Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
As office, governmental, and educational facilities age, facilities managers face difficult decisions about what to do with these structures. They often face three options: renovate, rebuild, or demolish the aging structures altogether. Any of those choices comes with a hefty price tag that organizations and companies must consider before making their next move. While removing […]
In 2023, 90% of companies offered some level of hybrid work, according to a new survey from CBRE. The adoption of hybrid work is driving companies to lease less space and redesign their offices to be more effective for employees, with space changes varying by industry. The annual survey reflects workplace and occupancy insights from 66 […]
The market for net-zero commercial buildings is expected to grow dramatically over the next decade, largely due to the implementation of net-zero building codes by national and state governments across Europe and North America. According to a new report from Guidehouse Insights, the number of net-zero commercial buildings around the world is estimated to be nearly 500 in […]
A new report from Guidehouse Insights explores the global market for building digital twins. A digital twin is a digital replication of a real-world asset that offers a real-time reflection of the asset’s status. For buildings, this is a three-dimensional model of all building systems and architectural features. According to the report, the building digital twins market […]
In September 2023, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its highly anticipated draft of LEED version 5, the latest iteration of the world-renowned green building certification. This first update focuses specifically on the operations and maintenance (O&M) of existing buildings. To help us learn more about the update and what it means for facilities […]
The U.S. Department of Education announced eight new grant awards totaling more than $37 million over five years under the Supporting America’s School Infrastructure (SASI) program and one new grant for $10 million over five years under the National Center on School Infrastructure (NCSI) program. According to the department, this $47 million investment bolsters the capacity of states to […]
What constitutes a zero-emissions building? The Biden administration is working to create a national, standardized, and verifiable definition for all stakeholders. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has developed Part 1 of a draft national definition for zero-emissions buildings and is now seeking feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders through […]
The Seattle Convention Center (SCC) announced that its Summit building has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as part of the council’s New Construction (v3) rating system. Opened in January 2023, Summit nearly doubled the center’s capacity by adding 573,770 square feet of event […]
While sports fans know that the University of Connecticut (UConn) is known as the “Basketball Capital of the World,” the university has recently been recognized on the national level for its ongoing commitment to sustainability by being ranked as one of the top 25 schools on The Princeton Review’s Top 50 Green Colleges list for […]
Calamities can happen at any time. They put everything at risk—people, buildings, you name it. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are changing things for the better though. Take the 2015 Nepal earthquake, for instance. UAVs were used for search and rescue, mapping, and strategizing relief efforts. Fast-forward to 2023, the University of Maryland has […]