Rouages: “Mastering information related to the University’s real estate assets”
Philippe Simonin is head of strategy and asset management within the DPI real estate division. From fieldwork to analyzing the countless data he collects, to creating 2D and 3D plans, he tells us about his job in the video series "Rouages" produced by the University of Montpellier.
To find them, you need to know the Triolet campus like the back of your hand, because Building 27, with its single floor and hangar-like appearance, looks rather modest amid the huge blocks of buildings used for teaching and research. Yet it is within these walls that the key masters work. Forty-eight people in five departments make up the real estate management team.
Accessed via a single corridor, visitors discover the technicians' workshops, a veritable Aladdin's cave where humorous collages speak volumes about the atmosphere that reigns here. Next comes the office of the director, Monique Lambert-Sebastiani, where the countless stacks of files and plans that fill the entire space are reminiscent of a paper megalopolis. At the end of the corridor is the office of Philippe Simonin, head of strategy and asset management.
Career plan
Philippe Simonin is a rather discreet person, but he makes no secret of the fact that video is not really his thing—maps and plans, on the other hand, are! And that is precisely the primary mission of his department, which consists of four agents, including himself. "We create and maintain up-to-date plans and technical documentation for all buildings in order to manage information related to the University's real estate assets, " explains the department head. In total, this represents more than 200 buildings, or 500,000 square meters, which are constantly evolving.
Campus and building plans, underground network plans, technical installation plans showing the location of electrical, heating, and plumbing equipment and their connections... Everything has been recorded, noted, and updated since each campus was built. "These plans enable us to extract data from the buildings, such as surface area, room type, and number of employees per office." All this valuable information feeds into the database used to optimize the management of UM's assets. "It's a task that requires a real photographic memory to keep track of the layout of the buildings, the configuration of the rooms, etc.," continues Philippe Simonin.
Key data
And it is precisely data management that constitutes the second task of the head of the strategy and asset management department and his team. And the list of data to be managed is long. In addition to those already mentioned, there is data related to land (parcels), properties, occupancy terms, operating costs, energy status and environmental performance, the condition of buildings, their regulatory status (safety commission, technical inspections, etc.), accessibility, and security (intrusion, attacks).
"All this information enables us to draw up reports, provide the information needed for decision-making, and respond to ministry surveys with a view to obtaining funding for building renovation and safety upgrades," explains Philippe Simonin. This data is of interest not only to the various departments of the University with which the service is required to collaborate, but also to its external partners. These include the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Ministry of Ecological Transition, and the State Property Department.
These collaborations reflect the diversity of tasks inherent to this role. "My tasks can range from lifting a cast iron plate to see what network is underneath to creating 2D or 3D plans, as well as managing databases and information related to heritage." " When asked to recall a memorable moment in his career, Philippe Simonin tells us about an encounter with a stuffed fox. Proof, if ever it were needed, that the university's heritage holds many surprises.