With all of the fast-paced hype that green building is receiving throughout the facility management and construction industry, it’s easy to overlook some elements that may not be right in front of a building manager’s nose.  

 Combine the economic recession with an unprecedented five generations in the workforce, and conditions exist for dramatic restructuring of office space.  

 In Pennsylvania, a commercial coin Laundromat not only had its rooftop solar hot water system installed at no cost, but also the facility’s hot water bills will be forever reduced. 

 There have been a number of surprising studies throughout the years regarding the amount of germs and bacteria that can be found on office desks, cell phones, and the sponges we use to wipe down counters and wash dishes.  

 Architects, designers and facility managers specifying green building products will benefit from the resources available through the BioPreferred program.   

 Twenty years ago, when engineers would finalize plans in preparation to build a major facility such as a large office building or industrial site, water was very low on the project’s list of concerns.  

 LEED professionals who want their knowledge to evolve with LEED should pursue a set of activities each year that is timely and diverse in both subject matter and delivery methods.  

 At the time I chose to become a LEED AP it was really the only professional credential available to me in Asia that was both internationally recognized and would demonstrate to clients and colleagues that I had more than a cursory understanding of green building issues. 

There was a fair amount of change this year for Coverings’ annual PROJECT: Green competition sponsored by EDC. 

Nirvana is an office space for an ad film production company. A film production firm that thinks out of the box, its films are a surprise — an unexplored humane perspective on a product. 

When it decided to “build” a new Phoenix Regional Office, DPR Construction, a national general contractor/construction manager, committed to a redeveloping Phoenix community. 

 It was great timing to have attended two healthcare-focused sustainability conferences this past month, the Symposium on Sustainability in Health Care (SSHC-12) and CleanMed.  

Government regulation and oversight is often looked at as cumbersome, bureaucratic and unnecessary. 

 Birdair Inc.’s ETFE, or ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, is a transparent film suitable for large- and medium-scale architectural projects.  

WaterFurnace introduces the 5 Series 502W12 high temperature hydronic heat pump.

 The CommercialComplete Wall Systems is designed to be a systemized wall approach that addresses energy efficiency and continuous insulation, air barrier, moisture resistance and fire performance for a variety of construction types — all with sustainable product attributes.  

 Available in almost any color and in sheens ranging from flat to semigloss, Mythic Pro is designed as a non-toxic, ultra-low odor, high-quality paint line formulated specifically for painting professionals.  

 The InLighten Light Shelf reportedly leverages minimal material content, sightlines, weight, installation and maintenance efforts, all while maximizing daylighting and design options at a competitive price.  

 A new design variation of the Dow-Knight CI-System continuous insulation rainscreen façades enables the overlap of panel cladding.  

 WoodTrac expands its ceiling system product offering with the addition of Class A panels for its suspended ceiling system. 

 MR Faced Batt insulation was specifically created to control moisture.  

 Armstrong Commercial Flooring launches STRIATIONS, its next generation of non-PVC, Biobased Tile (BBT), along with two new premium tiles, RAFFIA and CHROMASPIN, designed to offer benefits such as low maintenance and recycled content.  

 Ideal for high-profile applications such as furniture, cabinetry and fixtures, PureBond Classic Core panels are manufactured using voidless engineered MDF crossbands in combination with a veneer inner ply construction.  

The GE Tetra LED Lighting Systems family is designed to deliver superior light uniformity in shallow cabinet signs.

 Unearthed Paints’ new natural Hard Wax Oil finish is designed to be a durable surface treatment for wood, cork and stone in interior applications.  

 The Fluke 430 Series II three-phase power quality analyzers use an algorithm to measure energy waste and quantify its cost.