National Summit on Building Performance

THE DAILY FED

National Summit on Building Performance

"Be careful what you ask for--you may get it," Hoekstra said.

Thus began the first annual National Summit on Building Performance, where government and industry leaders gathered to discuss how to promote productivity in the workplace by improving the workplace environment.

Though Gibbons said the Clinton administration was committed to regulatory reform, he also said the government will find ways to encourage innovation without jeopardizing environmental and safety standards.

"It is essential to realize we are not compromising on the goals themselves," Gibbons said.

Rep. Hoekstra, who worked in the building industry for 15 years before being elected to Congress, said the federal government lacks the creativity and energy of the private sector. Hoekstra co-authored the report, "The Myth of the Magical Bureaucracy," which denounces "the widely accepted belief that government bureaucrats spending taxpayer money can solve all our nation's problems." Hoekstra said the building industry should avoid partnering with the government.

"I really don't want your business," Hoekstra said. "I feel you don't need my product."

Partnering and politics aside, a panel of facilities managers that included GSA Building Services Commissioner Bob Peck explored how communications technology, flexibility, security, and cost control will shape the future of both government and private workplaces.

The federal government maintains 280 million square feet of facilities. Peck said productivity is a strong concern when designing workspaces because government agencies are being told that if they don't perform better, there are private sector businesses who can and will. The commissioner also stressed the importance of security in building design given the spate of sometimes-fatal security breaches at federal facilities over the past few years.

"It's important to do it in a way that's as unobtrusive as possible," Peck said.

The size of an employee's workspace should not be based on his GS-level either, Peck said.

"People are bounded by their traditional concepts," he said. "We need to help people think differently."

Peck also predicted that because telecommuting opportunities and other advances in communication technology will make physically-centralized operations unnecessary, location of federal facilities will be driven by where jobs are needed most.