Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Commercial buildings and infrastructure are responsible for a staggering 40% of global carbon emissions, a figure that puts facilities managers on the front lines of the climate challenge. While the buzz around artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, has captured headlines, the real transformative power for commercial facilities lies in another category of AI: predictive and […]
Patient care is a priority for healthcare organizations, but budget constraints can keep many operating with outdated facilities management systems. These systems are not seen as directly impacting patient outcomes, so they can fall to the end of the list for investment. This is a missed opportunity because modern building management systems that monitor and […]
As the school year begins in many areas, new West Virginia University (WVU) research finds poor air quality may keep tens of thousands of students out of school for weeks each year, hitting young students and children of color the hardest. A study by Mustahsin Ul Aziz, a doctoral student in natural resource economics at the WVU Davis College of Agriculture […]
For decades, facilities managers (FMs) have been the unsung heroes of commercial and retail buildings, ensuring comfort, safety, and operational continuity behind the scenes. However, as the built environment faces the mounting pressures of rising energy costs, ambitious sustainability goals, and the challenge of “doing more with less,” the FM role is undergoing a deep […]
Industry-wide demand is mounting to rethink how we create energy-efficient, comfortable, and smart buildings. More facilities managers are turning to technology to help create smart building systems that use real-time data to adjust temperature and lighting, monitor air quality, and other maintenance controls. The market for Internet of Things (IoT) platforms is expected to hit […]
With growing infrastructure demands and tighter budgets, traditional reactive strategies in facilities management often result in unplanned downtime and expensive breakdowns. A Deloitte study found that predictive maintenance—which includes strategies that anticipate problems before they occur, reducing costs and increasing efficiency—can result in up to 15% reduction in downtime and up to 20% improvement in […]
Some media are reporting a widespread backlash against ESG and carbon-reduction initiatives. That may be welcome news for facilities managers who view energy tracking as a financial and administrative burden. But the reality is that energy tracking and reporting can lead to significant cost savings for facilities. A glance at data from commercial and industrial […]
Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of Facilities Management Advisor. Building owners and operators have spent the last decade overwhelmed by an array of challenges ranging from tighter building codes and building performance standards to high interest rates, inflation, and, of course, a global […]
Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of Facilities Management Advisor. It wasn’t long ago that Republicans and Democrats in Congress overwhelmingly supported tax incentives and other economic carrots encouraging investment in homegrown energy industries to boost energy security and affordability. That bipartisan tradition ended […]
For facilities managers, the systems used to generate and store heat tend to be all-important—at least amidst plunging temperatures and bleak winter elements. As soon as outside conditions turn warm, thermal heating systems are more easily placed out of sight and out of mind. The sunny days of spring and early summer are no time […]