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The article features several lighting products which include ISON Class LED High Bay fixture from Orion Energy Systems, the LightRules 3.0 from Digital Lumens, and wireless lighting control system Lightcloud from RAB Lighting. more...

The article features several safety and security products which include the CORRIN-SITE Corrosion Monitor from AGF Manufacturing, the nexTouch Keypad Access Lock from Yale Locks & Hardware, and Hilti Firestop cable disc CFS-D1 from Hilti. more...

The article offers information on several things that can do and cannot do when disposing a flooring, as well as factors to consider when selecting a replacement, including third-party reuse of disposed flooring, recycling flooring materials, and reducing disposal fees. more...

The article focuses on high-performance office design and mentions topics including building management, energy efficiency, and work environment.

The article talks about the Scott Minnix Director of the General Services Department (GSD) for the Houston, Texas, and his strategy to transform the facility management in the city. INSET: MUNICIPAL PORTFOLIOS DEMAND A DIFFERENT PARADIGM. more...

The article focuses on the use of buildings to improve one's health, and mentions topics including integration of wellness initiative into the design of a facility, the positive effect of the design of workspace on the health and well being of employees, and strategies to foster wellness. more...

The article discusses how women in facilities management and other industries are reaching leadership roles and how companies can help them grow. It offers ways how women can advance their careers including networking, finding a mentor and working with a sponsor, and stresses the importance of being strategic in their careers. Also mentioned are the areas for executives to focus on as they consider staff development in their organizations, which include cross-gender sponsoring. INSETS: How to Grow Your Career;Refine Your Ask. more...

The article offers criteria for selecting which energy optimization products and services will be able to deliver on their promises, and how facility managers can apply them to their own purchasing calculations. Some of the criteria mentioned include what the return of investment (ROI) will be, the applicability of the product or service in one's facility/campus, and how it will impact the operations. It also cites the best practices to adopt before and during the purchase deliberations. INSET: Buyer, Beware. more...

The article presents the personal experiences of facility managers that have dealt with real emergencies and includes insights about being prepared. It mentions the fire at an overflow storage warehouse in Chicago, the companies called during the emergency, and the importance of a contact list of vendors. Also recounted are scenarios with no plan in place for dealing with, getting the building back in operation, and making room for first responders. more...

The article discusses how lighting systems can help ensure lighting quality. Topics mentioned include how lighting quality affects productivity and perception of products, how achieving quality in lighting necessitates the careful consideration of the demands of the task that will performed in the space, and variability in lighting. more...

The article explores the growing adoption of having wireless systems for building controls. Topics discussed include benefits such as less labor and material cost, installation flexibility, and simpler troubleshooting and concerns or issues like system breach or security and reliability. Best practices to address signal and bandwidth issues are mentioned. INSET: Buyer Beware. more...

The article features Mari Kay Scott, first woman executive director of global facilities at General Motors who manages 396 manufacturing and non-manufacturing facilities in six continents. Discussed is Scott's 30-year career at the automotive giant and her rise to the top position in the global facilities organization, from a maintenance supervisor position after college. Included are the job skills that Scott credits for her success such as knowing the business, and cultivating diversity. more...

The article presents the projects of the 2014 FMXcellence honorees. Topics discussed include Statewide Facilities Master Plan and Optimization Process of the Ohio Department of Transportation, Public Safety Complex Delivery of the Leon County Department of Facilities Management, The Students First Program of Des Moines Public Schools, Land Ports of Entry Modernization of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the projects of George Washington University and The Westminster Schools. more...

The article discusses the considerations of facility managers for modular layouts or open spaces in office buildings. Details are provided by consultant Chris Garvin on material selection, corporate executive Katie Mesia on lighting and ventilation strategies, and consultant Chris Papadimos on acoustics concerns. Sustainability benefits are addressed. more...

The article focuses on the effort of New Jersey-based Munich Reinsurance America Inc. to become an energy-efficient company. It highlights the initiatives adopted by vice president Paul Lupica and his team in transforming the facilities culture as well as to target the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. A brief profile of the company is provided. more...

The article discusses the importance of focusing and analyzing consumer complaints to find creative and effective solutions. Topics covered include the strategies to address customer complaints, the importance to employees working in a certain facility and common complaints from tenants. Also mentioned are the seasonal requests of tenants and the prevalence of complaints about quality management. INSET: Address Complaints With Quality Management. more...

The article provides an overview of the winners of the FMXcellence Recognition Program, an initiative developed by the journal in recognition of the facility management (FM) departments in the U.S. It highlights the Utility Cost Takeout (UCT) program of global defense company BAE Systems Inc. On the other hand, the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta has maintained its competitive edge by embracing sustainability while the TD Bank NA has found success by engaging its employees. more...

The article discusses lessons learned by facility managers from Hurricane Sandy which devastated parts of the U.S. in 2012. Jim Rosenbluth of Cushman & Wakefield shared that hiring additional staff to assist in damage recovery efforts is vital. John Shea of the New York City Department of Education focused on the physical design of basements to prevent future flooding. Bob Holesko of HEI Hotels & Resorts considered the importance of supplies to get through prolonged period of power outage. more...

The article focuses on strategies facility managers can use to keep up with the sustainability options in commercial interiors. It says that facility managers must ask the right questions when making choices for sustainable products like the recycled content of the materials. Strategies discussed include the need to have a clear plan and policy in place, knowing the standards governing purchase decision and being guided by the most current LEED rating system. INSET: GREEN INTERIORS IN LEASED SPACE. more...

The article discusses the ways facility managers can take advantage of the social media. The facilities department of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan uses their official Facebook page to keep students and personnel of construction projects in the campus. A Building Operating Management survey revealed that 49% of facility managers maintains a Facebook page while 13% have Twitter accounts. The author says social media can be used to consume and broadcast information. INSET: GRAB YOUR NAME. more...

The article presents pointers for facility managers to get the most from Portfolio Manager. It notes that getting started is the toughest part of using Portfolio Manager where setting up a profile requires a fair amount of energy usage date and building characteristics information. It suggests starting more simply with gross aggregate areas known to be operating in definitely different manners. It cites Portfolio Manager as a powerful tool whose values are as good only as values put in. more...

The article presents restroom renovations. It discusses the conceptualization of the restroom for the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois of wherein the space becomes an integral part of the museum. It also looks into renovation projects at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois and the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts in Scottsdale, Arizona to highlight the holistic approach in the design that considers function, organization culture, and employees and visitors. more...

The article profiles the Pennsylvania-based Crozer-Keystone Health System. The dominant health care provider in Delaware County, Philadelphia, Crozer-Keystone is built on system-wide innovation and efficiency in health care delivery across 5 main hospital complexes and satellite facilities throughout the U.S. Information on the Crozer-Keystone system's approaches in maintaining market share, decentralizing health care, resource allocation and key statistical data is provided. INSET: Pro Tip: Leverage a Portfolio's Size Wisely. more...

The article examines the facility management strategies of the organizations that won in the 2011 FMXcellence award. According to the author, Oklahoma's Department of Central Services (DCS) coped with a constrained budget by coming up with a sustainability plan that covers areas from motor purchasing to chemical buying. At Buda, Texas-based Hays Consolidated Independent School District, the so-called double dipping strategy was used to achieve energy efficiency among its facilities. more...

The article discusses a city ordinance passed by San Francisco, California that requires building to disclose energy use. San Francisco is requiring benchmarking and disclosure faster than anywhere else in the U.S., as required by California's Assembly Bill 1103. The article also mentions that the challenge in implementing the ordinance is to motivate energy efficiency improvement by ensuring facility managers have the information needed to manage energy use and improve the economic competitiveness of their buildings. more...

The article reports that the national vacancy rate in commercial office space declined 16.4 percent at the end of 2010 from the 2010 second-quarter peak at 16.7 percent, according to the CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) Econometric Advisors. Jon Southard, principal and director of forecasting with CBRE Econometric Advisors, says the values in the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF) index is rising in the third quarter of 2010. The difference of the economic recovery in the commercial real estate market from others is cited. more...

The article discusses the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star label, an energy performance rating system for data centers in the U.S. The Energy Star label is based on a data sample of about 100 to 400 facilities pulled from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). Five data centers have earned the Energy Star label in Portfolio Manager, the online benchmarking tool to determine Energy Star performance. more...

The article explains the effects of severe wind, hail, ice, water and snow on roof systems and provides advice on preventing or repairing damage. It states that severe winds can peel off roofs and wind debris can puncture rooftops or clog drains and downspouts. Hail can cause punctures which may take some time to manifest themselves. Ice, water and snow could cause load issues or stress roof components. An advice on how to prevent or remedy damage brought about by these hazards is offered including a tracking system to know what is happening to the roof. more...

The article discusses the strategies used by facility managers (FMs) to reduce energy consumption during Energy Star's National Building Competition, under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Among the competitors, 14 had the most percentage drop in energy use intensity (EUI) over a 1-year period. Among these are JCPenny and Van Holten Primary School in Bridgewater, New Jersey, both with common-sense strategies. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill got in by fine-tuning their heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. more...

The article talks about the potential energy savings that can be achieved by optimal use of building automation systems (BAS) and energy management systems (EMS) which may have been in place but not fully utilized. Control systems enable efficient monitoring of water, air and cooling needs so the facilities may be turned off when not needed. It notes that variable frequency drives (VFDs) can also match motor speed and system demand for more economical energy use. more...

The article talks about the American Power Act which provides for 17 and 83 percent reduction of carbon emissions by 2020 and 2050, respectively. The reduction will be via a cap and trade scheme that will affect the two percent of American businesses that account for 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. The author discusses issues on public opinion and cost to businesses and consumers. Information on the varying projected impact to the economy is also provided. more...

The article focuses on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) in North Carolina and Bibb County Schools in Georgia and their efforts to involve the public in invigorating their capital programs. CMS organized the 350 requests for renovations or new schools into one prioritized list and launched a design contest to incorporate community input. It details Bibb County Schools' capital improvements in relation to the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST), transparency and accounting of the process, and the pursuit of the LEED certification. more...

The article discusses the initiative of New York City in passing a commercial building energy-efficiency legislation in the U.S. It elaborates on the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan or formally known as Intro. No. 476-A, Benchmarking Energy and Water Use which requires commercial facilities to benchmark their annual energy and water consumption beginning May 1, 2011. It notes that benchmarking is a cheap way to enhance energy-saving performance. more...

The article presents the story of Bob Tanner in his role as director of facilities and support services of Ibn Sina Hospital known as "Baghdad ER," located in Baghdad, Iraq. It mentions that basic items such as power supply, potable water and supplies are different in Baghdad, and instead generators became the primary power running 24/7. He conveys an image of the challenges he faced and difficulties he undertook in the hospital's facility management which are all different from the rule book. He relays how proud he is of what he achieved. more...

The article reports on the importance of the light emitting diodes (LED) lighting systems in the Building Internet of Things (IoT), building automation. INSET: Overcoming Privacy Concerns.

The article suggests strategies for facility executives on how to reduce health risks among occupants in the workplace with emphasis on preventive measures for the H1N1 pandemic. A comparison between Swine Flu and H1N1 is presented. Facility officials are advised to encourage occupants to practice proper hygiene by posting signs in restrooms reminding them to wash their hands and practice proper sneeze etiquette. Another suggestion is for companies to also provide early H1N1 plans to build confidence from employees. more...

The article discusses the implementation of laws requiring buildings to measure and submit their respective energy use in order to do benchmarking. According to the article, California, and Washington, D.C. have already implemented the law with New York following next. An example of the law is California's Assembly Bill 1103 requiring non-residential buildings to release data and ratings. The article also focuses on the tool of choice for benchmarking which is the Energy Star Portfolio Manager. more...

The article offers tips on how to get good HVAC specifications. Facility executives should familiarize themselves with the submittal procedures, the design standards and code standards, according to Michael Cooper of Harley Ellis Deveraux. Stan Peregoy of Calvert Jones cautions facility executives against accepting the budget proposed by the architect or engineering firm at face value. It is said that the best step facility executives can take to ensure the quality of the HVAC system is to select a good team and follow an integrated design process. more...

The article discusses tips given to new facility executives by industry veterans to help them achieve success. Getting a degree in facility management (FM) helps young professionals become well-versed in concepts ranging from budgeting to building automation systems. According to the industry professionals, young facility managers should be adaptive, thorough, customer-focused and results-driven. more...