FMLink Weekly News Digest I February 28, 2022
Edited by Michael Schley and Alexi Marmot — In response to radical behavioral shifts toward working, learning and connecting presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the IFMA Foundation released Work on the Move 3: Building Better Workplaces After the Pandemic. The latest volume in a series of groundbreaking books that focus on the evolving world of work, workplace strategy, and the intersection of people, technology and space, Work on the Move 3 (WOTM3) explores the expanding role of facility management (FM), and the leadership challenges and opportunities associated with delivering effective workplaces during pandemic.

As people recover from the economic, emotional, and social disruptions experienced since March 2020, they are seeking guidance on how best to move forward. Work on the Move 3, edited by Michael Schley and Alexi Marmot and co-written by 19 industry-respected subject matter experts, addresses the hybrid workplace, sustainability and planetary health, employee well-being, diversity and inclusion, and the growing dependence on technology to support a work-from-anywhere future.

Agile Work Evolutions (AWE), a real estate technology company focused on workplace strategy and implementation, has been acquired by Cresa, the world’s leading occupier-focused commercial real estate firm.

AWE’s innovative tech enabled workplace strategy and advisory offering allows clients to better understand their potential occupancy strategies and smartly adopt hybrid and flex workplace solutions into their occupancy. The result is better, faster and more certain decision making as well as a more responsive, flexible and resilient occupancy plan. In addition to innovative, people-centric workplace strategies, AWE also provides assessment and change management, integration, alignment and training related to workplace.

“Workplace strategy is critical to making smart real estate decisions, and this has super charged as companies move to rapidly adopt hybrid and flex options responding to changes in work patterns accelerated by Covid-19,” said Tricia Trester, Cresa’s Head of Global Portfolio Solutions.

To help consulting engineers make more objective and informed decisions about their chiller plant designs, Carrier has introduced PLV Pro, a new software tool to provide fast, easy life cycle cost analysis at no charge for water-cooled chillers from different manufacturers. Founded by the inventor of modern air conditioning, Carrier is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, a global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold chain solutions.

Scott McDonough, associate director of Product Management, Carrier Commercial Global Equipment, pointed out, "Many engineers and facility managers know that full load and integrated part load value (IPLV) may not provide a complete and accurate picture of the performance of multi-chiller central plants in the real world, but they often fall back on them because detailed energy modeling analyses can be costly and time-consuming. PLV Pro offers a free alternative that’s fast, easy and accurate."

by Adam Camhi and Rory Saleh — Originally published in the January/February 2022 issue of ISSA

Equipment rental doesn’t have to be a contingency plan. It can be an essential part of managing your facility or growing your business.

For self-providers and building service contractors (BSCs), having the right equipment for the job is critical to gaining the best results for floor care and cleaning. It is also a matter of maintaining consistent levels of productivity and efficiency, and attracting and retaining employees, tenants, and customers.

However, buying a piece of equipment like a mechanized floor scrubber isn’t always feasible. It also isn’t without its risks, especially financial. That is where long-term equipment rental can help.

Commercial and industrial HVAC designer and manufacturer Daikin Applied recently introduced SiteLine Building Controls, a portfolio of scalable, cloud-based technologies to enable building owners and facilities managers (FMs) to effortlessly connect, monitor and manage both individual pieces of HVAC equipment and integrated building systems. With SiteLine, owners and operators have the tools and insights to optimize performance, improve indoor air quality (IAQ), and trim energy use and carbon emissions.

The new controls portfolio provides complete transparency into the entire heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) ecosystem to help create comfortable and sustainable environments where people work and live. Intuitive dashboards keep facility personnel connected to their operations at all times, and arms them with data to drive efficiency and lower costs while maintaining comfort.

The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) has published two new case studies, Educational Campus Facilities and Government Facilities. These reports profile 14 educational campuses and 15 government facilities, all of which are metal buildings.

It’s more important than ever for school districts, colleges and universities, and government agencies to get the high-quality buildings they need without breaking the bank, according to Tony Bouquot, MBMA’s general manager. “As these new case studies show, metal buildings are the common denominator in providing great-looking, energy-efficient and cost-effective buildings for these organizations.”

Ventilation and light  
Educational buildings have a variety of needs they must meet, including proper ventilation and air circulation, plenty of natural light, lots of open space and flexibility for changing needs and future growth. The case study looks at 14 metal building facilities across various uses and stakeholders. These facilities range from large athletic buildings such as the 138,000-square-foot Kelly Family Sports Center at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, to smaller, special-use structures like the 5,000-square-foot Poplar Hall Agriculture Center for Innovation at Morgan Community College in Fort Morgan, Colorado.

The National Facilities Management & Technology (NFMT) Conference & Expo is returning to the Baltimore Convention Center on March 29-31, 2022. This is the first time NFMT has returned to Baltimore since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.  

“Facility managers are ready to return to in-person events,” says Dan Weltin, editor-in-chief, facility market at Trade Press Media Group. “Virtual conferences have been helpful during the pandemic, but they are no substitute for a live trade show. NFMT will be the best opportunity to learn about the latest trends and see new products.”  

NFMT first launched in 2001 by Building Operating Management and Facility Maintenance Decisions magazines with the goal of providing world-class education, products and networking to facilities professionals. Twenty years later, the show continues to deliver on its promise by offering broad-based education for facilities professionals ranging from government, healthcare, retail, education, hospitality and more. The show is now offering four different registration options to choose from, allowing for a more personalized experience.

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