How to decarbonize concrete and build a better future

How to decarbonize concrete and build a better future

  Concrete is the most-consumed human-made resource on Earth, and the 14 billion cubic meters produced every year are projected to climb to 20 billion cubic meters by 2050, as human societies urbanize and demand for infrastructure grows. From bridges and hospitals to apartment blocks, offices and schools, concrete structures connect communities and shelter us…

Controlling Humidity in Your Facility: A Year-Round Problem

Controlling Humidity in Your Facility: A Year-Round Problem

While some might think humidity is only a problem in the summer, the wrong amount of humidity in a facility can be an issue year-round. Facilities professionals should therefore ensure their facilities have the correct amount of humidity not just for the comfort of their occupants but also to avoid damage to the building and…

How designing a climate justice course challenged my binary thinking as a sustainability professional

How designing a climate justice course challenged my binary thinking as a sustainability professional

  At the beginning of the fall semester, I asked my students to define sustainability. Many used terms and phrases related to addressing climate risks, adopting ESG reporting and framework practices, engaging with communities, using a circular economy model and so forth. Then I asked them if they thought climate justice, Indigenous reconciliation, environmental racism…

Why Facility Managers Can’t Ignore Commissioning Anymore

Why Facility Managers Can’t Ignore Commissioning Anymore

The one downside to buildings becoming more sophisticated is that more can go wrong. This is an issue with which facility managers are well familiar: The more points of possible failure, the greater odds failure will occur. Thankfully, though, with that digital sophistication has come better fault detection and diagnostics, actively alerting facility managers when…