Facilities Management articles for the week of 9/5/2021 - 9/11/2021

How to Go From Crisis Management to Asset Management

Facility managers are responsible for the operation and well-being of a wide range of physical assets within their facilities.

Read This » A Blizzard of Challenges in Keeping Schools Open

Brad Theisen and his team know a good deal about snow and ice management.

Read This » Back in Business: Minimizing Spread of Disease Remains Priority

The health and safety of building occupants must be a top priority for facility managers as institutional and commercial facilities start to get back to some semblance of normal in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Many buildings across the country, from government and educational facilities to high-rise  downtown office buildings, have sat mostly empty since March 2020.

Read This » Understanding Access Control Challenges During the Pandemic

As the COVID-19 virus took hold of the world 18 months ago, many maintenance and engineering managers set their sights on having workers disinfect high-contact surfaces where the virus could linger and spread in institutional and commercial facilities — notably, drinking fountains, elevator buttons, and restroom fixtures.  But for facilities across all markets, door hardware and security entrances were also top of mind and vital areas that demanded attention, since doors that are constantly being opened and closed posed a serious challenge to limiting the spread of the virus. Michael Gips, an expert in security and access control, says that as the first point of contact in facilities, building entrances received a wealth of attention.  “During the pandemic, the easiest way to deal with entry access was to prop a door open and have security personnel check IDs,” Gips says.

Read This » 8 Ways Data Centers Can Improve Energy Efficiency

Due to their specialized function — housing energy intensive IT equipment and 24/7/365 operations — data center facilities often consume more than 100 times the quantity of electricity of a similarly sized commercial office space.

Read This » Sustainable and Resilient: The Future of Buildings

As we slowly emerge from the pandemic, what will the future of buildings look like? Is it marrying health and wellness strategies with sustainability? Is it deep energy efficiency? Renewables? Air quality? Is it all these, and many more?  As climate change and extreme weather events accelerate, what is happening today in government (not just federal) will impact what needs to be done in buildings, and how we all must adapt to these changes.

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