Latest News

Ceilings

June 2006

The Road to Sustainability
Whatever your route to a green facility, having a plan will make the ride a smoother one.

Throughout history, cultures around the world have found methods to build and operate their structures in ways that did not threaten the surrounding natural environments. Over time, however, many building design and operation strategies have not been as kind. A seemingly endless supply of resources created a system in which regard for consumption of land, energy, and materials was not a high priority...

May 2006

Ceiling Selections
Code changes, acoustical characteristics, and installation options combine with material choices to expand ceiling options for facility professionals.

No one type of ceiling is the answer to every set of facility management needs, especially when today’s ceiling products fall into one of three basic categories: suspended, furred, or direct contact. Each type has its own set of characteristic pros and cons, making it more difficult for facility professionals to decide what’s best for their interior spaces...

Education

June 2006

The Big Picture
A new multipurpose facility fuels the campus master plan at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, GA.

Over the past decade, Georgia Military College (GMC) in Milledgeville, GA has undergone significant improvements to its campus facilities. Among these projects is the restoration of its Old Capitol Building, which was the center of Georgia government from 1807 until 1868. Prior to that project was the construction of Zell Miller Hall, an academic facility located across the Old Capitol Parade Ground, a grassy quad which serves as a campus centerpiece. Through these projects runs a common thread of retaining the college’s history while providing students with modernized facilities—all part of a master plan...

July 2005

Finding the Cure
Responding to the need for growth, officials at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School in Baltimore, MD doubled the size of the facility as they kept focused on the six phase master plan.

From 1918 to 1919, somewhere between 20 million and 40 million died from a public health menace that initially appeared to be nothing more than a common cold. So when the Rockefeller Foundation appropriated $6 million for the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health in February 1922, the world’s most lethal flu epidemic was still fresh in the minds of many who survived its terrible impact...

Healthcare

July 2006

Collaborative Care
The new Weston Regional Medical Center brings shared services to central Wisconsin.

The gentle curves and expanses of glass that characterize the Weston Regional Medical Center convey a serene and welcoming mood. And that’s just what the doctor ordered for this new 540,000 square foot health care complex in Weston, WI, a collaboration between two regional health organizations, Ministry Health Care and Marshfield Clinic...

June 2005

The Hospital of the Future
Like the human population it serves, Banner Estrella was born to grow and thrive for years to come.

Futuristic images conjure up clichéd concepts like flying automobiles, freeze dried feasts, and family vacations on distant planets. In more practical terms, facility managers in all industries have been hearing tales about the paperless office and intelligent buildings. But in the world of health care, the hospital of the future is all about growth; and at Banner Estrella in Phoenix, AZ, the future is right here, right now...

Office

January 2005

Facility Executive of the Year 2005
Passionate about facilities, this colorful motivator leads by example and has a great time along the way.

The passage of time makes it hard for professionals in almost any field to experience the same level of enthusiasm as they did that first day on the job. But in the case of Ward Komorowski of the Brengel Technology Center, the passion for facility management is still as strong as ever. After 20 years with Johnson Controls, Komorowski's innovative strategies have contributed to short-term, bottom line benefits and long-term corporate success for the Milwaukee, WI-based building technology leader. In fact, his compelling approach to sustainability has been a model to other facility executives...

July 2003

Trading Conference Spaces (Special Report)

As is often the case in life what appears at first examination as two separate, unrelated workplace factors can meld to serve two distinct business needs. This type of opportunity is now available to facility managers with regard to their footprint planning. Because companies are downsizing their office square footage, facility professionals are being asked to find solutions utilizing smaller workspaces-yet still have room for office furnishings, and personnel to complete their daily tasks and duties...

Retail

March 2004

Swedish Invasion?
IKEA, the Scandinavian residential furniture retail company, is on a mission to open stores and generate mass American appeal.

While not all American consumers may not yet be familiar with IKEA, the company is clearly becoming an omnipresent retail force in the country. With its reputation for economical, do-it-yourself residential furnishings, the Scandinavian company has already established an international presence...

Transportation

July 2006

The Public Face Of Airports

Facility managers know that the cleanliness of their buildings has a big impact on visitors' first impressions of the organization. With the volume of traffic that many airports cater to each and every day, putting the best foot forward in maintenance can literally be a neverending job. Daniel Yee of the Associated Press has reported on what is being done at several major airports around the country..