Higher Education has been a primary leader of environmental sustainability, specifically facilities decarbonization, for over two decades. Actual net-zero decarbonization of higher education facilities and campuses, however, is rare, even with over 20 years of environmental sustainability initiatives. This observation is not a critique of institutional commitments and successful construction of high-performance buildings. Rather, it [...]
Energy management. Utility optimization. Sustainablity Environmental stewardship. Green operations. Net Zero Energy. Carbon neutrality. These topics have been integrated into facilities management operations for more than 40 years, starting during the energy crisis of the 1970s. Facilities professionals should have a solid understanding of the context and outcomes of these topics, but most of the [...]
The International Energy Conservation Code (LECO/is the prevalent national model energy code for most American states and local jurisdictions. The ICC is part of the code suite managed by the International Code Council (IC), which also manages the recognizable model codes including the International Building Code (IBC), International Fire Code (IFC), International Mechanical Code (IMC), [...]
President Howard Taft once stated, “A system in which we may have an enforced rest from legislation for two years is not bad.” In an era of quickly evolving codes and legislation relating to environmental issues and building energy efficiency, a period of rest is well warranted. The speed of evolution is threatening to cost [...]
Facilities managers should all take notice of deliberate movement regarding the ASHRAE 90.1 energy code. In January of 2011, the 2010 version was published with minor publicity outside of ASHRAE and the Department of Energy (DOE). The most notable accomplishment of the latest publication is achieving approximately 27 percent more code prescribed energy efficiency relative [...]
Looking ahead 30 years, what will our buildings look like? Not in reference to architectural appearance, but in the context of energy consuming systems. A possible means of considering the future is to look back 30 years and review building science advancements. In 1981, large building HVAC systems were controlled with pneumatics and consisted of [...]
The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Accessibility Guideline (ADAAG) have been a familiar topic of educational facilities managers for two decades. In March of 2012, the requirements of ADAAG will be replaced with the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Although the updated ADA rules and content in the 2010 publication are [...]
Codes, standards, laws, and regulations largely dictate the planning, design, construction, and operations of the campus built environment. APPA has for many years recognized the significance of standards and codes, and the importance of providing a facilities management voice at the tables of standards development organizations (SDOs) such as the International Code Council (ICC), the [...]
The Montreal Protocol, finalized in 1987, was originally adopted for eliminating world- wide production and use of atmospheric ozone-depleting substances. It was successful in eliminating production of several chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) products commonly used in air-conditioning equipment. The success of CFC elimination can be seen in NASA’s data on both the ozone layer increasing and the [...]
Mankind often does not understand or perceive the significance of “in the moment” historic events, especially events that occur by chance or coincidence. The accidental discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming, the chance finding of the Dead Sea scrolls by a Bedouin shepherd searching for a stray sheep, and the adhesive “mistake” of 3M researcher [...]
