Resilient Technology Adoption by Facility Managers for Enhanced Building Resilience in the USA

Climate changes significantly impose stresses on the physical and the built environment. Facility Managers (FMs) within the buildings are vital in maintaining the optimal performance of facilities, particularly in the face of increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters. Therefore, this study presents preliminary findings about the in-house facility managers' adoption and implementation patterns for technologies enhancing the resilience of a facility within the USA. The research also identifies the barriers to adopting resilient technologies, per the facility managers. The research utilized an online survey with the facility managers within the USA as the general population. When the publication was generated, data collection for this study was ongoing, and twenty-two facility managers responded to the survey. Most of the responding in-house facility managers indicated to have adopted resilient technology with technologies such as energy management systems, emergency response systems, advanced HVAC control systems, cybersecurity enhancements for operational technology, and smart sensors adopted by more than half of the respondents. Even with the high adoption of resilient technologies, a significant majority of the respondents either didn't have a positive experience or weren't satisfied with the performance of the resilient technology, which is concerning. The research also identified lack of funding, resistance to change, and lack of technical expertise as the most important perceived barriers to adopting resilient technologies.