Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Facilities Management Advisor’s “Under Construction” series highlights some of the latest, most interesting facility project announcements every month. World Trade Center Office Tower Financial services giant American Express has revealed plans to build a new state-of-the-art global headquarters at 2 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan—marking the final office tower to be built at the World […]
Have you ever strained to understand an announcement in an airport or missed critical instructions over a facility’s intercom? These moments of audio confusion are more than minor frustrations. In environments where safety, efficiency, and coordination are vital, the clarity of sound systems is a direct contributor to operational performance. The requirement for precise, intelligible […]
Workplace violence is often viewed as an HR, legal, or security issue. But long before a concern reaches those departments, the earliest signs frequently appear in the spaces facilities managers oversee every day. Because they move throughout the building, interact with staff and contractors, and understand the normal rhythms of a workplace, facilities teams are […]
Disasters rarely arrive with warning, and their aftermath can escalate quickly without the right response. Tornadoes, for example, strike Texas more frequently than almost any other state, often with devastating results. In one recent year, these storms caused over $229 million in damage across the U.S., with many commercial properties hit especially hard. Businesses that […]
Water systems are among the most essential—and least visible—components of any facility. Pipes, valves, pumps, and recirculation loops work quietly behind walls and below floors, delivering water for sanitation, heating, cooling, and daily operations. Because these systems often function behind the scenes, they tend to receive less attention than HVAC or electrical systems—until a failure […]
Electric utilities, water authorities, and energy providers operate some of the most critical infrastructure in the country. Substations, pumping stations, and transmission facilities are designed for reliability and efficiency, not for absorbing hostile fire. Yet over the past several years, gunshot attacks against these sites have increased, exposing a security gap that many facilities teams […]
In many organizations, “emergency preparedness” still looks like a binder, a floor plan, and a drill last held 18 months ago. Facilities managers know better. Hurricanes, wildfires, cyber incidents, equipment failures, and utility outages aren’t abstract risks—they’re recurring operational events that determine whether a building protects people or becomes another headline about downtime and loss. […]
The lunch menu on the cafeteria screen probably isn’t saving lives. But what if that same screen could? Conversations with facilities managers across manufacturing, healthcare, and corporate environments reveal the same frustration: When something goes wrong, whether it’s a chemical spill, a weather emergency, or a security incident, there’s no reliable way to instantly communicate […]
‘Tis the season for “best-of” lists! As 2025 comes to a close, we at Facilities Management Advisor take a look back at some of our most-read (and -watched) content of the year. The top 10 list covers key industry trends ranging from office space and security to tech and workforce issues. 1. Preparing for Gen […]
Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important, but possibly overlooked, information facilities management professionals should know. For commercial facilities, effective fire detection guidelines are not just a safety measure—they are a necessity. The U.S. Fire Administration 2023 Fire Estimate reported that over a 10-year span in nonresidential buildings, there were 110,000 fires, 130 […]