Learn about the legal aspects of a contract as it applies to residential, commercial, or industrial buildings and facilities. Learners will be introduced to concepts such as the purpose and scope of a contract, contractual responsibilities, and relationships between the different parties involved. Students gain a basic understanding of residential and commercial tenancies, the purpose of the Residential Tenancy Branch in British Columbia, and ethical practices that make for an effective, enforceable contract or agreement.

Learn how to effectively communicate using industry-specific language with tenants, vendors/service providers, and other stakeholders connected to the built environment. A strong emphasis is placed on relationship building, conflict resolution, negotiation, speaking, and active listening skills. In addition, key factors that need to be considered when communicating in the built environment will be discussed, such as ethics, cultural awareness, and privacy.

Learn about how different buildings are kept clean, using a variety of different Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and cleaning equipment. In addition, learners will introduced to spill-response responsibilities and procedures in different built environments. The course also covers the tasks required of a cleaning supervisor, such as cleaning audits, duty lists, cleaning scheduling, walkthroughs, and job descriptions. In addition to being relevant to building managers, this course would also benefit building supervisors, contract cleaners, or those employed in the cleaning industry.

Learn about the maintenance of internal and external building elements, as well as the operation and upkeep of building systems (electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and fire-safety). Building maintenance schedules and basic building repairs will be reviewed as well as the systems needed to sustain the health and safety of occupants. Asset management strategies (e.g., run to fail, corrective, condition-based, preventative and predictive maintenance) will also be covered.

Learn about the basic budgeting processes used by building managers, including how capital and operating budgets are applied to the built environment. Students will learn about the different sources of income and costs associated with a building, and the importance of lifecycle costing. The important features of financial statements and variance reports that relate to planning, servicing, and procurement will also be reviewed. Financial terms will be introduced throughout the course along with the basics of Excel for the purpose of recording and summarizing business transactions.

Learn about the risks inherent in a building as well as the planning, safety, security, and emergency preparedness principles used to respond to these risks. Students will apply management strategies to a variety of environmental factors which may pose a risk to a building or its occupants such as weather, waste, pest, and hazardous materials. Hazard protection and risk mitigation strategies are applied to the different elements of a building and students will become familiar with typical foundational emergency preparedness, WorkSafe BC protocols, contingency planning, and fire prevention practices and obligations. In addition, the impact that risk has on insurance cost and coverage will also be explored.

Gain an understanding of project management principles and how they relate to the built environment, including project lifecycle from initiating to closing. The course will focus on small to medium-sized projects typically undertaken by building managers. Learners will also be introduced to the relevant knowledge areas in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), such as scope management, schedule management, cost management, stakeholder management, procurement management, resource management, risk management, warranty periods. The development of critical thinking skills will be emphasized throughout the course.

Learn about sustainability, how it relates to the built environment, and how buildings contribute to climate change. The ways in which buildings can be made more energy efficient and greener through recommissioning, retrofitting, renewing, and other technologies and initiatives will be examined in this course. Basic energy calculations and terminology will be introduced along with potential strategies for energy use reduction. An awareness of regulations, local policies and sustainability standards will be emphasized with a view to future planning and retrofitting.