Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important but possibly overlooked information facilities management professionals should know. Now that fall has arrived, are you ready for this year’s winter respiratory disease season? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicts that COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections will lead to a […]
Facilities managers (FMs) should consider adding wellness rooms when renovating or constructing new facilities so that occupants, such as employees or students, can relax and calm down when they’re stressed out. You want to create a safe environment for the people who are using your building. Adding these rooms gives individuals the environment to take […]
Now is the perfect time to do groundskeeping projects on college and university campuses since classes are done for the spring semester and the warm summer weather is here. Facilities managers should consider inspecting all areas of their campuses to determine what needs to be fixed, replaced, or upgraded. Whether your facilities management team handles […]
The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered schools across the country and made health and safety top priority once they reopened. Although the pandemic is thankfully behind us, it remains essential to protect students and staff from all types of infectious diseases. As leaders plan for the new school year ahead, now is a good time to double […]
The cicadas are coming! The cicadas are coming! Some facilities professionals will indeed experience a “cicada-geddon,” a term coined by John Cooley, a University of Connecticut cicada expert. According to The Associated Press, two broods of cicadas—13-year and 17-year varieties—will be coming together for the first time since 1803, meaning trillions of them will come […]
As we prepare for the holidays, we’re again in the middle of another season of the most unpleasant gifts: the common cold and, certainly much worse, what some call the “tripledemic” of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19. The “CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) continues to anticipate that the upcoming fall and […]
As facilities managers continue to improve their buildings’ indoor air quality (IAQ), they should learn about the new American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 241; the different types of air-cleaning technologies and their costs; and their occupants’ needs. Facilities Management Advisor had an educational session on August 17 as part of […]
How is the air quality inside your facilities? Is it time to reevaluate your HVAC systems and maintenance procedures? Proper ventilation and air filtration can lower indoor concentrations of both infectious disease particles and particulate matter from wildfires, protecting a facility’s employees, customers, and visitors. Particulate matter from wildfire smoke—material less than 2.5 micrometers in […]
With summer coming to an end, it’s time for facilities managers not only to examine the inside, outside, and landscaping elements of their facilities but also to be prepared for power outages, which are more likely to happen as it gets colder. Whether it’s an office complex, college or hospital campus, recreational hub, transportation hub, […]
Now that the academic semester is over and campuses are largely deserted, it’s the perfect time to do major maintenance projects and intensive cleaning jobs that couldn’t be done when the campus was buzzing with activity. Plan for Summer Classes Facilities teams should work with school leadership to determine what areas will be used for […]