IFMA Insider

Taller: How Future Skyscrapers Will Beat the Burj Khalifa

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

The 2010 completion of the absurdly tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai has not curbed humanity's urge to reach even higher. This January, construction began in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the next building likely to wear the crown of world's tallest. Known as the Kingdom Tower, it will soar past the 828-meter-tall Burj all the way to the full kilometer mark.

How to Secure an ENERGY STAR® Label

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

There are many labels designed to promote the quality and effectiveness of products. The iconic "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" established in 1909 is one of the best known labels and is still in use today with more than 5,000 products earning the seal.

How to Make Yourself Memorable in a Distracted Workplace

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

This time of the year, the media is on overflow with advice columns for college grads about standing out from the pack during job searches and interviews. And for good reason, an estimated 1.7 million U.S. college graduates are readying to enter the job market.

Energy Efficiency Blueprint?

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

Soon, maintenance and engineering managers are likely to have a blueprint for energy efficiency. Well, they'll have blueprint for a blueprint, at least. The blueprint will come thanks to the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act of 2010, which was enacted in December 2010. The act requires that within 18 months of enactment, the General Services Administration must identify the essential skills and training front-line technicians in federal facilities need to be able to operate and maintain buildings energy efficiently.

Official Says: 100 Rio Buildings Risk Collapse

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

More than 100 abandoned buildings in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are in such poor condition they are at risk of collapsing, the head of a regional engineering agency said, a day after part of a two-story building crumbled in the Olympic city's colonial downtown.

Net-zero Transit Center Uses Geothermal, Solar, Biomass

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

A newly opened Boston transit hub promises to achieve net-zero energy through geothermal, solar and wood biomass power. Engineering firm Arup built the $15.4 million John W. Olver Transit Center, which will be home to a bus terminal, the Franklin Regional Transit Authority and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments

New York has Incentives for Energy-efficient Building Projects

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has recently announced its New Construction Program, which provides financial assistance to eligible building owners and leaseholders looking to improve the energy efficiency of their new or substantially renovated buildings.

Engineering Project Management: How Microsoft SharePoint and Dashboards Can Help

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

Engineers can better control projects by using dashboards created with Microsoft SharePoint, explained Rick Rietz, Director of Consulting Services, DMC Inc., Chicago, speaking at the 2012 CSIA Executive Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.

World's Tallest Tower to Help Tokyo Railway Lure Shoppers

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

The Tokyo Skytree, twice as tall as the Eiffel Tower, opens as Japanese train operators counter an aging population by building malls, offices and tourist attractions. The 634-meter structure in eastern Tokyo sits in a retail complex housing more than 300 shops and restaurants, a planetarium and an aquarium. Developer Tobu Railway Co. expects the project to draw 32 million visitors in its first year, surpassing the numbers at Tokyo Disney Resort.

Metal Oxides Vital to Green Energy

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

Harnessing the energy of sunlight can be as simple as tuning the optical and electronic properties of metal oxides at the atomic level by making an artificial crystal or super-lattice "sandwich."

Obesity in the Workplace: A Disability you Must Accommodate?

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

One of the fastest challenges in handling disabilities in the workplace is the concern over how to respond to obesity. Unlike other types of medical conditions, there is often the perception that obesity is a lifestyle choice and may not necessarily be related to a medical condition.

Using Thermography to Uncover Hidden Problems

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

Thermography can be used to identify and analyze thermal anomalies for the purposes of condition monitoring of machines. These thermal anomalies are usually caused by such mechanisms as operation, improper lubrication, misalignment, worn components or mechanical loading anomalies.

How to Prevent Workplace Fraud

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

Even fraudsters need a break sometimes. The ones that are good at pulling off a long-lasting scheme, however, are unlikely to take time off. After all, the concealment of an ongoing fraud needs constant tending and protection from prying eyes.

China 'Instant Buildings': Just add Labor, Fireworks and a Cow

17 May 2012 16:28:30 CDT

As a crane lowered a steel-and-concrete slab onto support pillars, construction workers swarmed around to bolt it down — a choreography of mad-dash steps against a backdrop of firecrackers, and a sacrificed cow, to herald China's latest "instant building".