a real understanding of the true intent of demand, what kind of space will be needed and how the space will be utilized, they are constantly in a fuzzy decision-making mode.

RE is generally behind the curve regarding having too much space or not enough. Why? They work from the business side’s projections which are reasonably accurate for the current quarter but, after that, it’s mostly gut instinct and not accounting for spontaneous economic forces. So they find themselves making poor decisions when sandbagged by second-rate information. Then, when the business wants space on short notice, getting delivery on an accelerated schedule is needlessly expensive. Without leveraging technology, it’s a vicious cycle.

However, getting on the right technological track isn’t simple. Organizations typically have 60-80 percent of their budget in committed dollars, but must take action on ad hoc or breakin projects or unwind them while overlaying a technology purchase/implementation and changing their portfolio in order to adapt. At best, management finds itself “between a rock and a hard place.”

Defining solution 

Going from unsolved problems to real solutions begins by defining a process-centric organization. For openers, this genre has clearly-defined methods for conducting all activities and a process for strategic planning methodology, including methods for dealing with “unseen” or unknown elements.

Becoming process-centric allows organizations to move from executing on processes to implementing all decisions made in strategic or capital planning. Ideally, this is where workflow management and document management should dovetail so that everyone understands where they are in a process i.e., no surprises. And people on the ground delivering services to end-users must execute on those deliverables in a unified process so that everyone receives the same service level regardless of where they are, whether in Tokyo or Miami. Essentially the objective involves removing all variables associated with how people deliver space. And that is just within the RE organization.  Then the service providers are still delivering across all their clients in multiple industries, none of which may align with a particular organization’s processes or employee expectations. So, a process-driven organization understands a workflow is attached to every request, every discrete item, every portfolio action. And they follow that process in order to be most efficient in an appropriate stewardship of the company’s money.

Moving to process-driven

When an organization approaches the transition to becoming process-driven, they must make sure not to get ahead of themselves.  Before racing to get new technology and/or a vendor, organizations must define goals and clearly understand what they want to accomplish, their role in the corporation and real estate’s role.

With that clear picture, look at all the processes (everything the organization does “cradle to grave”).  For example, examine transaction processes, as well as processes for portfolio management, CRM, space management, operations and maintenance.  Annual building processes have to be accounted for, and new work practices must be integrated into the system so that mobility services are delivered to employees in a unified way as they move around. And Change Management is critical to a successful transition.  Nothing less is occurring than transforming the organization’s processes from “I do it this way because I always have” to “This is how we all do it now because technology enables us to.”

Next, management must go to the market to find the specific technology best suiting the organization’s processes and corporate intent. In turn comes the technology implementation, while underscoring to employees and service providers that “These are the new processes, this is how we’ll use it and this is the enabling technology” as opposed to the mistaken idea that “technology drives the process.” Without the technology being implemented to support the individual or corporate mission, users either ignore or “game” it to work for them differently from others. When that happens, everybody is essentially back to Square 1.

Subsequently, make sure that, by everyone abandoning all offline “tools,” there is only a single-source of information for metrics or process- based activities.  Stress that going outside of the processes or doing off-the book  activities  will not be acceptable.  And, in the continuing drive toward uniformity, ensure that all vendors are aligned with delivering services to employees, that delivering space or delivering maintenance is done in accordance with what is expected, that metrics being measured are supported and done in a timely manner. The latter helps guarantee that decisions are made from real-time data, as opposed to what happened last year.

What does it all mean?

The preceding observations and recommendations drive home multiple points about enhancing RE/FM organizations,  including:

• The challenge is to not only transform the RE organization; corporate services must be transformed, too, as well as how customers interact and their expectations
• RE services must be delivered at the same time that technology solutions are being implemented. If not, the organization grinds to a halt.  The transition period is critical and the organization’s ability to accept the change is key.
• For every 10 seats sitting vacant in a portfolio, one job can be saved. At companies with 1 million sf sitting vacant, hundreds of people are not working because an office building sits there doing nothing. Engineering divisions work to eliminate minute bits of waste from production, so why is routinely wasting millions of feet of space acceptable? Says a real estate expert, “Why not lay off buildings instead of people, through better use of enabling technology and better corporate governance?”          
• Everybody looks at RE organizations from a different perspective, but typically not through the corporate perspective. Peoples’ metrics and rewards are based on specific areas. If RE is an obstacle to achieving goals for that area they will willingly have the corporation provide more money for RE because they are not fully accountable. Everyone must be accountable.

Case study – High Tech Company

What happens when companies integrate leading edge technologies, forward-thinking work practices and new workplace ideas instead of working the same as always?  Sun Microsystems hit it out of the ballpark.

Worldwide, about 6 of 10 Sun employee worked without an assigned office, yet employee work life was enhanced:

eighteen dropin centers saved employees 90 commute minutes per visit, 157 flexible office buildings earned an almost 80% satisfaction rate, and work-from home not only saved employees two hours  a week in commute time  but increased productivity by 34% and employees gave 80% of saved time back to the company.

Specific to RE, this reduced Sun’s RE costs by an eye-opening $350 million — $67.8 million in one fiscal year alone — and saved/avoided 7,215 seats.  Additional savings were recorded in fuel, real estate operations, energy and CO2 reduction.

None of this could have been accomplished without a data-driven, process-focused organization leveraging technology to drive efficient portfolio management and enable workforce effectiveness.

Rich Jordan is with Houston-based eBusinessStrategies llc (www.ebusinessstrategiesllc.com)  

EC Harris 首席执行官 Philip Youell 与 RFP 分享了他在事业和个人生活上取得的成就，毫无疑问，这都是他凭借满腔热情所取得的成果。林智伟报道。

如果你还没有与 3,000 名 EC Harris 员工中的一位交谈，强烈建议你同他们进行交谈。众所周知，EC Harris 团队非常专业，但同样友好、亲切。例如，其近期在湾仔启用的新香港岛办公室采用精细的开放式办公空间设计和颜色编码样式。”建成即用”是其工作场所的特质之一。公司氛围欢快、愉悦，这似乎受到了热情洋溢首席执行官 Philip Youell的极大影响。

对同一愿景抱有满怀激情

尽管大部分首席执行官和高管在谈到自己如何升到公司高层职位时，都会理性的阐释知识和多年丰富经验在其中发挥的重要作用，但对于 Youell 来说，他在事业和个人生活上取得的成功要归功于激情。在 1996 年加入 EC Harris 之前，Youell 任职于专业农业银行AMC 以及劳埃德银行。然而他”对营销满怀热情”，最终离开了银行业。

“在银行内部，我离客户越来越远，因为银行是大型机构，”Youell 解释说。这时 EC Harris 提供了一个战略营销职位，Youell 通过了面试并被成功录用。他说：”EC Harris 的合伙人对于自己的事业充满热情，一旦会面之后，很难离开他们。” Read more on 满怀激情所取得的成就…

If you have not yet spoken to one of the 3,000 EC Harris employees about their work, you are highly recommended to

do so. Team EC Harris is known to be professional, but also incredibly friendly and easy going,just  like their  recently opened new Hong Kong Island office in Wanchai, an open-planned space designed with sophistication with a colour-coded twist – “Plug & Play” is one of their workplace ethoses after all. The positively welcoming nature  of the  firm  seems to be heavily influenced by the leader of passion Philip Youell, Chief Executive Officer.

Passion for Same Vision
Whilst most CEOs and senior managers would philosophically explain how knowledge and years of varied experiences got them to the top of company hierarchies, passion is the sentiment that has helped Youell prevail professionally and personally. Before joining EC Harris in 1996, Youell worked for specialist agricultural bank,AMC, and for TSB Lloyds Bank. But it was his “real passion for marketing” that made him leave the banking sector. Read more on Fruits of Passion…

Diane Kolaritsch 指着身后屏幕上的投影时，脸上明显流露出沮丧的神情。观众能够看到一座建筑的建造时间表；还有有关约四分之三发展历程的介绍，展现了 Swire properties可持续发展主管 Kolaritsch 及其团队
一起参与多个住宅和商业地产开发项目设计和建造的经历。

阶段是详细的规划和建筑阶段。已作出各级决策，环保战略将是头等大事，而不是一种置入元素。所以 Kolaritsch 能够在所有建筑中执行降低能耗和水耗的重要措施，但她和她的雇主已经意识到，如果她能从第一天起就参与其中，则收获更多。她从为 Swire 开展的案例研究项目中学到了很多。她总结道：”现在我们将
从早期阶段就开始关注绿色环保战略。”虽然措辞并不一样，但他们学到了整合设计。Swire 的经验比大多数企业都更有科技含量，但并非罕见。全球范围内都在转变思维模式，建筑和建造流程正在发生永久性改变。不仅采用可持续发展策略，实际上还受到能源与环境设计先锋 (LEED) 等绿色环保建筑评级系统的青睐，还能节约资金、时间并大幅度提升成果质量。 Read more on 推动生命周期…

Next generation buildings don’t add ‘green features’ like a band aid after the damage has been done. The new approach offers a multitude of benefits. But can the sector bear to do what it takes to get there?

The frustration was evident on Diane Kolaritsch’s face as she pointed to the projection on the screen behind her. The audience could see a building construction time line; and there was an X about three quarters of the way along indicating where, as Head of Sustainable Development for Swire properties, Kolaritsch and her team got involved in the design and build of several case studies of residential and commercial developments.

The stage she pointed towards was detailed planning and construction stages. At three quarters of the way along the time line it was clear that layers of decisions had already been made and the green strategy would have to sit on top of them rather than being built in from day one. Read more on Spinning the Life Cycle…

Hong Kong, 15^th June 2011

The RFP Eco City Green Building Product and Service Guide and Ecopoint Limited’s www.ecopoint.asia, Asia’s first web based eco-community, today announced their partnership to bring the RFP Guide to to Ecopoint’s online platform, allowing advertisers even further reach and bringing together two growing communities.

RFP’s EcoCity Guide is Asia’s first comprehensive, integrated guide book for green building in the region. Ecopoint is a broader online platform dedicated to serving the needs of practitioners and professionals working in the fields of climate change, the environment, clean technology and sustainable business.

Claire Saeki founder of the EcoCity guide and publisher of RFP EcoBuild Magazine says “The RFP EcoCity Guide was originally launched to serve the needs of public and private practitioners and project owners wanting to build green but who didn’t know where to start. We want to offer them information and contacts and we already have a broad selection of contributors from some of the world’s largest lighting companies to the region’s greenest developers and local cutting edge design and engineering practices. By partnering with Ecopoint, we are opening up a whole new range of opportunities for them that will encourage people to not only build green but to gain insight into other fields.”

Jochen Kleef, Chairman of Ecopoint Limited, said: “Ecopoint was created to be the first place online in Asia that people in the environmental industry seek out to share their success stories, learn from the leaders, connect with their peers across the region and mobilise change for the better. It’s early days, but already we’re able to point to a number of firsts for Asia: the first place on the web to provide high quality, comprehensive directory listings of green companies and organisations country by country, across the Asia region and our EcoJobs job board that is growing by the day. Until now it’s been incredibly hard to find, say, a specialised waste management supplier in the Philippines. Now you can and we’re very excited about this feature, which will continue to grow and be added to over time, not just by our team, but by members themselves. We are very excited to have someone as established as RFP EcoBuild Magazine as a partner for Ecopoint and our business directory as it proofs that our approach adds value to the community.”

Both Saeki and Kleef feel that “Individuals, companies, governments and organisations have realised that it is only through partnering and cross fertilisation of ideas that major steps can be made beyond mere sustainability to a profitable and enriching environment for all.” This partnership is just one of many that will expand the influence of the combined work of people working within the green and clean tech industries.

Project opportunities

Though the RFP EcoCity Guide was originally launched based on the needs of a small group of project owners that group has inevitably grown and the demand for information, contacts and expertise has increased, at the same time Ecopoint has provided a haven for entrepreneurs keen to connect with like-minded investors, from early stage startups to more established businesses seeking capital for expansion. Through the partnership the EcoCity guide and the Ecopoint platform will offer an even wider set of opportunities for companies that continue to work with and our growing range of partners.

About Ecopoint

Ecopoint is completely free to use for its community of members, from user content through to a standard listing for companies. Enhanced collaboration and promotional tools will be available at modest premiums.

Ecopoint Limited is a member of the Kleef & Co Group, developed by Karma Technologies Limited.

For more information, please visit: www.ecopoint.asia

RFP EcoCity Green Building Product and services Guide

More than just a directory the EcoCity Guide is comprehensive tool kit of green building products and services that will prove indispensable for everyone from investors to building occupiers. In print and online it will reach tens of thousands of buyers (distributors, suppliers and end-users), specifiers and investors of your green building or renewable energy offering. Broughtto you by the people who created RFP Magazine and EcoBuild Magazine in association with Real Kaiten, the EcoCity directory is both an industry reference and a tool for the government and private sector.

Visit www.ecocitymag.com for more information or call us on +852 2851 9923.

For media enquiries please contact us at info@ecopoint.asia or info@ecocitymag.com.

Like their adverstisments Carlsberg were after an office environment that matched their light hearted brand image.

In order to fulfil their goals Carlsberg engaged commercial interior design firm HBO+EMTB to provide design and build services for their Hong Kong executive office.

To address Carlsberg’s requirements for increased headcount within the elongated floorplate, HBO+EMTB adopted an open plan approach to maximize space efficiency and enhance teamwork, while glazed partitions in private offices allowed maximum light penetration. Read more on An “unboring” Workplace…