While the market is concerned about upcoming economic headwinds, corporate real estate will avoid the worst, according to the second annual CRE Sentiment Survey released by Trepp, a provider of data, insights and technology solutions to the structured finance, commercial real estate and banking markets.

In a pivot from assessing recent market events and data trends weekly, The TreppWire podcast team surveyed CRE participants to gauge market sentiment for the coming months by answering questions related to the economy, regulation, CRE fundamentals and CMBS distress. Almost 50% of the respondents were CRE practitioners. The survey revealed some interesting trends.

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7 spaces for reimagining the office as a future-focused destination



With competition for talent high, 61% of companies are investing in the design of the office, according to a recent survey from Envoy. Creating a space that truly supports all types of workers and cultivates a sense of community, creativity, focus and well-being can be important for employee happiness and retention.

To reimagine the office as a destination that supports all types of work and work styles, Elise Nicpon from Room & Board Business Interiors (BI) outlines the top 7 spaces that every company needs for a future-focused, employee-oriented workplace. Nicpon’s list below is highlighted with some examples from Room & Board’s headquarters and projects, showcasing real-world implementations of these forward-thinking designs.

Content Rooms

With the marketing landscape demanding more forms of consumable content, a Content Room is the new must-have space, serving as a vehicle for broadcasting all types of content.

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Küberit has been described many ways. The company has added award-winning to the list. Küberit Expansion Profiles won the Best of NeoCon 2022 Silver Award for product excellence, confirming what flooring pros have been saying about these profile’s performance and aesthetics.

Küberit designs and manufactures floor and wall profiles with multiple finishes, functions, shapes and installation methods, raising the aesthetic of every space with functional solutions. Organized within just seven categories, Küberit profiles are easily specified, addressing needs for every project, design and surface.

Küberit believes every profile tells a story and the company’s innovation fuels the storytelling. Flooring designs are enhanced. Structural and material challenges solved. Edges and stairs protected. Küberit innovation is in the details, balancing beauty and purpose, elegance and functionality.

The Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA, has published a video that shares important information about the monkeypox virus and response tactics with the cleaning industry to help eradicate this disease. The cleaning industry will need to respond, as the United States has declared monkeypox a public health emergency, and several states have gone a step further and declared a state of emergency. This will free up funding and resources to fight the disease.

The first monkeypox case was reported in the U.S. in May, and in less than 100 days it has spread rapidly, with currently over 9,500 cases confirmed. Sexual transmission is contributing to this outbreak but not exclusively, as some people have caught the virus through face-to-face interactions or by touching a contaminated surface.

There are some reasonable precautions that people should take to avoid catching monkeypox. Cleaning professionals should be conducting risk assessments.

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Integrating the functional benefits of a work chair with the warm comfort of a lounge pouf, Plot Twist surprises with an attached, height-adjustable writing surface. The result is playfully self-contained, multifunctional, and easily adaptable to multiple environments. Plot Twist delivers an intuitive and innovative sitting experience. The orbiting work surface free-lifts without paddles or levers, delivering a smooth, stable and predictable glide to any desired height. A flush-set button lowers the surface.

Plot Twist was recognized with three Best of NeoCon awards: Gold, Innovation, and a Best of Competition finalist, a NeoCon Business Innovation Award, and as an honoree for the HiP Awards. 

National Institute of Building Sciences names AC Powell CEO

The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Board of Directors announces AC Powell, JD, CPS, as the Institute’s new president and CEO. Powell officially joins NIBS on September 12.

Powell comes with extensive leadership in the built environment, most recently serving for nearly five years as executive director and CEO of the Washington, DC-based Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE). AFE convenes professionals who ensure the optimal operation of high-rise commercial real estate, industrial plants, government facilities, higher education campuses and medical centers.

Powell also has a deep background in education, working with the Prince William County (VA) school system. He serves as an adjunct professor with Stratford University, teaching courses on business law, business ethics, and competition and innovation.

NIBS advances building science and technology. Powell will lead efforts to expand the Institute’s programs and markets while growing and strengthening its member base.

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With more than 10,000 engineers and 1,750 maintenance technicians on the road, ABM is one of the largest providers of onsite engineering solutions in the U.S. With the addition of engineers and operational excellence from its recent acquisition of Able Services, ABM has brought together the best practices from industry leaders to deliver a new level of solutions with ABM Engineering+.

ABM engineering managers, chief engineers and engineering teams provide comprehensive services, including on-site facility maintenance, HVAC, lighting and climate control along with specialized technical services in Electrical Power, Lighting, Energy, HVAC & Mechanical and EV Charging. ABM Engineering+ is purpose-built to be more comprehensive, customized, responsive and valuable to help facility managers meet the needs and expectations of your building and occupants.

Click here to download the ABM+ e-book.

The StrataClean IQ™ Air Filtration System quietly captures airborne bacteria, viruses, mold, and particulates for cleaner, healthier indoor air quality. The in-ceiling system works more effectively than floor-based units, using proven MERV 13 filtration and three fan speeds to optimize air changes/hour in your space. The energy efficient design operates at a mere 29 dBA and uses only 15 watts per hour – less than a traditional incandescent light bulb. Create a space with outstanding IAQ, starting at the ceiling, when you choose sustainable, healthy building solutions.

Learn more about improved IAQ at:

Armstrong Ceilings/StrataClean IQ.   

Typical applications

• Education – classrooms, cafeterias
• Office – conference rooms, lobbies, breakrooms, open plan seating areas
• Long-term care/Senior living
• Restaurants
• Daycares
• Retail

Facility managers will be walking the line when they reach Nashville to attend World Workplace^® 2022, September 28-30. The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has chosen “Take Center Stage” as the conference theme in recognition of the changing role of FMs in the workplace arena. “As the curtain lifts on FM’s shift from purely operational to indispensably strategic, there’s no business like know business,” says IFMA. “Get your act together — this year’s marquee FM event in Music City Center will prepare you to take center stage in making the spaces you manage your tour de force.”



World Workplace is the largest facility management conference in the world, offering discussions and sessions on FM and the wider built environment since 1995. World Workplace offers sessions in tracks, introducing “Emerging Topics” that consist of new or evolving business functions, external influences, or mandates that have a high probability of impacting the FM profession in terms of roles, responsibilities, and skills and knowledge requirements. The other tracks are FM Solutions; Finance & Business; Leadership & Strategy; Operations & Maintenance; Project Management; Risk Management; Facility Information Management & Technology Management; Occupancy & Human Factors; Performance & Human Factors. Sustainability; and Workplace Evolutionaries.

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OSCRE International has announced a new Environmental Data Standards Project that will convene in New York City on September 21, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is the first collaborative project for the Council of 100 focused on environmental data. Participants include facilities managers, property managers, corporate owners, occupiers, investors and the external business partners who work with them. This project addresses the growing pressure to collect, analyze and report real estate’s impact on the environment for corporate reports and external platforms.

It’s about the data. The quality of data and the need for speed make this project a top priority: To develop an effective standards-based approach that manages environmental data across the supply chain. The project will focus on common ground, with a platform-agnostic approach that explores how to accelerate progress towards effective environmental data management. Facilities managers are a critical link in the chain of data collection as corporate real estate leaders face increasing pressure to drive efficiency and performance, connecting data across a wide variety of internal functions and external platforms that often don’t communicate with each other.

FM leaders who are willing to share their perspectives and participate in cultivating solutions across the supply chain are encouraged to contact OSCRE for details on how you can attend.

Today’s teams have a more collaborative and agile style of working, yet most offices remain linear and static. The new workplace is more flexible and fluid, and Amobi recognizes the need for rapid reconfiguration as workers move from collaborative to private work throughout the day. Amobi Desks are fully integrated, mobile workstations that easily transport and fold up to store when not in use. Choose Desk/One for an open workstation or Desk/Focus with magnetic side panels that offer additional privacy.

Amobi Team is a family of mobile carts and walls that provide collaboration hubs, team storage and space division. Use alone or integrated with Amobi Desk for spaces that are dynamic and adaptable to changing needs throughout the day.

A recent Best of NeoCon Innovation Award winner, Amobi is available today and supported on AMQ’s rapid delivery program.

Mohawk Group’s new Social Canvas carpet tile collection, inspired by the art of artist Charlie French, conveys the expression and poignancy of Charlie’s abstract style, depicted in multiple styles, each viewed as a different canvas, the collection spans chunky and smooth textures, incorporating colorful brushwork and a refined palette. Social Canvas was awarded Best of Neocon Gold as well as Best of NeoCon Sustainability.

Social Canvas is a result of a collaboration with ArtLifting, an organization that champions artists who are impacted by disabilities or housing insecurity.  Each time you specify from the Social Canvas collection, Mohawk will donate to Susan G. Komen through our Specify for a Cure program, broadening the positive impact of your work even more.

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Education sessions and Product Zones are the most important reason to attend NFMT Remix in Las Vegas, November 2-3. For Pro and Elite attendees, there are 60-minute sessions focused on foundational principals of Facilities Management. The key trends of technology, safety and sustainability tend to be cross-functional and have a major impact on overall facilities strategies. These sessions are geared as more introductory sessions. Think Tanks, for Elite attendees, are 60-minute informal discussions focused around either a specific building type or trend. This will allow you to network with your peers in a small group environment. Attendees can pull up a chair and ask your questions to like-minded facilities managers from around the country. Each roundtable will have an official moderator to help guide the conversation.

Concurrent Sessions run on Wednesday and Thursday, while Product Zone Sessions are featured during the Expo hours between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The Women in FM panel and a reception conclude Wednesday’s activities.

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