Magazine

Ever wonder why matchboxes usually have a sandpaper strike on only one side? Well, it didn’t used to be that way. For decades, people could use either side of the matchbox to light their matches. But this changed in the early 1900s, when a worker at a Swan Vesta factory pointed out this apparent redundancy…

Biophilia, while associated with plant life, is much more than just that. When the concept of biophilia is brought up in healthcare contexts, most will immediately think of plant life being used in healthcare facilities. However, biophilia is a much more complex concept than just plants and greenery, as it itself is tied to the…

Midland Independent School District reaps benefits of multi-phase HVAC upgrade projects. Cortney Smith is all too aware of the challenges involved in maintaining aging HVAC systems and equipment in his Texas school district’s aging facilities. “The average age of facilities in the district is 60-plus years, so we’ve got some aging facilities,” says Smith, chief…

As winter weather dominates and many of our properties stay covered in snow, how can maintenance managers still deliver winter curb appeal? Impressions are important and when employees and visitors see signs that signify a lack of attention, it can hurt your business and your reputation. Keeping your building looking its best through the winter…

According to Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), Canada was insured losses exceeding $3 billion for weather-related events in 2023. Wildfires in British Columbia, the summer storms that swept across Alberta and Nova Scotia’s devastating flooding events were front and centre. As the country contends with these catastrophic weather events, the need for resilience and…

Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Performance management has been part of the business landscape for so long that many companies have lost sight of the outcomes they expect to achieve through the process. In fact, most performance management processes have multiple, conflicting intentions. On the one hand, they aim to measure performance — a…