Global digital infrastructure authority Uptime Institute has just announced the release of its 12th Annual Global Data Center Survey. The findings show an industry that is growing, dynamic and increasingly resilient, but still working to address increasing pressure for sustainability progress and reporting, continuing staffing shortages, supply chain delays, costly outages and other complex challenges.
"The global digital infrastructure sector continues to enjoy strong growth and expansion, despite the many obstacles operators are facing today," said Andy Lawrence, executive director of Research, Uptime Institute Intelligence. "We’ve seen the industry invest in increased resiliency and reliability, but there’s still work to be done when it comes to improving efficiency, environmental sustainability, outage prevention, staffing pipelines and more.
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New Buildings Institute (NBI) has released the Existing Building Decarbonization Code, a new way for jurisdictions to reduce carbon emissions and meet climate action plan goals and interconnected goals around public health and equity. The need to address existing building stock is immense, notes NBI, with 5.9 million existing commercial buildings in the U.S. comprising 97 billion square feet. New construction represents less than 2% of building activity in any given year, leaving a vast opportunity to update technologies in the current building stock. By requiring existing buildings to be more energy efficient, cities could cut about 30% of all urban emissions by 2050.
NBI’s February 2020 release of the Building Decarbonization Code provided the first off-the-shelf solution for jurisdictions to transform energy codes into decarbonization codes for new buildings. Expanding where that document left off, the new Existing Building Decarbonization Code adds provisions specifically for existing buildings. The new model language covers both residential and commercial buildings, including all-electric and mix-fuel energy use pathways.
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The Gridd adaptive cabling distribution system enables a building to adapt to inevitable technology changes, remain highly functional and operational, and saves money at every stage of its life cycle. An original contributor to the circular economy, Gridd’s fluid, modular design enables moves, adds, and changes without the mess of traditional cabling methods. If a facility manager can avoid contributing to the waste stream, that’s also an added benefit to the company’s ESG commitment.
The Gridd Mobile App makes it even easier for Facility teams, IT teams, electricians, and maintenance personnel to make power and data cabling. Gridd Mobile provides augmented reality (AR), technical support, as-built drawings, how-to videos, original site pictures, and product information conveniently accessible on a smartphone or tablet.
Gridd Mobile allows facility technicians to see exact power, voice, and data cabling locations through the floor in an instant, making systems’ changes quick and easy. Gridd Mobile improves the life of your facility, allowing future facility teams, even years from now, to make moves, adds, and changes to the same space with ease. When using Gridd Mobile, there is no knowledge lost between teams.
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(Originally published in fnPrime) It’s hard to believe that just three years ago the Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t something that existed. The school year started out normally as it could. Regular maintenance was scheduled, drills were conducted – but then March of 2020 approached, and a new virus was making its way through the nation, and the only way the spread could be stopped was if everything closed, including schools. Educational facilities managers were sent into overdrive trying to navigate the closure. What initially started as a two-week break turned into several months at home, and it was up to facilities managers to ensure that the buildings stayed intact.
Managers from across the country looked toward New York City Schools as an example of what to do with their facilities, and no one took that responsibility more seriously than John T. Shea, CEO, The New York City Department of Education. In this video filmed at NFMT 2022 in Baltimore, Shea discusses how he and his team navigated the early days of the pandemic and what operational changes that they have made that will stick around for the foreseeable future.
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For facility managers, the most exciting and yet challenging part of the job is dealing with the curveballs. How can you prepare for your next challenge, big or small?
The ProFM Credential Program will give you the knowledge, tools and confidence you need to make a big impact on your team, your facilities, and your organization. Knock your next curveball out of the ballpark with the ProFM credential!
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Will Webster, Western regional vice president and SME for ABM Facility Services, met with Eileen McMorrow, editor-in-chief, The McMorrow Reports and FMLink, to discuss how ABM Engineering+ delivers more value through comprehensive, customized solutions and specialized technical services. Corporations, healthcare systems and higher-education institutions are challenged to find trained and qualified engineers to operate and maintain facilities. With more than 10,000, on-site engineers and 1,750 maintenance technicians on the road, ABM is one of the largest providers of on-site engineering solutions in the U.S. ABM’s team answers questions about how it provides its unique-to-the-industry solutions.
How does ABM create an environment that allows the client to set the needs?
Will Webster: ABM works as a trusted advisor to help identify solutions to meet our customers’ needs. We’re determined to learn about their challenges to both improve their operations and take a holistic approach to their facilities. We think there are synergies to be gained from our on-site facilities engineers and the capabilities of our technical teams. Our solutions-based approach and capabilities are our biggest differentiator. A functioning facility is more than meets the eye. It’s a complex combination of specialized components and systems, each with specific needs and challenges.
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Armstrong World Industries and Price Industries, two leading innovators in the commercial construction industry, recently announced an expanded partnership focused on accelerating the development of holistic solutions to promote healthy indoor spaces. In addition, the companies announced the launch of their first product collaboration, the StrataCleanIQ, a ceiling-mounted filtration unit using MERV 13 filtration.
Both Armstrong and Price recognize the urgent need for healthy building solutions that support indoor environmental quality (IEQ). According to healthy building thought leaders, such as the International WELL Building Institute and Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, IEQ is influenced by multiple factors including acoustics, light, air quality and thermal comfort. While the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the pressing need for healthy indoor air quality (IAQ), all four components are critical for overall physical and psychological well-being and productivity.
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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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New events posted this week
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