JLL turns Virginia office park buildings into education hub

The real estate services firm partnered with Fairfax County Public Schools to navigate challenges of space expansion and budget constraints. 

By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 7, 2023

Office demand expected to remain stable: VTS

National demand is about half of pre-pandemic levels, where it is likely to remain due to sticky interest rates and work-from-home behaviors.

By Joe Burns • Nov. 6, 2023

JLL Work Dynamics expands margins, offsets leasing declines in Q3

The company said a continued ramp-up of Fortune 100 contracts and the expansion of its Americas property management portfolio softened the impact of dampened leasing volume.

By Joe Burns • Nov. 3, 2023

Halloween is over, but “ghosting” still affects office utilization

A VergeSense report found that 11.3% of booked meeting rooms are unused, leaving collaborative spaces unavailable to other employees. 

By Joe Burns • Nov. 2, 2023

ASHRAE releases new guide on how grid interactivity can accelerate decarbonization

The guide offers best practices and considerations for carbon emissions reduction, energy usage optimization and operational cost savings, the organization says.

By Joe Burns • Nov. 2, 2023

GAO urges OMB to set benchmarks for federal office space utilization

The Government Accountability Office report suggests that the Office of Management and Budget prioritize consistent measures that better align space with future needs.

By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 1, 2023

Cushman & Wakefield’s property, facilities and project management segment remains flat

While services outperformed other business segments in Q3, the company still isn’t “satisfied with the low level of growth,” CEO Michelle MacKay said.

By Joe Burns • Nov. 1, 2023

Higher prices for hard services contracts expected to linger: CBRE

Competition for labor will keep electric, plumbing and HVAC service contract costs elevated compared with those for soft services, the report states.    

By Joe Burns • Oct. 31, 2023

Schneider Electric predicts strong Q4 due to robust demand

A continued focus on electrification, digitization and sustainability projects will bolster market demand for data centers and grid infrastructure, the company says.

By Joe Burns • Oct. 30, 2023

Honeywell Building Technologies continues to grow order volume, expand margins

CFO Greg Lewis said that HBT remains “a bright spot for the business,” with orders growing 20% year over year, despite soft demand for security products and a challenging operating environment.

By Joe Burns • Oct. 27, 2023

Billions in deferred maintenance projects coming to US facilities

A nationwide push to address delayed upkeep on public buildings and infrastructure will create myriad opportunities for contractors, according to a consultant.

By Mary Scott Nabers • Oct. 26, 2023

Fed warns of stability risk from $24T commercial real estate market

Prices for commercial properties slumped 3.9% from the second quarter of last year to Q2 2023, well below the 3.3% average annual growth beginning in 1997.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 25, 2023

Debate swirls at NYC hearing on proposed delays to building emissions enforcement

Participants weighed in on whether “good-faith efforts” toward compliance should delay penalties and whether renewable energy credits provide a worrisome loophole.

By Joe Burns • Updated Oct. 30, 2023

Rhizome launches climate resilience planning technology

The startup says its platform draws on national lab research, building information and machine learning tools to place “a value of resilience” on proposed grid investments.

By Joe Burns • Oct. 24, 2023

Microsoft leans on PPAs, energy efficiency, water recycling in environmental efforts

“Ensuring our buildings are energy efficient is a key first step in reducing emissions,” the tech giant said in its 2022 Environmental Report.

By Joe Burns • Oct. 23, 2023

Heat pumps are hot, but commercial retrofits face cold realities

Government decarbonization strategies call for widespread deployment of heat pumps for building heating and cooling, but experts warn of retrofit costs, disruption and other concerns.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 20, 2023

HqO raises $50M in push to digitize real estate experiences

The funding includes investment from multiple real estate firms and comes as owners and operators attempt to meet tenant demands and a flight to quality in workplaces.

By Joe Burns • Oct. 19, 2023

How facilities managers can transition away from fossil fuels

Building decarbonization is a marathon, not a sprint, and requires forward planning starting now, says Dan Arant, manager of North America sales at the energy and ESG division of Brightly.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 19, 2023

Utility, charging company battle over EV fast chargers slows deployment amid massive needs

State and federal policies are driving utilities and EV charger providers to transform U.S. transportation. They have found common ground in some areas but cannot agree on the utility role in fast-charging deployment.

By Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 18, 2023

Clockworks Analytics acquires digital twin assets from Animated Insights

Animated Insights Chief Technology Officer Howard Davidson will join Clockworks to help integrate the technology into its fault detection and diagnostic platform.

By Joe Burns • Oct. 18, 2023

NineDot Energy signs Starbucks as anchor customer for NYC community battery storage

The batteries are part of New York's Value of Distributed Energy Resources program, which gives participants credits for discharging energy during times of high grid demand.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 18, 2023

Washington, DC, aims to attract sustainable office-to-multifamily conversions

While the pace of adaptive reuse projects has slowed, the city is offering incentives to bring more housing to the urban core.

By Mary Salmonsen • Oct. 17, 2023

GSA issues RFI for Green Proving Ground program

A $30 million funding bump will help the agency evaluate new technologies meant to improve the sustainability and efficiency of its buildings.

By Joe Burns • Oct. 17, 2023

How Google is decarbonizing its facilities

Smart temperature and lighting controls, power purchase agreements and building electrification are all being used by the tech giant to reduce scope 2 emissions.

By Joe Burns • Oct. 16, 2023

Bedrock Energy raises $8.5M for autonomous geothermal HVAC technology

The company says it uses autonomous drilling and advanced subsurface modeling to help property owners recoup their decarbonization investments in under five years.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 16, 2023