[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/facility services.jpg” caption=”Facility Services, formerly known as Physical Plant, is located in the Campus Services Building. Photo by Susan Bubak.”]Physical Plant is getting a new name in the New Year. Starting Jan. 1, the department responsible for renovations, maintenance, repair and operation of buildings, utilities and installed systems at the University will be known as Facility Services.

Dating back to the 1930s, the department was established during the early stages of the construction and operation of the University. The department was located in the Refectory, which housed the boilers that heated the University's buildings.

The term Physical Plant, adopted in the 1950s, is used to describe the systems that operate buildings in a campus setting. Facility Services is a broader and more modern term that encompasses the variety of responsibilities the department oversees.