Webinar to Address Hidden Risks of Green Buildings

David Odom and George DuBose of Liberty Building Forensics Group will conduct the webinar, “Hidden Risks of Green Buildings: Why Certain Green Approaches are Risky and How to Avoid Them” on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Any Certified Plant Engineer, Certified Plant Maintenance Manager or Certified Plant Supervisor who participates can earn 0.1 credit toward recertification. Other upcoming webinars are: “Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pumps Can Reduce Energy Costs” on November 5, “Mold in Ductwork” on November 12, “Roadmap to Green: A Guide for Achieving Sustainable Buildings” on January 13 and “The Top 10 Parasites of Your Compressed Air System” on February 18. To register or get more information, click here . Remember: Each live, interactive session is FREE to AFE members. Non-members are welcome; their cost is $99. More

"Bright" Green Buildings Provide Significant Return on Investment

The Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) announced today the release of a comprehensive report on "bright" green buildings. "Bright" green buildings leverage intelligent technologies to support environmental sustainability while providing a significant return on investment (ROI). The report features several real-world examples that show how property companies around the world have employed advances in green building and networking technologies to increase profits, lower costs, and help the environment. More

Author Seeks Input for Commercial Real Estate Book

Rex Miller of Southlake, Texas and 19 collaborators are working on a book to be called “The Commercial Real Estate Revolution -- Nine Transforming Keys to Lowering Costs, Cutting Waste, and Driving Change in a Broken Industry.” The collaborators include representatives from architecture and construction, office space providers, the Government Services Administration, Metropolis magazine, and several consulting firms. They’re looking for input. “If you have firms or individuals interested in contributing case studies, or insights we'll cite them,” Miller said. Contact him at rex@rexmiller.net. U.K. to Use Eco-friendly Plastic as Building Materialfrom BusinessGreenA U.K. company claims it has developed a smarter way to use recycled plastic as a sustainable building material. I-plas, the name of the material and the company distributing it, has claimed its product is made from recycled polymers, which makes it versatile for a range of uses from bridges, footpaths and fences and even flood prevention.The company claims that it is the only business in the UK to produce the material which it says will not chip or splinter and is even vandal proof. One tonne of i-plas saves about 1.66 tonnes of C02, whereas producing a tonne of concrete generates almost a tonne of C02 emissions, the company claims. More

The Role of Air Filtration

HVAC equipment undergoes continuous degradation, and facility managers (fms) charged with maintaining the equipment should focus on keeping system components as close as possible to the original design intent. Preventing contaminants from entering the system is easier than removing them. An effective way to do this is through proper air filtration. More

Google Shows Off 'Extraordinary' Building Plans

As if conquering the Internet weren't enough, Google has a new wonder in the works: a space-age structure that could be the greenest office building of all time. More

MIT Energy Storage Discovery Could Lead to ‘Unlimited’ Solar Power

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered a new way of storing energy from sunlight that could lead to ‘unlimited’ solar power. The process, loosely based on plant photosynthesis, uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. When needed, the gases can then be re-combined in a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity whether the sun is shining or not. More

Survival of the Fittest Building

As the largest controllable operating cost, energy conservation in commercial buildings is hardly a new idea. From the World Wars to the energy crisis of the 1970s, efficiently harnessing the power needed to run commercial buildings at optimum comfort and performance levels has been no small task for facility professionals. Now that challenge is increasingly urgent, as utility costs continue to spike, cities and nations combat escalating climate change concerns, and facility managers (fms) look for the competitive edge in a tightening economy. More