Facility Executive

(Photo: Adobe Stock / Kmiragaya) By Kim Eckerman, Amrize Building Envelope The Lincoln Memorial welcomes millions of visitors annually. One World Trade Center is a defining feature of the New York City skyline. Honolulu International Airport serves as a gateway to Hawaii. The USS Gerald R. Ford remains one of the most advanced naval vessels ever deployed.

(Photo: Adobe Stock / Bird Photographer TH) By Paul Tish, SSC Services In the modern built environment, the physical quality of a facility is paramount to both occupant health and operational efficiency. While discussions about infrastructure often prioritize structural integrity or digital connectivity, indoor air quality (IAQ) remains a critical, yet frequently overlooked, factor in a building’s overall performance.

(Photo: Adobe Stock / YUCEL YILMAZ) You are falling behind. Right now. Today. While you’re reading this. Not because you’re not smart. Not because you don’t care. Because you’re still working by candlelight while the rest of the building just got wired for electricity. That’s what AI is. It’s not a software update; it’s not an IT project. It’s electricity. And the facility executives who figure that out first won’t just run better buildings.

(Photo: Adobe Stock / Akmalism Photography) For most large organizations, critical infrastructure is typically designed with strong contingency plans in mind. Operational leaders understand that even strong providers can experience gaps, delays, or weaknesses under pressure. To mitigate risk, distributed enterprise organizations and other major firms will rarely rely entirely on a single cloud provider, for example, or just one communications system.

(Photo: Adobe Stock / Zyla) By Dr. Neall Digert, Kingspan Light + Air Today’s building teams are under pressure to accomplish more than ever before. Owners and facility managers are expected to reduce energy consumption, advance sustainability goals, and create healthier environments, often while operating under tighter budgets and rising performance expectations.

(Photo: Adobe Stock / Lubov) New and emerging technology is changing the demands placed on facility electrical systems. With EV charging, heat pumps, renewables, battery storage, AI, and cloud workloads, electrical systems have to work much harder than they had to even a decade ago. In many cases, the electrical infrastructure being used was not originally designed for this level of demand.

As facility leaders navigate another year of shifting regulatory requirements, rising expectations for building performance, and increasing pressure to operate more efficiently, HVAC strategy continues to play a central role. Across the commercial building sector, facility managers and owners are actively evaluating how to modernize their systems to meet evolving performance standards.

Facility Executive June 2026 Issue (Volume 39, Number 2) There is no universal plan that will prepare facilities for the future. The path each organization takes will vary based on a multitude of highly individualized factors. However, there are common obstacles to navigate, and hazards to avoid. In the June 2026 issue of Facility Executive, we explore several prominent problems that can block progress, and we reveal potential solutions that could help guide the way forward.

(Photo: Adobe Stock / Eric1207cvb) By Paul Heapy, Peak+ Many data center stakeholders approach water use with binary thinking — an unsurprising tendency in an industry built on 0s and 1s. The common refrain regarding water use is often: “Either you use a lot of water to cool your data center, or you find a way to use none.” However, an alternative to these two extremes is gaining traction: a hybrid adiabatic approach that uses some water for trim cooling.

(Photo: APF Polymer, ICP Group) By Jeffrey Wells, APF Polymer Flooring Facility executives and commercial building owners are responsible for maintaining reliable spaces that must perform every day. From high-traffic corridors and production areas to healthcare environments, retail spaces, and public facilities, flooring plays a direct role in safety, appearance, maintenance demands, and long-term operating costs. Yet, choosing the right commercial flooring solution is not always straightforward.