Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
As the United States grapples with aging building stock and the need for infrastructure modernization, a critical workforce challenge threatens the commercial real estate sector’s ability to maintain, modernize, and operate the built environment. JLL’s latest skilled trades talent research reveals that by 2030, an estimated 2.1 million skilled trades positions for electricians, HVAC technicians, […]
Facilities teams have invested heavily in booking platforms, occupancy sensors, and space-planning tools. Yet many organizations still face a common problem: empty desks reserved but never used, crowded collaboration areas midweek, and employees who bypass the system altogether. According to JLL’s Global State of Facilities Management Report, 38% of facilities leaders rank space utilization and […]
Hyperscale data center growth is running headlong into real-world constraints—interconnection queues, transformer lead times, water stress, community scrutiny, and tightening climate policy. At the same time, the thermal profile of the data center sector is shifting decisively from air to liquid cooling, concentrating heat into a form far more useful than a plume of hot […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) renewed the agency’s Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards National Emphasis Program (NEP) on April 10. OSHA updated its 2022 NEP to protect workers from outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards, directing agency resources to where they can have the greatest impact by focusing inspections and outreach on industries and workplaces where […]
Skilled trades are considered a strong foundation for a facilities management career. As the U.S. confronts a critical shortage of skilled trade workers, the Lowe’s Foundation announced an expanded $250 million commitment to help train and develop 250,000 tradespeople by 2035 through its Gable Grants program. This announcement follows a $100 million initiative from financial giant BlackRock to support the next […]
Public restrooms are among the most frequently used—and closely judged—spaces in any facility. Whether in office buildings, healthcare environments, airports, schools, or retail destinations, restroom conditions influence how visitors perceive the entire property. Findings from the annual 2026 Healthy Handwashing Survey from Bradley Company highlight just how strongly restroom conditions shape user confidence and business […]
Four out of five commercial real estate (CRE), workplace, building management, and facilities professionals lack the data they need to make confident space-planning decisions, according to a new report. The survey, conducted by Wakefield Research, interviewed 400 decision-makers in the U.S. for Butlr’s “Beyond Occupancy: The State of Office Space 2026” report. The results show […]
Amid rising costs and increased competition from e-commerce, many big-box retailers have chosen to close stores across the country, leaving behind large, vacant spaces. As pickleball’s growth accelerates nationwide, former big-box stores have emerged as some of the most attractive—and challenging—real estate opportunities for indoor pickleball facilities. While these buildings offer scale, parking, and accessibility, […]
Facilities Management Advisor’s “Under Construction” series highlights some of the latest, most interesting facility project announcements every month. UConn Stadium Makeover Among other things, March is known for the beginning of spring, Women’s History Month, and of course, college basketball. As both its men’s and women’s teams fought their way to the March Madness Final […]
Building new data centers is a large, complex project involving numerous subcontractors and trades. There are also numerous hazards on a data center worksite, which can include falls from heights; heat stress; struck-by hazards; contact with equipment; caught-in hazards; electrical hazards, including arc flash, electric shock, and electrocution; respirable silica dust; occupational noise; and musculoskeletal […]