Mallory Bulman Insyxiengmay
Albany, New York
As seen in:
Commercial Property Executive,
Multi-Housing News
Covers:
I have experience in finance, business and real estate reporting; health and wellness blogging and reporting; and marketing/PR communications. However, I love a challenge and am open to new topics!
content marketer/writer/editor/human embodiment of "well, actually..."
Articles by Mallory Bulman Insyxiengmay
IoT for Efficiency: Yardi Energy’s Cole Schoolland Sheds Light on Energy Management Strategies
Energy data can tell a big story, and two measurements taken 11 years apart speak volumes. In 2005, fossil fuels accounted for 86 percent of the nation’s energy use, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. By 2016, that share had declined to 81 percent. The apparently modest but unmistakable change is a sure sign that energy efficiency has become a top priority for property development, renovation and operations.
IoT for Efficiency: Yardi Energy’s Cole Schoolland Sheds Light on Energy Management Strategies
Energy data can tell a big story, and two measurements taken 11 years apart speak volumes. In 2005, fossil fuels accounted for 86 percent of the nation’s energy use, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. By 2016, that share had declined to 81 percent. The apparently modest but unmistakable change is a sure sign that energy efficiency has become a top priority for property development, renovation and operations.
Star Quality: Design, Technology, Service to Dazzle Renters
New and innovative products in the multifamily market represent the latest design trends in the sector, as well as the priorities of today’s renters. The ideal multifamily property in 2017 offers convenient, technology-enabled solutions, energy-efficient operations and transportation options, as well as communal spaces with a special emphasis on outdoor gathering.
Evergreen Line Expands with Apartment-Sized Boilers
Weil-McLain, an industrial, residential and commercial heating systems manufacturer, has expanded its Evergreen line of high-efficiency boilers to include three smaller sizes to fit small residential or light commercial use. The 95 percent AFUE (annual fuel use efficiency) boiler is now available in 70-, 110- and 155K-British Thermal Unit (BTUH) input sizes, accompanying the line’s existing 220-, 299- and 399-BTUH sizes.
Multifamily Rents Chill in October
October spread its autumnal chill over many parts of the country as well as the real estate industry, as average U.S. monthly rents fell $4 during the month, down to $1,358, according to Yardi Matrix’s monthly report on 121 metro areas. The nationwide deceleration reported during the last few months continued, with rents declining 30 basis points from September. On a year-over-year basis, October 2017 rents were 2.3 percent higher than they were last year at the same time.
Public Housing Goes Green
The Housing Act of 1949, part of President Harry S.
Biophilic Architecture & Multifamily
Why is strolling through a garden relaxing? Why do people feel compelled to care for animals or keep plants in their homes or offices? Biophilia is a scientific hypothesis that contends that humans have an inherent need to seek connections with their natural surroundings and other forms of life, per Edward O. Wilson’s 1984 book Biophilia, which popularized the term.
Biophilic Architecture & Multifamily
Why is strolling through a garden relaxing? Why do people feel compelled to care for animals or keep plants in their homes or offices? Biophilia is a scientific hypothesis that contends that humans have an inherent need to seek connections with their natural surroundings and other forms of life, per Edward O. Wilson’s 1984 book Biophilia, which popularized the term.
Greenbuild 2017: Electrochromic Glass Controls Light, Energy Savings
Environmentally conscious design is no new trend. In fact, it has become such a large focus within the real estate community that the United States Green Building Council, a non-profit building sustainability organization, holds its annual Greenbuild conference to explore trends, challenges and new ideas in the real estate and building industries.
Bike Infrastructure for Multifamily Communities
Per a 2015 report from the United States Census Bureau, the number of United States workers who traveled to work by bicycle increased from approximately 488,000 in 2000 to 786,000 in 2008 through 2012, which represents a larger percentage increase than that of any other transportation mode measured.
The 2017 CPE Distinguished Achievement Award Winners
Real estate fundamentals remained robust throughout last year. Unemployment dropped and demand for housing, office space, retail and industrial assets increased. According to RCA Analytics, 2016 marked the third strongest year for commercial real estate on record. The Moody’s/RCA Commercial Property Price Indices measured a price increase of 9 percent over the course of the year.
Automate the Building Materials Procurement Process
Procurement of building materials can be a costly and time-consuming process. Yardi’s Procure to Pay software is a platform that saves time and money by optimizing the procurement of everything needed to keep a multifamily property running smoothly. Yardi Procure to Pay offers automated procurement through Yardi Marketplace, vender management with VENDORCafe and electronic invoice processing with Yardi PAYscan. Procure to Pay organizes procurement and offers portfolio-wide spend management tools.
X-Chair Debuts New Design
As amenities like co-working spaces, concierge desks and communal business centers become more of a priority in multifamily properties, especially those catering to working professionals or students, ergonomic considerations must be taken for the comfort and health of residents and staff alike.
Multifamily Rents Idle in Third Quarter
According to Yardi Matrix’s monthly survey, U.S. monthly rents remained flat in September at an average of $1,354. Based on 121 markets, the report revealed that rents continue to decelerate on a year-over-year basis. During September specifically, rents took a 10-basis-point downturn from August, a 2.2 percent increase nationwide. After a robust first half of the year, during when average rents increased by $33, there was a summer slowdown, with rents increasing by only $1 in the third quarter.
Modern Design Shapes New Lighting Collections
Founded in 1974, Danish lighting manufacturer Louis Poulsen has always created their products with a “form follows function” approach. While the saying often conjures ideas of utilitarian design, the company’s products are functional but have the sleek, simple and streamlined look of modern minimalism.
Full-Building Access Solution for Multifamily Communities
Electronic access to commercial buildings is basically a given, and the trend has even made its way into residential markets with products like the August Smart Lock, Kwikset’s Kevo and the Schlage Connect Camelot. However, not many solutions fit the needs of multifamily properties, which have the management and security requirements of a commercial building with the privacy and accessibility needed for residential.
Buildings That Learn
According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, commercial buildings account for 19 percent of all U.S. energy consumed. Energy Star reports 30 percent of energy used in an average commercial building is wasted. Building automation systems are key tools for managers, owners and developers of commercial properties to identify energy-wasting trouble areas, track energy usage and keep operations running efficiently.
A Truck-Sharing Service for Residents
A new ABC reality show along the lines of “Shark Tank,” which features entrepreneurs competing for start-up money, awarded $15,000 to Carlos Suarez, CEO and co-founder of Truxx. As a retail design expert, Suarez recognized the need for temporary access to pickups or vans, and the concept for Truxx occurred to him as he struggled to fit a large flat-screen television in his car several years ago. Truxx emerged as a truck-sharing service that provides users with a pickup or van to move large items.
A Digital Frame With a Literal Twist
One element that is pervasive amongst and has a positive effect upon most properties is artwork, which according to a 2016 story in The Guardian, can boost productivity in an office setting. The concept is wholly embraced by German investment bank Deutsche Bank, which boasts a collection of some 60,000 original artworks in 900 offices across 40 countries.
Carnegie and Gensler Team for Textile Line
A collaboration between industry giants Gensler, the architecture firm, and Carnegie, the textile company, have produced a new collection of commercial textiles called PFRM.
Features of Brooklyn’s Best-Selling Brownstones
When thinking of New York’s architectural culture, people usually picture the 20 stories of the Plaza Hotel or the New York Public Library’s marble lions and iconic Rose Main Reading Room. However, as a bigger and more residential borough, Brooklyn is where to look for design features that have emerged from hundreds of years of rich and storied history.
Decorative Blades Absorb Sound
Living in a multifamily property naturally gives way to to some issues with noise. Multiple people with different schedules, preferences and habits living in one building means noise from all different directions at different times. EchoBlade is a decorative acoustic baffle designed by Kirei to fit with traditional T-Grid ceilings to absorb sound and add visual interest. The blades are easy to install and add creative shapes and colors to typical ceiling tiles.
Task Lamp Designed to Boost Productivity
The United States Department of Labor designed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1970 to set standards for how workplaces manage their employees’ health and well-being. In today’s age of cubicles and computer desks, OSHA has developed a workstation environment recommendation to help determine the most ergonomic and productive way to set up a traditional office workspace.
Institutional Update: New Life
Life insurance companies, long active in commercial real estate investment, have been stepping up their involvement. While their presence on the debt side far outweighs their equity plays—with $41.5 billion worth of owned commercial real estate properties at the end of 2015 and $396 billion in mortgage loans, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Capital Markets Bureau—they have been putting more equity into property deals.
August Continues Rent-Gain Streak
According to Yardi Matrix’s monthly survey of 121 markets, August kept a streak alive during which rents have increased every month this year. Average U.S. monthly rents increased $1 to $1,352, while on a year-over-year basis, rents increased 2.4 percent nationwide. “Although overall gains have been slowing during the summer months,” the report states, rents have still increased every month during 2017.
Reduce Energy Usage With Smart-Tinting Glass
When most people think of eco-friendly products, they picture solar panels perched on a rooftop or the now-ubiquitous digital thermostat. However, energy-saving measures can provide significant energy usage reduction in simpler ways, like just being in control of the amount of light a room is exposed to.
The Stone That Will Replace Granite and Marble
Luxury homes, Greek statues and even the Taj Mahal tout marble. Class A apartment communities, commercial building facades and public plazas brag about the use of granite. Natural stone is an easy choice for developers and architects because of its durability and unique variations. With different colors, patterns and textures, natural stone has a distinct look that can’t compare with anything manufactured.
A Smart Bulb That Reacts to Sound & Motion
When the incandescent light bulb was invented in the 1800s, no one could have imagined that it would endure as the most common source of light for as long as it has. For more than a century, light bulbs served the same purpose, and only recently have tech creators begun to experiment with what a light bulb can do. Heelight is part of the new generation of digital, interactive lighting.
Automated Online Marketing Tool for CRE Technophobes
While the real estate industry has been notoriously slow at adopting new technology, it seems that the demand for technology integration is increasingly spurring owners, developers and tech creators to embrace the digital frontier. As of June 2017, Facebook reported its user base at a whopping 2 billion people. Two billion users makes Facebook the largest social media platform available, trailed by YouTube at 1.5 billion and its own Facebook Messenger at 1.2 billion, as reported by TechCrunch.
Amazon Introduces Multifamily Package Lockers
According to the latest American Community Survey published from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015, 37 percent of U.S. households rent their homes. Per a 2016 report by Pew Research Center, eight out of 10 Americans are online shoppers. The combination of renters who do their shopping online results in a significant property management challenge: lots of boxes coming in for front desk staff or property managers to sort through.
Captivate Adds Interest to Elevators
Today, the phrase “elevator music” is synonymous with tunes that are monotonous and irritating, much like the experience of waiting for and in an elevator. Combine this mundane daily activity with a population that’s used to constantly being entertained by personal devices and elevators seem awkward and inconvenient. Captivate, a digital media display company, specializes in screens that take the dullness out of elevator rides.
Building Barometer. Are Developers Ready for a Slowdown?
The multifamily building boom isn’t coming to an end just yet. Fannie Mae researchers estimated in March that some 404,000 new units are slated for delivery in 2017, 61,000 more than came on line just a year ago. Moreover, 17 of the top 25 developers as ranked by the National Multifamily Housing Council started more new units in 2016 than they did in 2015. But although development continues to thrive in some markets, particularly urban core locations, signs of a slowdown are unmistakable.
TransitScreen Displays Real-Time Info for TODs
As more people are flocking to urban areas, developers are increasingly looking to build in convenient transit-oriented locations. With transit-oriented developments (TODs) come the challenges of residents depending on public transit to get where they need to go. TransitScreen is a technology intended to provide information to building occupants while encouraging the green practice of eschewing cars.
VandlGuard Prevents Hassle of Graffiti Clean-Up
Since the days of cavemen, people have been leaving their permanent mark on walls. Today, vandalism is a crime, yet almost a given in most places and on most commercial properties. Removal is time-consuming and expensive, and according to NASDAQ, graffiti clean-up in the U.S. has grown to a $12 billion industry during the past year.
Market Remains Healthy Despite Slight Dip in Rents
The U.S. multifamily market is still in a healthy place, Yardi Matrix reported in its monthly survey of 121 markets. Sequential rent growth remained practically flat in July, as average U.S. rents increased by $1 to $1,350. On a year-over-year basis, rents increased 2.6 percent in July nationwide, which represents a 10-basis-point downturn from June’s figures.
Knoll Textiles Celebrates 70 Years with New Collection
In the early 1940’s, the upholstery market was rife with chintz, brocade and cabbage roses. As Florence Knoll, textiles designer for Hans Knoll’s modern furniture collection, searched for inspiration beyond the typical market trends, she found the grey and beige tweeds and flannels of Scotland to be complimentary to Hans Knoll’s streamlined designs.
Park Assist System Guides Users to Available Parking
What if customers, tenants or visitors to commercial properties didn’t have to circle parking garages or lots to find available spots? Park Assist’s M4 smart-sensor parking guidance system makes every driver’s dream a reality with technology that also reduces costs, provides operational benefits and increases revenue. The M4 system uses License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology in tandem with directional signage to guide drivers to the nearest available space.
Car Sharing for Residents
Demographic trends show that Millennials and Baby Boomers (the two biggest demographic cohorts in the U.S. right now) alike are flocking to urban areas for jobs, the amenities of living in a major metro area or both. However, with city living come some challenges: cars, for one, are hard to park and store in most metro areas, but public transit isn’t reliable or desirable every time one wants to get out of their part of town.
Delta Introduces Outdoor Energy Storage
Renewable power is quickly becoming a viable clean energy solution for many industries, but storing the generated energy can be a challenge for commercial and industrial businesses. Delta Group, a power and thermal management solutions company, recently launched its Outdoor Energy Storage System (ESS) Cabinet, which joins the company’s existing portfolio of renewable power conversion and energy storage technologies.
Art Therapy Products Made for Memory Care Communities
When adult children look for communities for their parents suffering from memory loss, quality of care is the first thing they look for, according to interior design firm studioSIX5. Dean Maddalena, president of studioSIX5, believes that quality memory care begins with a stimulating environment, which is why the firm created two new products for memory care housing: an LED electronic memory box and a music therapy chair.
Tiles to Muffle Noise
While sharing walls is an inherent byproduct of living in a multifamily community, it can present problems when noisy pets, children or people disrupt other residents. Materials company Kirei has developed a series of modular wall and ceiling tiles that absorb sound as well as add visual interest to a surface. Topo Tiles add a 3-D texture to walls while muffling outside sound. Topo Tiles use both soft materials and different thicknesses within single tiles to maximize sound control.
Gerber Plumbing Debuts Water-Efficient Toilets
Abiding by today’s environmental and efficiency standards requires careful examination of resource use in every part of a multifamily property, especially the bathroom. While some may think that leaving the water running while brushing their teeth or washing their face are the main culprits of water waste, according to the United States Geological Survey, the largest use of household water is when the toilet is flushed.
New Solutions Spark Alternative Energy Advances
With the recent announcement that the United States is planning to back out of the Paris climate agreement, many are confused and concerned about the future of renewable energy. At Realcomm 2017, a commercial real estate industry conference centered around technology, automation and innovation, the topic of renewable energy was ubiquitous, and industry leaders are taking charge of implementing energy savings measures as well as finding new solutions.
The Best Tech Products at Realcomm 2017
Realcomm 2017, held this year in San Diego, is a whirlwind of tech information, demonstrations and conversations. It’s not hard to imagine that the technology-minded conference’s exhibit floor was teeming with new solutions for data management, customer service, analytics, automation and more. Here are a few highlights of some of the most interesting and innovative products MHN learned about at Realcomm.
Modular Sofa Adds Design, Functionality
Offices and hotels alike are embracing the concept of luxe, well-designed lobbies that make visitors comfortable before they reach where their destination, be it hotel or boardroom. Modern Office Furniture’s Zig Zag sofa is a contemporary design piece that also sits five people and can be rearranged into separate configurations.
LA Job Growth Spurs Office Leasing Activity
While one may think sound stages and theaters would be most in demand in Los Angeles, office space is thriving in the area due to a growing presence in the tech, engineering and financial sectors. The U.S. capital of the entertainment industry is also one of the largest markets in the country, with almost 254 million square feet of office inventory, according to Yardi Matrix’s second quarter report on the Los Angeles office market.
Second Wind
The corner of New York nicknamed the Triple Cities has contributed more than its share of prominent names to American business: IBM, General Electric and Valvoline, to name only three. But like so many other once-thriving industrial regions, the area anchored by Binghamton, Endicott and Johnson City has struggled for decades to improve its economic fortunes.
9 Quotes on Millennials in the Workplace
There has been a lot of buzz regarding the Millennial influence when it comes to renting apartments: They’re renting in droves and some are even delaying buying a home, even if they have the means to buy. What is behind the phenomenon of the largest demographic cohort renting in such numbers? In previous generations, people would get married, settle down before the age of 30, and buy a house.
Planner5D Advises Home-Away-From-Home Design Plan
Influenced by the phenomenon of Airbnb drawing interest in online vacation rentals, the app allows owners to test potential design upgrades with virtual renderings of units. As Airbnb transforms the way people travel across the globe, short-term rental properties and hotels everywhere can take a note from Airbnb’s business model of unique residences to make travelers feel at home.
A Smart-Home System Designed for Multifamily
IOTAS is a home-automation system designed for use in multifamily communities that controls everything from the temperature in a resident's unit to security in common areas. Smart homes have become not only a buzzword, but an attainable concept for single-family and multifamily residences alike. However, most popular products like Amazon Echo or Nest thermostats are designed to work in a single-family home setting.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Mallory
Contact Mallory, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack