BUILDINGS

Preventive floor maintenance plays a critical role in building safety, appearance, and long-term asset protection. Yet in many facilities, floor care remains reactive, addressing visible wear, complaints, or safety incidents only after they occur. For facility managers, evaluating whether a floor maintenance program is truly preventive requires looking beyond surface cleanliness and focusing on process, documentation, and consistency.

How HVLS Fans Work with HVAC Systems to Improve Building Efficiency High-volume, low-speed fans don’t replace your HVAC system, but they can help it work more effectively by improving air circulation. Here’s how. Key Highlights HVAC systems account for about 35% of energy use in buildings, with outdated infrastructure contributing to inefficiency. Large facilities face airflow challenges like temperature stratification and uneven air distribution, impacting comfort and energy consumption.

Ask any facility manager, and they’ll tell you that identifying and fixing crossflow issues is one of the persistent plumbing challenges in commercial buildings. Crossflow occurs when hot and cold water mix unintentionally inside a valve, resulting in inconsistent water outlet temperatures and occupant complaints.

Every spring, the same scene plays out across facilities portfolios. The last frost breaks, temperatures begin to climb, and suddenly a maintenance team that spent months managing ice and snow is fielding a new wave of urgent calls. A pothole the size of a dinner plate appeared overnight in the main drive lane. A section of sidewalk is visibly raised near the building entrance. The roof drain that nobody thought about all winter is now backing up during the first heavy rain of the season.

When we step into a building, the experience is shaped by far more than walls, windows, or furniture. The way a space appeals to the senses profoundly influences our comfort, wellbeing, and productivity. Designing and maintaining a building with consideration of all five senses will result in a desirable environment and promote longevity and value. Smell: Ensuring Air Quality and System Integrity Smell is one of the most immediate senses in human perception.

For decades, hospital growth largely meant expanding the central campus: adding towers, wings, and new specialty facilities anchored to existing medical districts. Today, that model is changing. Across the United States, health systems are increasingly expanding through distributed outpatient networks that place care closer to where people actually live and work. This shift is influencing not only healthcare delivery, but also the commercial real estate ecosystems that support it.

The data center industry is facing growing scrutiny over energy consumption. This isn’t surprising when you consider Gartner projects that U.S. data center electricity usage will double by 2030, driven largely by AI. For further context, the Uptime Institute reports that for every unit of energy used by IT equipment, an additional 0.56 units go toward cooling, power distribution, lighting, etc.

Finding the right balance between curb appeal and ease of maintenance is a constant struggle for many businesses. When the climate is harsh and water budgets are tight, the balance becomes even narrower. Factor in human behaviors like the tendency to walk across plantings and many businesses find grounds maintenance to be more trouble than it is worth. Yet letting the landscaping be ground down to dead plants, rocks, and sand can result in loss of business or tenancy.

Planetary health and human health are inseparable—and our solutions have to be, too. Climate change, public health, business resilience, and productivity are not separate challenges—they are deeply intertwined. That is why the future of buildings is not about choosing between priorities, but about integration.

Your Elevator Spec Is Already Outdated—Here’s Why It Matters Boilerplate language doesn’t cut it when it comes to specifying an elevator. Here’s what you need to know about today’s modern elevators when you’re developing or reviewing elevator specs. Key Highlights Ensure elevator specs include digital interfaces, performance metrics, and compliance with current codes to leverage modern technology.