ey Takeaways Facility managers should understand baseline indoor and outdoor air quality conditions before an event to make informed operational decisions when conditions change. HVAC strategies should be tailored to the source of the threat, since increasing outdoor air can help during infectious disease events but worsen indoor conditions during wildfire smoke events. Preparedness plans should identify filtration needs, portable air cleaners, equipment locations and HVAC adjustments before an air quality event occurs. Managing an air quality event also involves balancing competing priorities, according to Stodola. With wildfire smoke, for example, reducing outdoor airflow can limit the polluted air coming inside.
Read This » How Facility Managers Can Address Poor Performanceey Takeaways Managers should determine whether poor performance stems from a skills gap, lack of clarity, workplace conditions or an employee’s willingness to meet expectations. Clear goals, specific feedback, documentation, support and consistent follow-up can give struggling employees a meaningful opportunity to improve. When performance problems persist despite genuine support, or involve safety, values or toxic behavior, managers may need to consider whether the employee remains a fit for the team. Underperformance has a number of common root causes, and each needs a different response.
Read This » Choosing Door Hardware for Safety, Security and Performanceey Takeaways: Emergency-exit doors in high-occupancy buildings often require push bars and panic hardware that allow occupants to quickly release latches and locks during an evacuation. Door closers on fire-rated exits help contain fire and smoke while also supporting energy efficiency and security by ensuring doors close, latch and seal properly. Selecting mortise, cylindrical or multi-point locking systems requires balancing security, installation constraints, door alignment and the functional or historic characteristics of the building. A door’s role in a building egress system affects requirements for door operating hardware.
Read This » Human-Centric Security Design Creates Safer, More Accessible Buildingsey Takeaways: Human-centric security design anticipates how people actually use a space, helping prevent unsafe workarounds that emerge when access controls are overly complicated or restrictive. Clear sightlines, appropriate lighting, intuitive systems and inclusive accessibility features improve safety while supporting the physical, emotional and cognitive needs of all occupants. Treating security as an early, integrated design priority helps facilities become more resilient, efficient and welcoming as threats, technologies and operational needs evolve. Human-centric security design centers on human behaviors and habits.
Read This » Facility Condition Assessments Strengthen Hospital Capital Planningey Takeaways: A facility condition assessment validates suspected infrastructure issues with detailed condition data, remaining useful life projections and clear priority rankings for capital planning. Hospitals can use FCA findings to address urgent risks such as obsolete electrical panels, aging elevators and outdated humidification equipment before reliability or safety issues escalate. An independent assessment provides a valuable outside perspective that helps facilities teams identify overlooked issues and convert maintenance observations into proactive, data-driven projects. For Galu, one of the biggest advantages of a facility condition assessment (FCA) is not necessarily uncovering problems his team did not already suspect but the level of detail behind the findings and the validation that comes with them.
Read This » Designing Carbon-Neutral Buildings From the Startey Takeaways: Set measurable carbon, energy and resilience goals before design begins so the project team can evaluate performance, compliance costs and long-term operational value from the outset. Prioritize reducing energy demand through right-sizing, site selection, orientation, massing, insulation, air sealing and glazing design before relying on mechanical systems or renewables. Follow a decarbonization sequence of efficiency, electrification and renewable energy while optimizing structural materials to lower both operational and embodied carbon. Carbon-neutral buildings are no longer limited to showcase projects or organizations with expansive sustainability budgets.
Read This » Fall Protection Safety: How to Prevent Workplace Fallsey Takeaways: Treat routine and short-duration elevated tasks as potential fall hazards by requiring workers to plan safe access and avoid improvised equipment such as chairs or stools. Prioritize fall prevention measures—including eliminating hazards, guardrails and restraint systems—before relying on personal fall-arrest equipment, and ensure anchor points and harnesses are appropriate for the job and worker. Establish and practice a rapid rescue plan before elevated work begins, supported by reliable communication, hands-on equipment training and regular refresher instruction. Some of the most common fall hazards are also the easiest to dismiss.
Read This » How Roofing Can Support Facility Sustainabilityey Takeaways: Facility managers should evaluate roofing systems based on lifecycle value, considering energy performance, maintenance, repairs, service life and replacement costs rather than first cost alone.
Read This » Protecting Indoor Air Quality During Wildfire Smoke Eventsey Takeaways: Facility managers should identify and seal building-envelope leaks to better control how polluted outdoor air enters during smoke and other air-quality events. Revolving doors, vestibules and air curtains can help limit the amount of contaminated air brought indoors as occupants enter and exit the building. Before upgrading to higher-MERV filters, teams should have an engineer assess airflow, static pressure and fan capacity to avoid compromising HVAC performance. When wildfire smoke blankets a community, facility managers must keep fresh air flowing without bringing harmful smoke indoors. Though wildfire smoke tops the headlines, air quality events come in other forms.
Read This »© 2026 NFMT. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy