Magazine

  Responding to challenges emerging from the pandemic and the accelerating need for the built environment to respond to climate change, the British Council for Offices (BCO) has released an early update to its Guide to Specification, which provides expert advice on how designers can create healthier offices that support changing working patterns, while reducing carbon emissions….

  AI is in the air.  I’m not able to open a social media app or newsletter without being reminded of the AI revolution. For the first time, it seems, the masses are understanding how AI and machine learning will change everything. Last week was the foremost utility trade show in the U.S. descended on the…

  Concrete is the most-consumed human-made resource on Earth, and the 14 billion cubic meters produced every year are projected to climb to 20 billion cubic meters by 2050, as human societies urbanize and demand for infrastructure grows. From bridges and hospitals to apartment blocks, offices and schools, concrete structures connect communities and shelter us…

While some might think humidity is only a problem in the summer, the wrong amount of humidity in a facility can be an issue year-round. Facilities professionals should therefore ensure their facilities have the correct amount of humidity not just for the comfort of their occupants but also to avoid damage to the building and…

  At the beginning of the fall semester, I asked my students to define sustainability. Many used terms and phrases related to addressing climate risks, adopting ESG reporting and framework practices, engaging with communities, using a circular economy model and so forth. Then I asked them if they thought climate justice, Indigenous reconciliation, environmental racism…

The one downside to buildings becoming more sophisticated is that more can go wrong. This is an issue with which facility managers are well familiar: The more points of possible failure, the greater odds failure will occur. Thankfully, though, with that digital sophistication has come better fault detection and diagnostics, actively alerting facility managers when…