By Western Specialty Contractors — Galvanic corrosion frequently afflicts structures such as commercial roofing, infrastructure elements and façades, and is also common in the restoration of existing structural steel and concrete reinforcement. By understanding the root causes and manifestations of galvanic corrosion and adopting appropriate mitigation strategies, property owners and managers can safeguard their investments and ensure the longevity of their buildings.

Galvanic corrosion occurs when two uniquely different metals, such as copper and steel, are physically in contact with each other and immersed in a common electrolyte, such as water/moisture or when the same metal is exposed to an electrolyte with different concentrations. In a galvanic couple, the more active metal (the anode) corrodes at an accelerated rate, and the more noble metal (the cathode) corrodes at a slower rate. This literally creates a battery with the movement of electrons; that’s when the corrosion begins. The combination of dissimilar metals will either accelerate the corrosion process or do nothing, but it’s important to understand which combinations of metals will work against you.

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Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors have taken hold across corporations and institutions. Earnestness and good intentions intact, executive management is looking for concrete solutions that contribute to ESG. One of them, literally, is sitting above the concrete. Gridd by FreeAxez is a low-profile raised floor and cable management system that has been found to be a key contributor to the circular economy. Lisa Whited, author of Work Better. Save The Planet., investigated for nearly a year, authoring the research paper, The Circular Economy of Gridd (PDF), and spending time with its president and founder, Earl Geertgens. 

Gridd by FreeAxez is a low-profile raised floor and cable management system available in two heights: 40 mm (1.6 inches) or 70 mm (2.75 inches), which is installed on top of a constructed floor. Wires and cables are laid within the system, making electrical components far easier to access than when they are buried in walls, as they are in conventional construction. The Gridd system is also much less intrusive than core drilling concrete slabs to install wiring into a space.

What is the history of FreeAxez and Gridd?

Geertgens: Gridd revolutionized the way businesses thought about wire management and adaptive cabling distribution beginning in 1999. Buildings needed to modernize but had no way of coagulating all their technology and devices into a single unified system. Gridd provided a solution that is not only effective, but also incredibly flexible. Companies are now able to implement major changes to their environment without hindering employees and breaking budgets, opening the doors to a whole new level of productivity.

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has just announced a National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building to advance public and private sector efforts to decarbonize the buildings sector, which is responsible for more than one-third of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The definition is intended to provide industry guidance to support new and existing commercial and residential buildings to move towards zero emissions and help cut energy costs. A standardized definition will help advance next-generation clean energy solutions, drive innovation, and tackle the climate crisis, while supporting workforce development, says DOE. Global building technology society ASHRAE called the move a “significant milestone to combat climate change by decarbonizing the built environment,” and said the National Definition “provides a clear market signal and consistent target, supported by measurable data, to propel the building sector towards a sustainable future.”

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Widely regarded as the leading awards program for the commercial interior design industry, the Best of NeoCon honors solutions that exhibit unparalleled innovation and exceptional design. The 2024 Best of NeoCon winners were unveiled on June 10 at the morning gathering that kicks off the three-day NeoCon show. This year, 126 awards were bestowed upon products in 50 categories for Gold, Silver, Sustainability, Innovation, Business Impact, and the coveted Best of Competition. The winners were selected by a group of 53 architects, designers, specifiers, enterprise clients, facility managers, and top business media (full list of jurors here) who judged the products on-site at THE MART in Chicago over the weekend prior to the show.

Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering’s colorful collaboration with British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori (shown above) received the coveted distinction of Best of Competition — marking the first time a product in the Wall Treatments and Textiles categories took home the top honors. Besting 100 other award-winning products, the four remaining Best of Competition finalists include nienkämper for Vox Community, Isomi for Layer, Haworth for Poltrona Frau Squash armchair and Tuuci for Meritage Collection.

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Standalone wireless system FirstLink by Bodine integrates all necessary emergency lighting components and monitors the status of the lighting system at all times, helping you maintain code compliance with virtually zero effort. The FirstLink emergency egress system comprises enabled exit signs, wall packs, emergency LED drivers and the FirstLink app installed on a mobile device. Instead of staff shuffling around a facility, climbing ladders, and pushing buttons to test individual units, FirstLink components automatically perform all required testing. The app downloads the status of all devices and creates an easily exported report. A wireless mesh network ensures reliable connections, even during the loss of individual devices. If the app can communicate with just one device, the status of all devices can be read. Once the status is downloaded, the data is uploaded to the cloud. 

FirstLink emergency lighting system components can be easily installed by a contractor or end-user, making it field-install friendly. FMs can quickly add new products, accessories and features without updating the existing FirstLink hardware in the building. The easy-to-navigate FirstLink smartphone application allows users to configure a system, view and export results, change testing schedules, and more. For a painfully funny look at why you need Bodine’s FirstLink, check out this video as well: “Emergency Lighting Testing — Before FirstLink."

In April, a group of Minnesota local governments became the first communities to achieve Charging Smart designation, a public recognition of their status as electric vehicle (EV)-friendly communities. Nine local governments from across Minnesota — from rural communities to metropolitan Minneapolis — earned Bronze and Silver designations: Hopkins and La Crescent received Charging Smart Silver designations, and Eden Prairie, Falcon Heights, Faribault, Inver Grove Heights, Oakdale, Roseville and St. James earned Bronze.

Charging Smart is a national program funded by DOE and led by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and the Great Plains Institute (GPI) that works to accelerate the equitable deployment of EVs across the country. The program launched earlier this year in a pilot phase. It currently operates in Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia, along with the regions of North Texas, Northern Illinois, and Southern California. Charging Smart plans to expand its geographic reach beginning this summer.

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Building products manufacturer Construction Specialties has announced a major sustainability initiative dedicated to directing its operational practices towards sustainability, embedding it at all levels of the organization. This ambitious 2024 sustainable manufacturing plan, structured using the Common Materials Framework, is a commitment to responsible business practices and includes measurable actions that range from reducing waste and conserving resources to rethinking its manufacturing process.

Construction Specialties was an early industry adopter of sustainability as both a practice and a philosophy. For example, CS was reportedly the first manufacturer to launch a completely PVC-free wall protection line, called Acrovyn. The global company was also one of the first partner manufacturers to sign on as part of mindfulMATERIALS (mM), an organization it still supports today. But in an industry where “green” has become something of a throwaway word or a box to check, CS has established a new position that intends to harness learning up to this point and help define its future in sustainable manufacturing.

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This week's Featured Book from FMLink Books is from the Engineering 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 Engineering topic.

Industrial Mechanics presents an introduction to the concepts of industrial mechanical systems, principles and equipment in a practical, easy-to-understand format. This text presents content in a heavily illustrated style using full-color art. It is organized for easy instruction and presentation of key information. Industrial Mechanics is designed for postsecondary, industrial and apprenticeship training.

This and other Engineering titles are now available for purchase on FMLink.