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Answers to pressing roof maintenance questions
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsFor those in the position of building management and maintenance, they’ve got twice the responsibility in one area of their lives that most of us do not: they’ve got to keep two roofs over their heads. In the industrial or commercial setting, the roof — one of the most important aspects of commercial building management — can often get overlooked. In most commercial settings, the roof is one of the biggest investments made on a building and, likewise, it must be maintained beyond most other aspects.
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Tech advances, new ideas vital to feeding the world’s fast-growing…
Dave G. Houser Food & BeverageIn 1798, English cleric and scholar Thomas Robert Malthus published a study concluding that the world’s population would grow faster than the supply of food. Over the centuries, the Malthusian theory failed to pan out. While pockets of famine have existed off and on in some regions of Africa and Asia, the world as a whole hasn’t outgrown its ability to feed itself. Fast-forward to 2018 and we are hearing murmurs from a number of economists and agronomists warning of a potential shortfall in the world food supply — the Malthusian-connected cause behind it being rampant population growth.
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How to save money at your office with smart tech
Sam Radbil Facilities & GroundsThe green-at-home movement has been covered extensively, but what about at the office? While there are lots of articles about tech for your home, what concepts and ideas are being discussed about saving you and your company money at the office? First, let’s understand the Internet of Things (IoT). The idea is to control your office through the internet. Sure, you can tell everyone to turn off the lights when they leave a room, but how many employees simply forget to do so?
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Is hotel luxury dead?
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesWhat’s in a name? A luxury hotel by any other name is still luxurious, right? No longer, it seems, in today’s hospitality industry. When hotel discount brokers offer "luxury" accommodations at $49 a night, as occurred during the recent Independence Day holiday, does the word "luxury" have any useful meaning? Those in the industry who want to appeal to the wealthy and sophisticated traveler are upping their game and moving beyond traditional standards of luxury.
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Singapore’s Seletar Airport gets ready for passengers
Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & AutomotivePressure will soon be relieved on Singapore’s Changi Airport, as plans to open a new passenger terminal at the smaller Seletar Airport in the north of the city-state are on track. The structure is due to open later this year. Seletar is 19 miles north of Changi. Built as a Royal Air Force station in 1928, it saw action during World War II and can claim to be Singapore’s first international airport. Today, the airport is a busy general aviation facility, with flight training establishments and a number of maintenance operators providing heavy engineering services from the single-runway site.
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Gateway Arch National Park gets a makeover
Dave G. Houser Recreation & LeisureA revitalized Gateway Arch National Park was dedicated during a festive ceremony July 3 in St. Louis, the culmination of a five-year, $380 million renovation project. The park was established in 1935 as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial to honor President Thomas Jefferson, who turned St. Louis into the Gateway to the West by doubling the size of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. It was renamed Gateway Arch National Park through federal legislation in February to better reflect the nature of the park's main attraction.
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Study: Stormwater ponds not a significant source of greenhouse gases
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsStormwater ponds are ubiquitous throughout the world, found around the properties of office buildings, airports, apartment complexes and other facilities. They collect runoff water from roads, roofs, lawns and parking lots and are designed to filter out pollutants before the water is released into local streams or rivers. Given their prolific pock marking of countless urban landscapes, scientists are now suggesting that they are not a significant source of climate-warming nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, a new Duke University-led study finds.
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Millennials do more renovating, but boomers hire more pros
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesMore than half of current homeowners plan to undertake one or more renovation, remodeling or repair projects this year. Most of those say they will spend as much or more than they did last year on home improvements. Those are among the top findings of two recent homeowner surveys, which indicate that remodeling activity will remain strong throughout the remainder of the year.
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Western wildfires spread apace with drought, rising temperatures
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalThe recent combination of heat, wind and low humidity has cultivated an intense, fire-prone climate in Colorado and California. From the Wyoming border to southern Colorado, there are dozens of active wildfires burning. However, the weather in Colorado lately has allowed for more success in containment efforts, meanwhile, California’s current heatwave makes it very difficult for firefighting conditions. Napa and Yolo counties are fighting the County Fire that has now grown to the size of Atlanta, and is only 48 percent contained.
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Understanding your design process, one step at a time
Susan Mulholland Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesThere are novice interior designers — ones who are just starting out in the field — and then there are novice clients — ones who have never worked with a professional interior designer until now. As with novice interior designers, novice interior design clients don’t usually understand how the design process works. These types of clients are not just limited to residential design. Commercial design has its share of novice clients as well. So, what are you supposed to do with these newbies? Educate them.
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