Facilities Manager's Desk Reference, 3rd Edition

1History of Facilities Management

1.1 Origins of facilities management

The origins of FM (facilities management, or facilities manager) can be traced to an era of scientific management and the subsequent explosion in office administration in the mid‐1900s. The main catalyst in the 1960s towards FM was the introduction of computers in the workplace. The energy crisis in the 1970s brought home the importance of cost‐in‐use and the need to better manage costs associated with premises that support the organisation’s business. As the pace of change is speeding up and as new technologies are being adopted, FM continues to develop and expand to meet the demands of clients, occupants and customers using a variety of built environments for diverse purposes.

1.2 A brief history of FM

FM owes its origin to the growth of office administration – bringing together large groups of people into buildings – required to manage increasingly complex work. The introduction of computers into the workplace was a major catalyst for change in its design and management.

1960s era

The 1960s was the first period in the history of FM. This was when the term ‘facilities management’ was first coined, by Ross Perot of EDS (Electronic Data Systems) in the USA. At that time, it was associated with the trends affecting the management of IT systems and networks. However, quite soon, the scope of FM had expanded to include system/modular furniture and office design.

1970s era

The energy crisis of the 1970s ...