Leading organizations have joined OSCRE International’s Environmental Data Standards Working Group — a real estate industry effort to standardize environmental data. Standardization is a key piece in the corporate and real estate sectors’ efforts to better measure progress on sustainability and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) goals. Corporate members of OSCRE participating in this initiative include: BentallGreenOak • Blackstone • Brookfield Properties • CBRE • CoreNet Global • Cushman & Wakefield • Dealpath • EBusiness Strategies • Ernst & Young • Hines • International Facility Management Association (IFMA) • Intuit • JLL • Lionpoint • MRI Software • Yardi.
"As the SEC advances its rulemaking to address climate change and real estate’s impact on the environment, ESG has become a priority for the real estate industry," said Lisa Stanley, CEO of OSCRE International. "The purpose of the Environmental Data Standards Project is to bring together a diverse group of real estate stakeholders to address a common need — a standardized approach to collect, analyze and report data that’s collected across platforms that don’t communicate with each other."
|
|
Traditionally, Facility Condition Assessments (FCA) of buildings were performed by A/E firms every five to seven years. That’s no longer acceptable. Contemporaneous data on buildings is in demand as property owners want to know how their real estate is performing or serving the needs of the business.
New software enables the availability of up to the minute data to be accessible to the facility and building management team and all the technicians who service building equipment. Eileen McMorrow, editor-in-chief, The McMorrow Reports and FMLink, learns how data is obtained and managed continuously in a discussion with Josh Lowe, co-founder and chief solutions officer of AkitaBox.
Josh, discuss the shortcomings of traditional capital planning and budgeting methods without the complete, accurate data that a facility condition assessment (FCA) provides.
Lowe: We need to use the data to keep the building running, to defend it, to have transparency with the data and to get approval on how to spend the budget. We need real data and a proper FCA to defend how the budget will be spent. Businesses can get into trouble because it can be too expensive to maintain the building(s). The FCA gives better data than traditional planning that quickly can go out of date.
|
|
Global building technology society ASHRAE has just affirmed its continuing commitment to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with the release of a new Building Performance Standards Technical Resource Guide and the launch of its redesigned Building Decarbonization webpage.
The newly released Building Performance Standards (BPS): A Technical Resource Guide was created to provide a technical basis for policymakers, building owners, practitioners and other stakeholders interested in developing and implementing a BPS policy. The first in a series of seven guidebooks by ASHRAE on building decarbonization, this guide focuses on reducing operating energy use and resulting emissions in existing commercial and multifamily buildings, as established by leading U.S. cities and states.
|
|
|
Revenue stagnation, increasing operational costs, and sustainability compliance regulations are primary causes of concern for the real estate industry and large enterprises globally in 2023, according to a study cited by Facilio CEO Prabhu Ramachandran.
While most of these are common problems real estate owners and operators encounter, they threaten the very existence of such businesses during economic downturns. How do they keep themselves afloat and profitable? Real estate owners and operators are turning to technology solutions to find ways to curb spend and improve the bottom line in 2023 and beyond. The C-Suite, especially, has started viewing property operations technology as a strategic investment, and expects comprehensive and real-time visibility into their real estate portfolios’ performance.
|
|
The first facilities industry event this year returns to Baltimore with NFMT 2023, the National Facility Management and Technology Conference & Expo. The McMorrow Reports & FMLink have been attending for at least 20 years, and we know our readers should, too. Facilities managers, executives, engineers and allied professionals will gather March 21-23 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland. Both the educational conference sessions, starting on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. and ending on Thursday at 4:45 p.m., and the expo floor are bountiful with exhibitors from all segments of FM.
Use NFMT’s event explorer while registering to pre-register for sessions. Build your agenda to include conference sessions roundtables, networking functions, product zone sessions, and time in the exhibit hall. Research the education sessions and the exhibitors to successfully choose the ones that apply to your position and company needs. The conference tracks include: Asset Management, Energy & Sustainability, Future Trends, Health & Safety, Maintenance & Operations, Security, Technology and Think Tank.
|
|
Carrier has launched Abound Net Zero Management, a digitally enabled lifecycle sustainability solution that provides building owners and managers a way to measure, track, view and report energy and carbon performance across their entire property portfolio to help meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. Carrier is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, a global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold chain solutions.
At a time when buildings account for 40% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and countries are adopting regulations limiting building carbon emissions, organizations have made ESG goals a priority. Abound Net Zero Management provides consistent tracking and reporting of information in a single application, making energy and emissions data readily accessible to key stakeholders including health and safety professionals, and energy and facility managers. Net Zero Management is part of Carrier’s Abound suite of connected solutions that use advanced technologies to enable real-time, intelligent outcome-based results that can make buildings more efficient and responsive.
|
|
This week's Featured Book from FMLink's new Books section is from the Costbooks category. This collection of peer-reviewed books has been curated by the editorial team at FMLink to provide facilities, engineering and A&D professionals with access to publications relating to the Costbooks topic.
The 2023 BNi Facilities Manager's Costbook is the first place to turn, whether you're preparing a preliminary estimate, evaluating a contractor's bid, or submitting a formal budget proposal. It puts at your fingertips accurate and up-to-date material and labor costs for thousands of cost items — including building materials, HVAC, furnishings, equipment, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, and much more — based on the latest national averages and standard labor productivity rates. What's more, the 2023 BNi Facilities Manager's Costbook includes a newly expanded section of over 600 regional cost modifiers for adjusting your estimate to your local conditions.
|
|
Johns Manville (JM), a Berkshire Hathaway company and Denver-based building products manufacturer, announced the release of the company’s innovative glue-free duct liner product LinacouSTIC RC-IG, which includes a nontoxic, water-reactivated adhesive liner. LinacouSTIC RC-IG eliminates glue from the application of fiberglass duct liner to sheet metal.
LinacouSTIC RC-IG maintains all the benefits of JM’s popular Linacoustic RC product, but adds an exclusive, proprietary InsulGrip adhesive layer that is reactivated with water. No glue means no waste or overspray, reduced equipment maintenance and cleanup, and a faster installation process. Plus Permacote coating protects the airstream surface and provides a durable surface resistant to dust and dirt for added protection against microbial growth.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
