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Building Coordinators Play a Vital Role in Maintaining a Sustainable Campus

By March 3, 2017No Comments

Post contributed by Martha Gentry, Communications, Facilities Management 

Auburn University’s Facilities Management department is home to seven building coordinators who oversee the daily operations of more than 140 buildings across campus.

A coordinator’s key functions include inspecting assigned buildings on a regular basis to ensure safety and appearance issues are adequately addressed, submitting work orders for repairs, and assisting occupants with planned renovations, just to name a few. Many times these efforts lead to sustainable results.

Photo of Auburn University's Tichenor Hall

Tichenor Hall is just one of the many buildings served by Facilities Management Building Coordinator, Richard Caldwell.

Building Coordinator Richard Caldwell assists occupants of approximately 14 buildings on campus including the Haley Center, Thach Hall and Tichenor Hall.

“Keeping the university’s commitment to sustainability in mind is a daily goal,” Caldwell said. “I work with my assigned building occupants to conserve water and energy resources by reporting leaking faucets, running toilets and cracked windows.

“I’ve also worked closely with the Facilities Management Utilities and Energy Department to set HVAC system parameters within the Haley Center. The parameters will result in the adjustment of temperature within the building during times of low occupancy. These parameters will help conserve energy usage for the building and translate to lower costs for the university,” he said.

Jessica DeVine is a building coordinator who oversees more than 35 buildings on campus, many of which fall under the College of Agriculture and College of Human Sciences.

“Many people think recycling when they think of sustainability,” DeVine said. “While I believe it is a very important aspect, I also believe bringing people together for a common goal is a major part of ensuring we fulfill our responsibility to sustainability on campus.

“I see my role not just as a Facilities Management liaison, but as an advocate for the needs of students, faculty and staff,” she said. “I have found that when I can arrange meetings with Facilities Management employees from our maintenance shops to speak directly with the building occupants, the meetings lead to prompt solutions. Developing those relationships can have a lasting and positive impact for our campus community. Helping connect my clients with Facilities Management is a big part of making campus more sustainable, and it’s very rewarding for me to be a part of that process.”

Find out if a building has a coordinator by:

  1. Clicking on a building via the Auburn University Campus map.
  2. Visit the Facilities Management homepage and ask if a certain building has a coordinator via the “Ask Facilities” tool.

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