The First Facility Management Blog

The International Facility Management Association has announced its 2009-2010 executive committee and board of directors, which began their terms July 1. Thomas L. Mitchell Jr., CFM, CFMJ, will serve as the new chair of the association’s board of directors, succeeding John McGee, MBA.

Mitchell retired from active duty service in the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in 2008, after more than 20 years of leading and managing programs that directed the development, acquisition, sustainment, and protection of facilities at military installations throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He joined the management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, where he works with managers, consultants and clients to develop vision, strategies and solutions that shape, improve and optimize the built environment.

Rounding out IFMA’s new executive committee are Francis J. Kuhn, CFM, CFMJ, vice president of facilities and administration for Western Corporate Federal Credit Union, and William A. Rodgers Jr., president and CEO of GoodCents. Kuhn and Rodgers will serve as the association’s first and second vice chairs, respectively.

“I’m extremely pleased to have this opportunity to work with Francis Kuhn and Bill Rodgers as we take the first steps toward turning the IFMA 20/20 vision developed under John McGee’s leadership into reality. They are tremendous leaders in their respective fields and possess an enduring passion for advancing our profession,” said Mitchell. “It’s an honor to be a part of this dynamic team committed to serving the needs of our stakeholders and positioning our association to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by the increased demand for facility professionals and solutions across the globe.”

The new members of IFMA’s 2009-2010 board of directors are:

• William T. Conley, CFM, CFMJ, LEED AP, IFMA Fellow, managing director of Pacific Building Care;
• Howard K. Fisher, CFM, CFMJ, senior manager of facilities services at SAS; and
• Rodney M. Stevens, CFM, AIA, LEED AP, IFMA Fellow, architect/facility information manager at Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont Business.

They join existing board members José García Cuartero, MIM, managing director of Grupo Cador; Marc S. Liciardello, CFM, MBA, CM, vice president of corporate services at ARAMARK; Helena Ohlsson, CFM, MScA DIPL FM, global facility manager for IKEA Services AB; Paul A. Ratkovic, CFM, FMP, consultant for Agile Oak; and Kathy Roper, CFM, CFMJ, LEED AP, IFMA Fellow, associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Building Construction Program.

It goes without saying that a facility manager wants to make his or her venue an attractive place. Along with square footage, technical hardware, security, lighting, staffing, access, and all the other factors that convey an organization’s image and capabilities, visual aesthetics provide the “finishing touch.” And, artwork is often the tool called upon to seal the deal.

Posters in the List program feature the Lincoln Center legend at the bottom. Seen here is Jennifer Bartlett’s 1996 "Earth Fireworks".

While most people are familiar with Lincoln Center in New York City as a world-class performing arts facility, few realize that it also has a visual arts side. Through its List Art Poster & Print program, Lincoln Center is a source of quality, inexpensive images that facility managers can purchase to elevate the décor in their organizations. The List Poster & Print program is a catalog of artwork by big name artists ranging from Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein to Chuck Close and Richard Serra.

The List Art Poster & Print Program was established in 1962 by Albert and Vera List, major art collectors who were instrumental in broadening the scope of Lincoln Center to include the visual arts. Their aim in creating the program was not only to make contemporary art available to the public, but also to ensure that the artwork created for Lincoln Center is of the highest quality.

"Empire" (2008) by Robert Cottingham is shown here in print version.

Nearly 50 years later, the collection consists of prints commissioned by Lincoln Center from prominent artists including James Rosenquist, Joel Shapiro, Julian Schnabel, and Jennifer Bartlett, and many others. The works commemorate Lincoln Center presentations such as Great Performers and Mostly Mozart, and special events such as the opening of the Metropolitan Opera.

Figuring Art Into A Facility
Tom Lollar, Lincoln Center’s visual arts director, recently told TFM’s FacilityBlog more about the List Program, with a focus on how its offerings can meet the needs of facility managers who are looking for distinctive artwork for their buildings.

He explained, “We have a history of selling prints to law firms, and some years ago to the AON Insurance Company at the World Trade Center. AON was interested in the high quality, colorful imagery of diverse subjects. One of the vice presidents there suggested that they decorate with our prints.”

A print version of "Down In The Valley," by Wolf Kahn (2006).

“I don’t think that many facilities know about our offerings and how works of art by noted American artists can be purchased for office decoration at very low prices. We are seeking to expand our print and poster offerings to new marketplaces—in addition to our art collecting audience. The scale, affordability, and stature of the artists who have created prints and posters for Lincoln Center make them appealing. They represent the brilliance of American creativity and can communicate visually the importance of a pleasant work environment, and studies show that this enhances the employee performance.”

“Discounts are offered on quantity orders, and we also have an arrangement with the Wade Maxx Art Framers in Manhattan where custom framing is offered at a discount.”

TFM: The images available through the List Program are available with or without the Lincoln Center legend along the bottom of the image (poster versus a more costly print). In addition, do images come in a few different dimensions? Does it depend on the specific image?

Helen Frankenthaler's "Aerie" (2009) celebrates Lincoln Center's 50th Anniversary.

Lollar: Yes, the posters carry the Lincoln Center legend, and the print is the original art for the posters. Both are in limited editions, and each edition varies in size, depending on the image. The prints and posters are never reprinted and have a history of handsome appreciation in value.

TFM: There are currently more than 80 images in the List Program. How often are new images added to the collection?

Lollar: We usually add four new prints and posters per year. This year—Lincoln Center’s 50th Anniversary year—we are celebrating by releasing eight new works.

(Images courtesy of Lincoln Center)

Italy is known for its distinct sense of design. Furniture manufacturer Tagliabue, founded in 1879, has introduced it Emmemobili collection, which is an excellent example of this unusual design sensibility.

The Emmemobili collection offers custom furniture solutions for businesses in the form of shaped, multi-layer woods in one of a kind products. In particular, “Evolution” (pictured below) was made to be recognized and handed down. So what is it?

Described as “a unique, precious masterpiece, Evolution (designed by Ferruccio Laviani) is characterized by the combination of the hand-carved solid oak (natural or tinted) with the contrast of contemporary style. The look is enriched by handles in burnished brass.”

Ok, so let’s see it from another angle…

Nope, I still don’t get it. Maybe this angle will help….

OH, I get it now… (no I don’t)…but I’m sure it’s beautiful, whatever it is.

The 12th annual TFM Show crossed the finish line in Indianapolis last month. Exhibitors and attendees of the show, which was co-located with CONSTRUCT2009, cheered the success of the commercial building industry event. Held at the Indiana Convention Center June 16-19, 2009, in conjunction with CSI’s 53rd Annual Convention, the newly, co-located event offered hundreds of exhibits, two accredited education programs, CSI meetings and events, expanded networking, technical tours, social events and a student competition.

The TFM Show program offered 24 accredited classes designed specifically for facility management professionals. The in-depth education programs focused on the latest techniques, technology, industry solutions trends, and best practices. Session attendance exceeded 100 for classes such as “Green Specs/LEED Specs” taught by Mark Kalin, FAIA, FCSI, CCS, LEED of Kalin Associates, Newton, MA. Additional sustainability and green topics were also heavily attended throughout the week.

Wednesday’s General Session drew a crowd of nearly 1,000 who wanted to hear keynote speaker, Mark Mulqueen, International Space Station Vehicle Director, speak about designing, building, and operating in space with zero gravity. “The entire station is an experiment in collaboration and cooperation,” tweeted Vivian Volz, RA, CST, CCS, LEED AP. “Great keynote presentation!”

The International Space Station contains living spaces approximately the size of a five bedroom home.

The total number of attendees was down slightly under 12% from 2008. Still, overall attendee and exhibitor satisfaction was up. “Despite the economy, the attitude at CONSTRUCT2009 is optimistic,” reported Michael Chusid, RA, FCSI, CCS, SCIP on Twitter. In an article on USGNN.com, Chris Holmes of PPG Industries Inc. stated “We are just getting started, but we are having some quality contacts coming through.” And, DORMA’s Troy Pavy seemed confident the show would be a good one despite the state of the economy.

Social networking sites and blogs on the internet carried the success stories of many exhibitors including the Carpet and Rug Institute Blog. The post titled, “CONSTRUCT2009/TFM Show: Building Relationships in Indianapolis”, included, “For me, it was a very busy show.”

Other exhibitors conveyed an upbeat attitude. “The CONSTRUCT/TFM show has consistently been one of our best trade shows for quality leads,” said Evan Bane, CSI, CDT of InPro Corporation. “Even in what’s been a tough economy for construction-related expos, this year’s show in Indy proved to be an excellent opportunity for us.” And, Jeff Mentor, VP at McKeon Door responded, “As a manufacturer of specialty doors maintaining a solid position in the specification community has been a must—McKeon has always been and will always be an ardent supporter and believer in CONSTRUCT. As a testament to this commitment we have doubled booth space for 2010—there simply is no better way to get in front of decision makers and key designers.”

Nearly 300 exhibitors were on the event floor. A sampling of this group: Ameristar Fence Products; BASF Corporation; Benjamin Moore Paints; The Blue Book; Carlisle SynTec, Inc.; D.C. Taylor Co.; Dow Roofing Systems; DuPont Building Innovations; E-Mon; Excel Dryer, Inc.; Firestone Building Products; Forbo Flooring Systems; Georgia Pacific Corp; Innerface Architectural Signage, Inc.; Kwalu; Owens Corning LLC; PPG Industries Inc.; Pratt & Lambert Paints; Seesmart LED; Sherwin-Williams; Specified Technologies, Inc; The Watt Stopper, Inc.; Wooster Products, Inc.; and World Dryer Corp. (For a full list, see TFM’s June 2009 coverage of the show.)

More than 3,300 industry professionals registered to attend the four-day event, with the majority of attendees representing architects, specifiers, owners/CEOs/presidents, and facility managers.

Hanley-Wood, the event owner, have announced that CONSTRUCT2010 and The TFM Show will be held May 11-14, 2010 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA, in conjunction with the 54th CSI Annual Convention.

Workplace professionals from around the world will meet in Orlando, Fla., to analyze the trends and new products impacting today’s built environment during the International Facility Management Association’s World Workplace 2009 Conference & Expo, Oct. 7-9 at the Orange County Convention Center.

Recognized as the world’s premier educational and networking conference for facility managers and those in related fields, World Workplace brings industry leaders from the world’s top business and government organizations together with educators and exhibitors to focus on the future of the work environment. Now in its 30th year, the conference will feature more than 75 educational sessions and new product demonstrations by manufacturers from around the globe.

“World Workplace is regarded as the single most informative facility-related event in our industry for good reason — it’s the ‘one-stop shop’ for the solutions facility professionals need today in preparation to meet the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow,” said Thomas L. Mitchell Jr., CFM, CFMJ, incoming chairman of the IFMA board of directors. “It’s more than just a conference and expo providing education, new products and services, and peer networking. It’s a professionally and personally rewarding experience, and holding it in the ‘land of entertainment’ this year will enhance what will already be a memorable event.”

In a year when many people are focusing on less, World Workplace is offering attendees more. This year’s conference will feature an opening keynote presentation from Andrew Winston — esteemed author, speaker and globally recognized expert on green business — as well as presentations from four concurrent power speakers, who will replace the conference’s traditional closing keynote session.

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, Winston will deliver the presentation “Green Recovery: Get Lean, Get Smart and Emerge from the Downturn on Top,” based on his upcoming book. He will make the case that going green — especially during an economic slowdown — saves money to help you survive, drives innovation to create value for the long run and represents a fundamentally new and better way of doing business.

The conference will also offer attendees a glimpse into the future of the workplace, as they get the first look at the new products and services debuting in 2010. The World Workplace expo floor will feature more than 200 exhibiting companies — including 3M, ARAMARK, IBM, Lowe’s and UGL Unicco — and will be freely open to the public this year. Additionally, expo hours have been extended, giving exhibitors and attendees 11 dedicated hours of interaction on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 7-8.

Another highlight of the World Workplace 2009 expo will be the Green Zone, an exclusive section of the expo floor reserved for those companies offering environmentally friendly products and services. More than 75 exhibitors will be featured in the Green Zone this year, including organizations such as the Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments and the U.S. Department of State, as well as companies including AT&T, CORT, Kimball Office and Kohler.

Complementing the expo will be World Workplace 2009 educational sessions. Organized into eight different tracks, these sessions offer facility professionals the continuing education courses they need to meet the challenges posed by today’s workplace. Session topics include strategies for greening the office, the impact of new legislation on sustainable building design, and how to deal with workplace violence and natural disasters. Representatives from AOL, Duke University, and the U.S. Air Force and General Services Administration, among others, will present. World Workplace educational sessions will be held on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 8-9.

Conference attendees can add to their Orlando experience by attending any of six different facility tours throughout the city. Among the facilities open for touring will be the Walt Disney World® Resort, Lockheed Martin, Darden Restaurants corporate headquarters and JetBlue University. Facility tours will be held before the conference begins, on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 5-6.

Following in the tradition of previous conferences, this year’s event has again received Cleaner & Greener® certification from Leonardo Academy, a non-profit environmental consulting group. Organizations seeking Cleaner & Greener certification make a commitment to gather emission reductions, offsetting the emissions caused by events.

Early registration for World Workplace 2009 is available through July 17. To learn more about the conference or to register, visit www.worldworkplace.org. Members of the media may register at no cost here.

IFMA’s World Workplace Conference & Expo is an annual three-day educational and networking event focused on the future of the built environment. Building on the professional development opportunities available through the association year-round, the World Workplace experience includes a conference focused entirely on education and an exposition incorporating product demonstration and instruction. This year’s conference will be held Oct. 7-9, 2009, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit www.worldworkplace.org. To join and follow IFMA’s social media outlets online, visit the conference’s NETworkplace page.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), which just passed the House in a close vote, is being seen by many energy and environmental advocates as an important step forward towards the comprehensive approach needed to reduce climate emissions and increase clean energy usage in the United States. As the Senate takes up its version of this legislation, Senators are being urged to build on the work of the House and strengthen the legislation to create accelerated reductions in carbon emissions, a faster phase out of dirty coal plants, and greater funding of clean energy sources.

The ACES bill, the first climate change bill to reach the Congress, includes the following key elements:

• Clean energy: promoting renewable energy, low-carbon transportation fuels, electric vehicles, and the smart grid and electricity transmission;
• Energy efficiency: increasing energy efficiency across all sectors: buildings, appliances, transportation, and industry;
• Global warming targets: placing limits on emissions of heat-trapping pollutants with a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050;
• Economic transitioning: protecting U.S. consumers, and promoting green jobs during the transition to a clean green economy.

Climate change legislation may also include a new lighting standard. Liz Sidoti of the AP reports:

Aiming to keep the focus on climate change legislation, President Barack Obama put a plug in for administration efforts to make lamps and lighting equipment use less energy.

“I know light bulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7% of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and businesses,” the president said, standing alongside Energy Secretary Steven Chu at the White House.

Obama said the new efficiency standards he was announcing for lamps would result in substantial savings between 2012 and 2042, saving consumers up to $4 billion annually, conserving enough energy to power every U.S. home for 10 months, reducing emissions equal to the amount produced by 166 million cars a year, and eliminating the need for as many as 14 coal-fired power plants.

The president also said he was speeding the delivery of $346 million in economic stimulus money to help improve energy efficiency in new and existing commercial buildings.

Green America (formerly Co-op America), a nonprofit consumer and business membership organization founded in 1982, is encouraging the Senate to strengthen the bill through:

• Greater funding and a faster timetable for a transition to clean energy sources, particularly solar and wind, which will reduce carbon emissions and increase green jobs.
• Retention or expansion of the EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act to clean up dirty coal plants.
• Reduction of allocations for polluting companies. Polluters need to pay for their pollution in order to fund increased investment in clean energy and green jobs.
• Establishment of greenhouse gas emissions caps that achieve a 25% reduction below 2005 levels by the year 2020.
• Nuclear power needs to be excluded as a clean energy source. Nuclear power is low-carbon, but with environmentally damaging uranium mining radioactive waste, proliferation potential and safety hazards, it is not clean energy.

“The world needs real U.S. climate leadership. ACES is a start, but we have a long way to go for legislation that addresses the scale and scope of the climate crisis,” states Todd Larsen, Green America’s director of corporate responsibility. “We look to the Senate to really step up to the plate. The future of our economy and our society hangs in the balance.”

House passage of ACES is seen by many as the first step toward building U.S. political will to address climate change. Strong U.S. action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to invest in renewable energy will be crucial to the global movement addressing climate change and to the success of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December of this year.

Armstrong Ceilings has introduced DC FlexZone, a ceiling grid system with the ability to distribute safe, low voltage direct current (DC) power to lighting fixtures, sensors, and other electrical devices in a ceiling.

The new grid system is designed to improve the flexibility and reuse of interior spaces by enabling faster and easier repurposing and reconfigurations to satisfy the changing needs of the occupants without the need to rewire. By providing “plug and play” modularity, DC FlexZone simplifies the management and control of lighting and other devices normally found in the ceilings of commercial buildings.

It can also contribute to the energy efficiency of buildings by enabling the use of more energy efficient devices and controls. For example, the DC FlexZone grid system can help accelerate the use of DC-based light emitting diode (LED) and other solid-state lighting devices. Additionally, the distribution of DC power directly through interior infrastructures such as ceilings can be a key component in systems that make more efficient use of on-site, DC-based renewable energy sources, such as solar.

Available in two Armstrong grid designs (Suprafine® T-bar and Silhouette® bolt-slot) the new system’s DC main beams with integrated electrical conductors are used with 9/16″ tegular ceilings and available in four different lengths.

Note: Armstrong is a founding member of the EMerge Alliance, an open, not-for-profit industry association launched in 2008 to create a new standard for the rapid adoption of safe, low-voltage DC power distribution and use in commercial building interiors. The EMerge standard will integrate interior infrastructures (like ceilings, furniture or walls), power, controls and peripheral devices, such as lighting, in a common platform. The standard will be released this summer, with EMerge-registered products from member companies expected to be available later this year.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded contracts with a shared capacity of $650 million to eight contractors who will perform utility monitoring and control systems work in federal facilities throughout the continental U.S. and overseas. These contracts are for the procurement and installation of utility monitoring and control systems; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to include chiller/boiler systems installation and/or integration, supervisory control and data acquisition systems; and other automated control systems including fire alarm and life safety systems, chemical/biological/radiological contaminant detection/filtration/response, utilities (electric/gas/water/steam) metering; Electronic Security Systems; and security and/or force protection measures worldwide.

The USACE has contracted with eight service providers for energy and technology upgrades.

The total capacity of these contracts is $650 million, with shared capacity among eight contractors:

Ameresco, Inc., Framingham, MA

Honeywell Products, Inc., Austin, TX

Johnson Controls Building Automation, Huntsville, AL

Siemens Government Services, Inc., Reston, VA

TAC Americas, Carrollton, TX

Teng & Associates, Inc., Chicago, IL

Trane U.S. Inc., La Crosse, WI

Williams Electric Company, Inc., Fort Walton Beach, FL.

The multiple award task order indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity service contracts have a three-year base period and one optional two-year period for a total of five years. The Huntsville Center solicited this acquisition on a competitive basis.

“The Army Corps of Engineers is focused on continuous process improvement, and this program creates a standard procurement vehicle for boosting safety and comfort for employees and citizens, and reducing operating costs at facilities,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions of his company’s part in the project. “We have the technology, experience and footprint to help meet these goals.”

Honeywell also recently received similar contracts from the DOE and Army Corps of Engineers for programs that could provide nearly $6 billion of energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation improvements in government buildings combined.

Earlier this month, Tyson Foods Inc. was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Arkansas to pay the maximum fine for willfully violating worker safety regulations that led to a worker’s death in its River Valley Animal Foods (RVAF) plant in Texarkana, AR, the Justice Department announced. The court ordered Tyson Foods to pay the $500,000, the maximum criminal fine as well as serve one year probation. [See the original FacilityBlog post on this article from 1/7/09.]

According to the court documents filed in the case, Tyson operated several RVAF plants that recycled poultry products into protein and fats for the animal food industry. As part of the rendering process in four of the plants, the company used high-pressure steam processors called hydrolyzers to convert the poultry feather into feather meal.

Decomposition of biological material such as poultry feathers produces hydrogen sulfide gas, an acute-acting toxic substance. Employees at the Tyson facilities often were exposed to the toxic gas when working on or near the hydrolyzers, which required frequent adjustment and replacement.

As of October 2003, corporate safety and regional management were aware that hydrogen sulfide gas was present in the RVAF facilities and three of the four facilities with hydrolyzers had taken measures to protect employees from hydrogen sulfide gas near the hydrolyzers. However, Tyson Foods did not take sufficient steps to implement controls or protective equipment to reduce exposure within prescribed limits or provide effective training to employees on hydrogen sulfide gas at the Texarkana facility despite an identical exposure, resulting in hydrogen sulfide poisoning of an RVAF Texarkana employee in March 2002.

As a result, at approximately 1 a.m. on Oct. 10, 2003, RVAF maintenance employee Jason Kelley was overcome with hydrogen sulfide gas while repairing a leak from a hydrolyzer and later died. Another employee and two emergency responders were hospitalized due to exposure during the rescue attempt. Two employees also were treated at the scene.

“Federal laws require employers to undertake steps that limit exposure to dangerous substances like the gas that killed Jason Kelley. Today, Tyson Foods is paying the maximum fine for failing to abide by these laws,” said John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The Justice Department takes its enforcement responsibility seriously and companies that ignore these laws and risk their employees’ lives will be prosecuted.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requires that employers furnish places of employment free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees. This includes taking steps to ensure that employee exposure to dangerous substances such as hydrogen sulfide gas remains within prescribed limits.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Labor and prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas under the Environmental Crimes Section’s worker endangerment initiative.

Outgoing students from Sutton Grammar School went to new lengths to pull off a rude, but imaginative joke. The joke, which was unspotted for years, proved to be an amusing exercise in engineering and spelling, but unfortunately, it was for dubious purposes. It was recently discovered by Google Earth.

TransWorldNews reports:

Several students used bricks to spell out the word “C**K” on the school’s roof. The prank went unnoticed for years until it was spotted on Google Earth. The head of the Surrey school, Gordon Ironside, is having the bricks removed.

“It was a light-hearted act. But I’d prefer it wasn’t there - or if it wasn’t rude,” Ironside says.

 

On a personal note, my son graduated from high school this week, and of course, his class couldn’t resist its own parting prank. Apparently, members of the Ocean Township High School Class of 2009 thought it would be amusing to rearrange the library…not the furniture, but the books. Fiction was swapped with non-fiction, and Dewey Decimal organizational systems were tossed aside. Fingers crossed that my offspring took no part in this prank. Innocent until proven guilty, right? Note to facility managers in education: make sure you have CCTV in your libraries! When compared to the Sutton Grammar School, this sounds tame (but it will probably take much more time to undo).

This Friday Funny was provided by Mike Christian.