Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Facilities Management Advisor’s “Under Construction” series highlights some of the latest, most interesting facility project announcements every month. New Museum Under Lincoln Memorial The National Park Service (NPS) is kicking off a public-private project to add an immersive museum beneath the Lincoln Memorial and other upgrades at the historical landmark. Fittingly enough, the NPS made […]
As Black History Month began on Feb. 1, Howard University—one of the most prominent Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)—jumpstarted a series of major campus development projects. Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA announced the beginning of extensive renovations during a groundbreaking ceremony and “hard hat” tour at its Myrtilla Miner Building, a 109-year-old landmark […]
The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released a new report, “School Facilities Funding in the Pandemic,” which found U.S. school districts are widely committing funding from last year’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) to upgrade or improve their air filtration and heating/cooling systems—more so than for other facility improvements. The […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced 26 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners across 14 states and the District of Columbia, recognizing their achievements in the design, manufacture, selection, and use of products with safer chemicals. The Safer Choice program helps consumers and purchasers for facilities, such as schools and office […]
A new survey finds that the vast majority of teachers (74%) nationwide are concerned about the indoor air quality in their schools and on buses, citing the negative impacts it has on the health and productivity of teachers, faculty, and students. The results highlight the growing importance teachers place on working in a healthy, safe, […]
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released a Notice of Intent (NOI) announcing $80 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make public K-12 schools more energy efficient and lower their energy costs, including some of the nation’s highest-need schools. The funding is the first tranche of the Renew America’s Schools grant program created by […]
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 […]
As a new academic year begins, the Biden administration has issued a back-to-school fact sheet highlighting guidance and resources available to help protect students and staff from COVID-19 spread and keep schools safely open all year long. The fact sheet calls for vaccination, testing, and improved indoor air quality. It also notes actions the administration […]
California utility San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced that it has successfully deployed an innovative technology that enables eight electric school buses to put electricity back on the power grid when needed, such as on hot summer days. A collaborative effort between SDG&E, the Cajon Valley Union School District, and locally based technology company […]
The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council has released a new report detailing how K-12 school districts around the country have continued to manage indoor air quality (IAQ) within their schools during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report, which was co-authored with researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and developed […]