Tag: commercial real estate

How Digital Twins Can Help Optimize Empty or Underused Buildings

The U.S. office vacancy rate reached another all-time high in the second quarter of 2025 at 20.7%, as Moody’s recently reported. That’s the highest vacancy rate in three decades, ABC News reported, with more than 900 million square feet of empty office space—enough to fill New York City’s One World Trade Center 300 times. U.S. […]

12 Facilities Management Certifications to Help You Stand Out in 2026

New Year’s resolutions are a great opportunity to set professional goals. Are you looking to hone your facilities management skills, boost your career, or stand out in a competitive job market in 2026? Earning an industry certification can not only sharpen your FM expertise but also help you climb that company ladder or become a […]

What’s in Store for the Construction Industry in 2026?

Are you planning a major facility renovation or new build in 2026? The state of the construction industry, itself, could have an impact on your project.  JLL’s Project and Development Services (PDS) recently released its 2026 U.S. Construction Perspective, revealing how policy-driven market dynamics are creating distinct regional opportunities and competitive advantages across the construction landscape. […]

Leveraging AI for Sustainable Building Management

The world’s climate clock is ticking, and the built environment stands at a crossroads. Buildings account for nearly 30% of global energy-related carbon emissions, making them both a challenge and an opportunity in the race to stave off the irreversible effects of climate change. At the same time, a new era is dawning, one where […]

Back to Basics: The Importance of Fire Detection in Commercial Facilities

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 […]

The Importance of Proper Cleaning for Your Office Holiday Parties

The holiday season is now fully underway, bringing with it a wave of corporate parties, cocktail hours, and family events. These celebrations are intended to offer a well-deserved break and revitalize hard-working employees. However, poor planning or inadequate preparation by cleaning teams can lead to unforeseen issues that quickly dampen the festive spirit. Cleaning personnel […]

Global Facilities Management Market Faces Major Challenges and Opportunities

The facilities management (FM) industry continues to expand, with total global spend expected to exceed the $3 trillion mark in 2026—a figure comparable to the annual GDP of France, the world’s seventh-largest economy. However, the massive sector faces mounting pressure, according to a new report from JLL. The “Global State of Facilities Management Report 2025” […]

Santa Monica Office Building Earns Fitwel Certification

San Francisco-based real estate operator The Swig Company announced that it has achieved a Fitwel healthy building certification for 3130 Wilshire Blvd., a six-story, 97,000 square-foot creative office building in Santa Monica, Calif. The Center for Active Design, a global not-for-profit organization, awarded the Fitwel certification based on the building’s incorporation of evidence-based design and […]

Faces of Facilities: Gretchen Martin on Thriving in Chaos

If you like monotony—clocking in and out every day doing the same tasks at work—then facilities management probably isn’t for you. But if you enjoy a good challenge, expect the unexpected, and thrive in chaos, Gretchen Martin urges you to join in on the excitement that an FM career can offer. In fact, “constant mayhem” […]

The Rise of ‘Live-Work-Play’ Offices in America

Office properties in vibrant mixed-use districts are dramatically outperforming the rest of the U.S. office market, thanks to post-pandemic demographic shifts and growing preferences for “live-work-play” environments, according to JLL’s Lifestyle Office Markets research report. The report identifies “lifestyle office markets” as mixed-use regions that combine urban amenities with suburban accessibility, featuring moderate density, convenient […]