

The Evolution Of The Building Maintenance Industry: A Brief Timeline
The building maintenance industry has a long and fascinating history which can be traced back as far as the 18th century.
Over the past 35 years, SFG20, the definitive industry standard for building maintenance specification, has not only witnessed but also actively shaped the transition from old to new and safer building maintenance standards.
We’ve joined knowledge forces with Chris Adams, Director of IoFMT Professional Services Limited and a Chartered Engineer with nearly 20 years of experience to bring you this brief timeline of the building maintenance industry.
Let’s roll back the clock to when building maintenance was first formalised and see how the industry has progressed to where it is today.
What Is The History Of The Building Maintenance Industry?
The First Industrial Revolution
Building maintenance as a human task or activity has taken place for centuries in the form of upkeeping structures such as castles and bridges.
It was not until the First Industrial Revolution in 1784 that we started to see the development of maintenance practices which aimed to ensure that ventilation, machinery and structures continued to serve their purpose long after being built.
The First Industrial Revolution for building maintenance showed us how individuals, organisations and society could embrace additional efficiencies through “good practice”.
However, at the time, it was not clear what “good practice” was.
The Second Industrial Revolution
Natural refinements and technological advancements continued for nearly a hundred years until the introduction of electricity around 1870.
This shift to stable electrical energy enabled buildings to become powerhouses of research, development and production, at least for those who understood the technology and its application and were able to adapt to the change.
Around this time, we also began to see the electrical industry formalised through regulation with the formation of The Society of Telegraph Engineers in 1882.
They published the first edition of what is commonly known as BS 7671: The Requirements for Electrical Installations in the same year and became known as the Institution of Electrical Engineers in 1887.
Other changes for buildings and the application of maintenance from technological advancements at a similar time included:
- 1881 - The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
- 1897 - The Institution of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (now CIBSE)
- 1904 - The National Association of Master Heating and Domestic Engineers (now BESA)
- 1909 - The Illuminating Engineering Society (now CIBSE)
The Second Industrial Revolution saw building maintenance becoming more regulated and recognised to keep both people and properties suitably and sufficiently safe.
This was a movement supported by the industry and competent professionals, as well as being mandated by the government.
With modern high-rise buildings starting to be constructed in the 1880s, building maintenance was becoming more important as technological advancements and mass production changed the size, structure, utilisation and purposes of buildings.
The Third Industrial Revolution
The Digital Age and Third Industrial Revolution began around 1969 and saw the introduction of advancements such as the microprocessor and the internet combined with an expansion of corporation culture (the white-collar role).
This drove the demand for changes in buildings, and they began to serve multiple functions – buildings which are now known as facilities.
Building maintenance standards took a step change: BSRIA took on a new name and published their first statistics bulletin in 1975 while BESA formed SFG20 in 1990 to drive legal compliance.
We also saw the formation of the first institution for the managers of these facilities to be formally recognised in the profession of the real estate sector with the establishment of the British Institute of Facilities Management In 1993.
The Third Industrial Revolution showed us that buildings were taking on increasingly different and complex functions.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is where we are now, involves the digital transition of global society.
The arrival and development of the internet has created a nervous system of interconnected systems and devices, with the scale, scope and complexity of this unlike anything humankind has ever experienced before.
What we see today in our buildings is an amalgamation of physical and digital assets powered by innovative technologies that are developing fast and moving quickly to transform the built environment.
For the built environment, these technologies include (but are not limited to):
- Big Data Analytics
- Augmented Reality
- Digital Twins
- The Metaverse
- Artificial Intelligence
- CAFM, CMMS and IWMS software
Looking Forward
Over the past few centuries, the building maintenance industry has made remarkable progress in terms of efficiency, sustainability and safety.
At SFG20, it’s our mission to provide the industry standard for building maintenance specification to help ensure safe and legally compliant buildings.
A key part of our role includes helping you to stay well informed and prepared for future technology which can assist with building safety and compliance.
In recent years, there have been several key developments which are continuing to reconstruct the way the industry designs, builds and maintains buildings, with the most notable being Digital-led Maintenance.
To stay up to date with all of the industry developments that are shaping tomorrow’s skyline, take a read of our all-encompassing guides as linked below.