Facilities Management articles for the week of 9/8/2019 - 9/14/2019

Networked Lighting Controls Offer Benefits Beyond Energy Efficiency

Building owners and facility managers across the United States are replacing traditional lighting with energy-efficient, long-lasting LED lighting that can produce up to 50 percent energy cost savings while maintaining or improving lighting quality.

Read This » MEWPs: New Name, Renewed Focus on Safety

ANSI Standards A92 have been upgraded to provide better and safer operation and maintenance of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWP), which is the new designation that supersedes the aerial work platform (AWP) designation. The standards provide criteria for vehicle-mounted rotating and elevating work platforms, elevating aerial platforms, boom-supported elevated aerial platforms, and equipment related to the aerial platform and access industry.

Read This » K-12 Upgrades: HVAC Challenges and Solutions

The nation’s aging K-12 school infrastructure presents a host of challenges to maintenance and engineering staff involved in building and system upgrades, from setting project goals and building the planning team to scheduling the work to avoid disrupting facility operations. By addressing these and other challenges early in the upgrade planning process, managers will be able to deliver upgrade and retrofit projects that benefit their departments, building occupants and visitors, and the organization. Building the plan During the early planning stages of an improvement or retrofit project, one of the first challenges is to identify a scope of work.

Read This » Lean Management: The Facilities Impact

Maintenance and engineering managers are constantly looking for ways to make themselves, their technicians and their organizations as efficient as possible. They can do this two ways: increase the quality of services rendered, and reduce waste that detracts from the quality of services they provide.

Read This » How To Shop for Facility Software in Four Steps

When selecting facility management software, it is easy to start drowning in alphabet soup.

Read This » How Technology is Changing Emergency Communication

Advances in technology, combined with the need for immediate information, have led to significant changes in the design, installation, and capabilities of emergency communication systems.

Read This » How to Prevent Roofing Problems

Facility managers know the importance of having a roof that performs, but some may assume that there is really not much to know about the roof.

Read This » Is Your Roof Leak Really a Roof Leak?

Roof leaks are often a nuisance for a building owner or property manager.

Read This » 4 Issues in Successful Plumbing Upgrades

Restroom renovations can help managers address a range of challenges related to their departments, facility operations and their organizations’ bottom lines.

Read This » Managers Face Tough Balancing Act

The responsibilities of maintenance and engineering management have never been as varied and contradictory as they are these days.

Read This » Concrete Coating Considerations

In addition to making repairs to surfaces and components, concrete maintenance also involves the strategic application of coatings as a preventive measure.

Read This » Lift Selection To Meet Facility Needs

Specifying the most appropriate lift based on department needs requires that managers consider important factors such as type, capacity, weight, rigging, boom length and extension length. For example, a construction project that includes mounting 50 HVAC air-handling units on the roof, and the only access to the roof is a hatch accessed by a ladder from inside the building. Most HVAC units are too large to go through the hatch, so installers require a lift to move the new HVAC equipment to and from the roof. If manager cannot find a unit to fit through the hatch, the project requires a boom and extension lift with the capacity to raise the equipment weight up and across the building roof to the mounting pad — easily 120 feet or more for a four-story building that is 70 feet wide.

Read This » 3 Workplace Design Trends Shaping Tomorrow's Offices

A well-designed workplace benefits almost everyone involved —employees come to work feeling more valued and willing to contribute, employers are able to maximize productivity and efficiency among departments, and facility managers have fewer maintenance-related headaches to deal with.

Read This » Sensors, Better Communication Tech Mean Better Data for Boilers

The open network landscape has been changing quickly.

Read This » Biophilic Design, Smart Systems Lead to Happier Patients, Better Outcomes

Although it is not a new concept, biophilia has gained traction in the last few years, especially in healthcare design.

Read This » Understanding Common Cybersecurity Weaknesses in Buildings

The primary reason BAS can be an organization’s weakest digital link is that it was conceived and designed before the internet’s rapid growth. BAS began with the development of proprietary direct digital controllers, explains James Lee, CEO of Cimetrics, Inc.

Read This » Plumbing Renovations That Deliver

Restrooms in institutional and commercial facilities have long service lives, — 20 years or more, typically.

Read This » Mowers and Total Cost of Ownership

The final step for managers in the mower specification process is making sure to be fully informed and prepared before committing to a big-ticket purchase.

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