Magazine

Over the past half-century, value engineering (VE) has proven to be an effective tool to manage time, costs, and quality with an aim to maximize value. It has also been shown to be a highly effective approach for evaluating current construction projects. However, the application of value engineering in the construction industry is inconsistent and…

In a move to step-up its clean energy goals, the University of California (UC) has signed its first-ever wind energy contract. The deal represents the university’s largest renewable energy commitment to date in support of campus decarbonization. UC entered the 85 megawatt (MW) power purchase agreement with Pattern Energy, which is developing the 3,500 MW…

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently released a new proposal to cut emissions from existing power plants, aptly titled the Greenhouse Gas Standards and Guidelines for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants. The EPA’s third attempt to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants will affect a select set of new and existing fossil fuel-fired turbines,…

Interest rates, construction costs, and real estate location are the main drivers. Prices and costs are on the rise for many industries, including healthcare. Rent happens to be one of those increasing costs for healthcare facility operations. It is becoming pricier to pay for the real estate itself for healthcare facilities, however, not everything is…

Many still ask, “How do I convince leadership to engage in reliability and maintenance initiatives?” As stated in the 1996 Tom Cruise comedy “Jerry Maguire,” “Show me the money.” Of course, there are many other benefits that come with reliability/maintenance (R&M) best practices, but it starts with expected return on investment (ROI). Improvements will depend…

Today, I’m an architect who focuses on designing K-12 schools and a mother to two school-aged children. In what feels like a lifetime ago, I was a student at Virginia Tech during the tragic mass shooting on campus in 2007. That event and experience has shaped my perspective as both an architect and a parent…