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Facilities Management articles for the week of 1/15/2023 - 1/21/2023

The Future of Inclusive Restroom Design

he restroom revolution represents the evolution of an equal-rights issue that has taken different trajectories throughout history – from the first U.S.

Read This » Strategies and Tactics to Keep Pipes Flowing

efore the Festus School District in Missouri developed a three-pronged drain maintenance program, Maintenance Supervisor Tom Stegemann routinely called in a professional drain cleaning service to clear blocked drains.

Read This » New York Schools Were Early Adopters of MERV-13 Filtration

arly in the COVID-19 pandemic, the air conditioning company’s engineers recognized that their standard window and through-the-wall air conditioner lines were already built with the necessary headroom to expand their filtration from a MERV-6 to a virus-removing MERV-13.   Almost all window air conditioners sold in the U.S.

Read This » How to Maximize Global Collaboration with Digital Codes and Standards

n an increasingly digitized world, the skilled trades find themselves at a metaphorical fork in the road: make do with tools and processes of the past, or embrace emerging technological innovation.   The construction, engineering, and fire and life safety realm is fraught with challenges right now, including an aging workforce, a scarce and competitive labor market, and a loyalty to traditional workflows that has led to lagging digital adoption.

Read This » Fire Resistance: The Forgotten Protector

ire resistance is a discipline, just like any other element of construction.

Read This » 3 Cost-Effective Ways to Improve School Indoor Air Quality This Winter

s winter temperatures bring higher rates of viruses, including influenza and COVID-19, maintaining good indoor air quality is more important than ever.   The pandemic highlighted the dramatic under-investment in school facilities nationwide and the very real impacts on students.

Read This » What to do about PFAS?

acility managers have likely heard about the presence of PFAS in drinking water, and notably, in many other products that consumers use every day.   But what can managers do about PFAS to help ensure their building occupants are consuming safe water? According to one expert on the subject, nothing that can realistically impact the quality water flowing through their facilities.   “PFAS are physiochemical properties that are very attractive in commercial uses,” says Maile Lono-Batura, director of sustainable biosolids programs with the Water Environment Federation.

Read This » Why Assessing Pump Systems Matter

ssessing pump systems periodically may well be one of the most important investments facilities managers can make.

Read This » Facilities Management: A Journey with Many Paths

f I’ve learned anything over the last two-plus decades covering maintenance and engineering management, it’s this: There is no straight line into or through this profession.  While the people responsible for the safe, reliable and energy-efficient operation of institutional facilities all have ended up in similar positions, there is no way I know of to predict where they started their careers or where their journeys have taken them.  Some started as high school graduates, some went on to two-year colleges, and some earned four-year degrees.

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