The First Facility Management Blog

Imagine having one of the biggest events in the history of your facility not hold up well to the forces of nature.

That’s what happened to the Qwest Center in Omaha, NE on Friday as it played host to the U.S. Swimming Trials.

Have you had any experiences with your facility not performing at its best when an important function was occurring on site? Please share your stories with us in the comment section or e-mail csafran@groupc.com

Photo by Omaha World Herald

Nine million tons of carbon dioxide. $600 million in energy costs.

That’s the potential savings represented by 100,000 copies in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series now in circulation. More than 88,000 of the publications have been obtained via free download since January.

The series includes publications on small retail and small office buildings, K-12 school buildings, and warehouses and self storage units. The books provide guidance on how to achieve 30% energy savings over building code minimum based on ANSI/ASHRAE/ IESNA Standard 90.1-1999.

Calculations show that if every guide downloaded resulted in a single building designed to save 30% beyond code minimum, the estimated energy and carbon savings would be 52 trillion btus and 9 million tons of carbon dioxide. With an average cost of electricity of 5 cents per kwh and gas at $7 per mmbtu, the estimated cost of energy savings is over $600 million.

The guides are developed by ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and the U.S. Green Building Council, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy. The downloads are available at www.ashrae.org/freeaedg.

“ASHRAE is committed to energy optimization and producing guidance that will help move the building industry toward market viable net zero energy and carbon neutral buildings,” ASHRAE President Kent Peterson, P.E., said. “The call for these high performing buildings is transforming our industry, and the guidance in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series is usable technology guidance to help owners, architects and engineers in accomplishing high-performing buildings.”

“This is proof positive that there are substantial economic benefits to green building strategies,” said AIA President Marshall E. Purnell, FAIA. “Hopefully this will help convince skeptics of the value and payback of green building design and that practitioners will take advantage of this excellent resource so that we can move closer to reaching our shared goal of carbon neutral buildings by 2030.”

“IES is pleased to part of the team developing these important guides, whose success demonstrates that collectively the collaborating organizations are raising awareness about how to achieve energy savings and developing a receptive audience for future guidance on net zero energy and carbon neutral buildings,” said Rita M. Harrold, IESNA director of technology.

“The green building movement offers an unprecedented opportunity to respond to the most important challenges of our time, including global climate change, dependence on non-sustainable and expensive sources of energy, and threats to human health,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “Working with ASHRAE, AIA, and IESNA on the Advanced Energy Design Guide series is part of a critical collaborative effort to provide the industry with the tools it needs to make an immediate and measurable impact.”

Upcoming publications in the series include 30% guidance books for highway lodging, existing buildings and small health care facilities.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), in cooperation with The Giant Panda Conservation Foundation (GPCF), has joined the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Zhou Wenzhong, in announcing a $165,000 donation to the China Wildlife Conservation Association to support panda conservation in the wake the earthquakes that occurred this past May.

“Accredited zoos are essential to the conservation of the giant panda,” said Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong. “We are grateful for this assistance and for the strong conservation partnership with zoos in the United States.”

The joint fundraising effort of AZA and GPCF will assist reconstruction efforts at panda conservation facilities in Wolong and Chenghdu after the devastating earthquakes in Sichuan Province where they are located. These facilities experienced significant damage and the staff has met with hardship, requiring urgent assistance to support their ability to care for the highly endangered giant panda population.

“I am proud that AZA members rose to the occasion to help our international partners recover,” said AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy. “We will continue to support China in this important mission.”

AZA-accredited institutions making significant contributions include: Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, San Diego Zoo, Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Zoo Atlanta, Memphis Zoo, Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens, Zoo New England, and Audubon Zoo.

Through research, education, and conservation efforts, AZA-accredited zoos have played a major role in the Giant Panda Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP is a program that develops population management and conservation plans for imperiled species in the care of accredited zoos and aquariums.

Procurement is the acquisition of goods and/or services at the best possible total cost of ownership, in the right quantity and quality, at the right time (as defined by Wikipedia.org). By establishing policies on Procurement Guidelines for its facilities’ needs, an organization increases the probability of acquiring goods and/or services that meet performance and other requirements, at the best (though not always lowest) possible price.

Through a survey, which is online now, TFM would like to hear from facility managers about how they use (or don’t use) procurement guidelines. We will include the results in the August 2008 issue.

To take the brief survey, please visit this link…

Thank you,
The TFM Editors

… And patrons welcome it by taking some photos with it and setting it up at the bar. (That was after taping the mouth and putting it in a box.) Luckily, this crocodile was only about two feet long, so it was fairly easy to contain.

This happened last Sunday at the Noonamah Tavern in Noonamah, Australia (population 483). Eventually wildlife officials came to pick the croc and brought it to a farm several miles away. It was thought that the reptile may have escaped from that farm in Darwin, and walked the distance to the tavern.

See one of the photos from the Associated Press…

Brian Walker will be a guest on the fifth and final episode in the series, “The Business of Innovation.” The episode will air this coming Monday, June 30, 2008, at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

As President and CEO of Herman Miller, Inc., Walker will discuss the company’s global business model and strategy for driving innovation within new and existing markets. The episode also will highlight some of the company’s products, as well as a number of Herman Miller’s West Michigan facilities.

Hosted by award-winning journalist Maria Bartiromo, the series explores a diverse range of topics and solutions to the question of innovation. In addition to Mr. Walker, guests for the final episode include:
• Nikesh Arora, President, EMEA Operations and Vice President, Google, Inc.
• Herb Kelleher , Co-Founder, Executive Chairman, Former CEO and President, Southwest Airlines
• Robert Carter, Chief Information Officer, FedEx
• Gary Rodkin, CEO, ConAgra Foods
• Carla Harris, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter
• Shane Robison, EVP, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, Hewlett Packard

In the wake of the devastation caused by recent, massive flooding across parts of the Midwest, GE Consumer & Industrial’s Electrical Distribution business has initiated an emergency response action plan to help restore power and provide needed electrical equipment throughout the affected region.

GE’s initiative calls for an immediate influx of resources to the areas most in need. Local GE representatives are helping distributor customers communicate with business end-users about damaged equipment and safety warnings. Various GE distributors are bringing in extra inventory to support relief efforts.

For concerned businesses and consumers, GE has compiled a collection of important safety and contact information at www.geelectrical.com/emergencyresponse. The site offers tips on the evaluation and handling of water-damaged electrical equipment as well as links to applicable National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Web site content and Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines.

GE’s customer support and emergency call team is available to any affected citizen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-GE-1-STOP (431-7867).

The GE Foundation has also announced it will be donating $250,000 to the American Red Cross in support of the relief efforts. In addition, a number of GE representatives have traveled to the region to assist with electrical equipment damage assessments and other disaster relief efforts.

Universal Services of America (USA), a full range of building services including janitorial, maintenance, and security, re-opened its janitorial division—Universal Building Maintenance. This division was originally started back in 1965 and operated in southern California successfully for approximately 25 years. The addition of building maintenance makes Universal Services of America one of the largest, full service facility service companies, which includes the operation of security firms Universal Protection Service (UPS), UPS Security Systems, and UPS Fire/Life Safety Services.

Brian Cescolini and Steve Jones, the owners of Universal Protection Service have partnered with Mark Olivas, the former managing director for the western region for One Source Building Services to re-open Universal Building Maintenance.

“With the recent consolidation of the two largest janitorial firms in the US,” said Cescolini, president and chief executive officer of Universal Services of America. “We spoke with our clients and they welcomed a better option.”

Steve Jones, CEO of Universal Services of America is committed to “building the perfect company from the ground up, one that is focused on the customer and its people.”

“I have admired Universal Protection Service for the last 10 years and I feel that no other company really understands the customer like Universal Protection Service, ” said Mark Olivas, president of Universal Building Maintenance. “My goal is to use their customer service philosophy, their resources, and their technology to build an unmatched janitorial firm. I love that we are not trying to change a culture but instead we get to create it from the ground up.

“Universal Building Maintenance will become in the janitorial industry what Universal Protection Service is in the security industry, a highly flexible and innovative customer focused organization,” Olivas continued.

Universal Building Maintenance will have offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego to start and will expand when the opportunities present themselves. Universal Protection Service offers security solutions the Denver area from its office located in Aurora, CO and provides services to the Denver branch of CB Richard Ellis, based in the Denver Technological Center.

The 40th annual NeoCon World’s Trade Fair, North America’s largest conference and exhibition for interior design and facilities management at The Merchandise Mart Chicago, attracted approximately 50,500 attendees from around the world. However, this represented a 4% dip from the previous year’s show.

“This year’s NeoCon proved that the furniture industry is strong and is investing heavily in new product introductions,” said Mark Falanga, senior vice president, Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI). “With only a slight dip, NeoCon’s attendance was still up 15% from 2005, which is very impressive. With more than 1,200 exhibitors and 352 Best of NeoConNeoCon has remained the show for the industry.”

Leaders from throughout the contract industry commented on NeoCon 2008, hosted from June 9-11:

“Our industry has seen an amazing amount of change in the four decades since the first NeoCon fair. NeoCon and The Merchandise Mart have provided a stable anchor in the midst of this change, ” said Jim Hackett, President and CEO of Steelcase.

“NeoCon has played a vital role in the evolution of the workplace and the growth of our industry. Herman Miller’s Action Office was publicly introduced at that first NeoCon, and the years since have proven the event continues to be North America’s premier showcase for innovative, problem solving design, ” offered Brian Walker, CEO of Herman Miller.

“Traffic is very strong this year. We’ve had a terrific response from buyers and sellers,” commented Peter Brunelle, President and CEO of Inscape.

In addition to the showroom, NeoCon assembles groups of industry experts, leaders, and innovators to provide insight into different areas to keep attendees on the cutting edge of their industries. This year’s line up of keynote speakers included: Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics; Robert F. Kennedy Jr., environmentalist and author of the New York Times bestseller Crimes Against Nature; and Scott Wilson, former Global Creative Director at Nike and Design Director at Motorola.

Next year’s NeoCon World’s Trade Fair will be held June 15-17, 2009, at The Merchandise Mart.

A Cambridge Architectural Parkade™ metal fabric application functions as a cost-effective exterior cladding solution with dramatic visual appeal at the new Home Depot store in Jersey City, NJ.

The well known retailer stands at the edge of the booming town at the base of the Holland Tunnel where over 100,000 cars pass daily. This prominent location led to the desire for a visually appealing, yet durable and cost effective exterior cladding material to wrap the store’s adjacent two story, 600 space parking facility.

A Parkade metal fabric treatment from Cambridge Architectural offered a solution, integrating well with other building materials used on the structure, while at the same time offering a distinctive look. Approximately 14,700 square feet of woven metal fabric was used to create the Parkade system, which lends modern, contemporary visual appeal to the parking facility.

“We specified architectural mesh because we wanted to mask the parking garage and improve ventilation”, says Joshua Burdick, President, SBLM Architects.

“Cambridge’s ability to work within tight deadlines, as with the Home Depot garage, which needed to be ready for the store’s grand opening, made Cambridge Parkade metal fabric solutions a practical choice,” explains Heather Collins, director of marketing for Cambridge Architectural. “Freedom from requiring embedded supports means Cambridge Parkade mesh applications can dramatically cut down on project costs, making woven metal fabric an attractive yet affordable cladding option.”

The Parkade system was created with Cambridge’s mid-balance metal fabric pattern and attached in tension with Eclipse™ attachment hardware. Mid-balance features large scaled, flexible open weaves that shade and screen structures including facades, parking garages, and pavilions.

With the Eclipse tension attachment hardware, tailored edges of mesh are provided for expanses of flexible metal fabric in tension. Custom cut apertures receive the metal fabric ends in tubing that is integrated into a bracket and structural support design. Tube sizes may vary to emphasize or de-emphasize the attachment. The hardware is appropriate for lengths of metal fabric held in tension up to 100 feet.

Cambridge maintains a fully staffed engineering department to assist with design-build questions, installation details, framing design, and load characteristics, and is also available for on site installation supervision.