Category: Design and Construction

How to Rethink Facility Layout Design in Order to Improve Safety Conditions

It’s a logical assumption that having an intelligent layout for your facility can only be beneficial for the employees’ safety. The design and thinking behind a layout contribute much to how safe a workplace will be. WorkSafe Victoria in Australia states, “One of the best ways to prevent injuries and fatalities in the workplace is […]

Case Study: New Jersey Tech School Expands with VRF System

Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI) in Wayne, N.J., is more than just a tech school. Of course the trades are offered, but it’s also a high school, open to students from grades seven through 12 with courses covering everything from criminal justice and finance to automotive technology and culinary arts. It even has an athletics and […]

OSHA Holding Excavation, Trench Training

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will co-host an excavation and trenching safety training event September 16 in Southlake, Texas, with the North Texas National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA North Texas). In July, OSHA announced plans for 1,000 site inspections to address a rise in trenching and excavation fatalities. In the first six months […]

Should Your Facility Have an Indoor Positioning System?

Let’s face it: Nobody likes getting lost. But facilities professionals, their colleagues in other departments, visitors, and customers often get lost when navigating unfamiliar facilities or even unfamiliar parts of their own facilities. They might also be hesitant to ask for directions, or maybe they just can’t find anyone to ask. There is a strong […]

Bridging the Gap Between FMs and Construction Closeouts

Design/construction and facilities management teams are always waiting for project closeouts. Most of the time, it takes months (if not years) to receive all the final documentation after project turnover. One would think that closeout packages would be compiled throughout the construction process, but often it isn’t even started until weeks before the project is […]

MLB’s Blue Jays Detail Major Stadium Overhaul

The Toronto Blue Jays have unveiled the scope and first renderings of a multiyear $300 million privately funded renovation that will transform Rogers Centre from a stadium into a ballpark through a series of projects focused on modernizing the fan experience and building world-class player facilities. “We are committed to building a sustainable championship organization for years to come, and this renovation to Rogers Centre will […]

Biden Admin. Launches $225M Program to Advance Energy-Efficient Building Codes

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a Notice of Intent (NOI) to provide $225 million for states and local governments to expand the implementation of the latest building energy codes and support the development of buildings that use less energy. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Building Energy Codes: Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation […]

10 Ways to Make Facilities Decisions Stick

Facilities management professionals need to find ways to communicate effectively with those they are working with. “Having a process to help executives make decisions in an informed way is very important to everyone,” said Kurt Neubek, a certified facilities manager with the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), an architect, and a Firmwide Healthcare Practice Leader […]

Simplifying Hygienic Restroom Upgrades

Restrooms are visible evidence of the overall standards in a building, and with the continuing heightened awareness around hygiene in buildings, restroom upgrade projects are moving up in priority. In research conducted by Zurn Water Solutions into the impact of COVID-19 on the restroom experience, respondents ranked “touching fixtures” as their top concern in public […]

Federal Contractors Should Expect Climate Disclosure Rules to Become New Norm

A forthcoming proposed rule from the Biden administration will require contractors supplying goods and services to the federal government to disclose greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other climate-related risks. The rule follows similar requirements proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) related to the disclosure of climate change risks. The proposed changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation […]