Unsung Heroes: A Profile of Facilities & Services
by Jamie Snashall on April 16, 2008 in HKS News
Ever wondered what it takes to keep the Kennedy School’s portfolio of buildings lit, heated, air-conditioned, cleaned and, when necessary, refurbished?
Admitting ‘no’ is acceptable. To glean a better understanding of the work that keeps the campus going-and that most everyone takes for granted-the Citizen sent this reporter out to ponder and inquire about the exact nature of the challenges for Larry Black, Jeff Martin and their team of ten staff in Facilities & Services (F&S).
Black, an engineer, is the Building Manager, with 15 years’ service at HKS. Martin is the Director of Facilities & Services.
Although food services and janitorial services are contracted out-to Sodexo and Pioneer respectively-the workload for Facilities & Services is a constant. What most students probably forget (or in some cases, never knew at all) is that HKS either owns or leases buildings at five separate locations in Cambridge and F&S is responsible for all of them.
Despite the famous multi-billion dollar Harvard endowment, one major challenge for Martin and Black is finding enough money to do what needs to be done. And it’s also possible that a donor will pledge money, but on the condition it is used for the upgrade of a specific room or part of a building on campus.
F&S has called in external companies on two occasions over the past decade to conduct a full needs assessment for HKS buildings. Both assessments have also served as a roadmap to plan future capital projects. For example, in addition to the offices of the Center for Public Leadership recent relocation from 124 Mt Auburn St. to Taubman, F&S has just finished construction of a social research lab over on Story St. It is also beginning the rebuilding of the Nye conference rooms on the fifth floor of Taubman. Referring to the Nye project, Martin highlighted the challenge of doing refurbishments ‘piecemeal’, as “it’s so hard to take a building off-line.”
On the environmental side of things, HKS has proactively taken action to be a leader amongst Harvard schools, with all 100 percent of all energy the school purchases derived from renewable sources. With a focus on energy efficiency, two lighting retrofits have been completed (including occupancy sensing); the last changed 825 light fittings in Taubman and saved 30 percent of the kilowatt hours previously consumed in that building alone. Although F&S would like to do more, it’s not really possible with the current configuration of the buildings unless other major changes are tabled or technological improvements become available.
Martin and Black are particularly proud of the sensors monitoring carbon dioxide levels in the Wiener auditorium. The sensors monitor based on occupancy and ensure sufficient fresh air is available. This makes it that much harder to successfully nod off in a less-than-stimulating class, but data is not yet available.
F&S is also responsible for much less glamorous tasks, such as setting up the numerous mousetraps that surreptitiously dot the various nooks and crannies of campus corridors. With food and drink being consumed in every building, including offices, there’s no way to avoid the presence of some vermin. HKS follows the “Harvard integrated pest management model” which only resorts to poison as a device of last resort.
As Black explained, the present situation has “improved from last year when construction on adjoining roads to 79 JFK stirred up the mice”, bringing on a serious case of illegal immigration into the buildings. Harvard takes its pest management model seriously, with a full-time entomologist (aka, insect specialist) employed by its environmental health and safety division.
Like the occasional wayward mouse in the buildings, Facilities & Services is rarely seen. Unlike the scurrying kind, however, their efforts are absolutely vital to the smooth functioning of the buildings in which we learn, eat, work, sleep and, of course, enjoy an occasionally free beer. Just try not to spill any-it makes their job harder.
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