The provision and ongoing management of physical infrastructure is increasingly being acknowledged as an integral part of strategic business planning, as it provides the enabling working environment, in both the public or the private sectors. This consideration, which may be termed strategic asset management, is based on a whole-life or life-cycle approach to the management of physical assets. It recognises the importance of the working environment as a catalyst of organisation culture and continuous improvement, and focuses on cost and value rather than on 'bricks and mortar'. This has become particularly relevant in recent years with a clear shift of focus from the new construction sector of the building industry to the refurbishment, repair and maintenance sectors; which, for instance, are now roughly the same size in the UK construction industry. Property owners are beginning to realise the value of their property portfolio and the need to invest in its proper management and maintenance to realise its market value. Moreover, the growth and application of information technology makes such a holistic approach both feasible and effective. Professional surveyors, real estate or property managers, facilities managers and maintenance managers, should find this book useful, as should graduate students in real estate, facilities management and related MBA programmes, and final year undergraduates in building surveying, building and estate management.