Facilities management in heritage buildings: Stakeholder attitudes

Many public organisations – schools, hospitals, local authorities, central government departments, universities – carry out their functions in historic buildings. This paper explores the tensions that exist between, on the one hand, the organizations seeking to perform efficiently in the modern world and, on the other, the guardians of the built heritage whose aim is to manage the historic environment in such a way as to prevent its degradation and the loss of significance and the character that the public value. It considers a Scottish department with a geographically widely dispersed estate of prominent buildings, in daily use by the public. A high proportion of its buildings is listed as being of architectural and cultural significance, and therefore proposals to improve efficiency and service to the public by carrying out alterations and improvements are scrutinised by Historic Scotland. By means of a questionnaire survey carried out at all levels within the organization, this research sought to establish the attitudes and perceptions of staff to the role of Historic Scotland in managing the historic environment in which the department operates. On the whole, staff have a negative view of listing and see it as a constraint on operations. This is an important challenge for facilities managers responsible for historic buildings.