Building Systems

Energy storage prompts battery of precautions

Energy storage prompts a battery of precautions

In step with the projected surge in energy storage installations, fire safety advisors are actively working to help clean tech adopters understand and mitigate the risks.
accessibility

Canada far from meeting accessibility goals

Federally-regulated organizations will need to prioritize specific actions that advance accessibility and disability inclusion by 2040.
Passive House

A first Passive House retrofit in Halifax

Once complete, it will serve as an inspiration for others pursuing deep retrofits of existing buildings, an endeavour that offers the most hope for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Halifax.
CRE fosters all-in approach to decarbonization

CRE fosters all-in approach to decarbonization

Daunting net zero targets in the buildings sector are spurring an all-in approach to decarbonization that assigns roles to finance, engineering, management and operational teams.
weather

Innovative tools for weather-related disasters

Many technologies figure highly into disaster resilience and property restoration and can be of great interest to facility managers for buildings in affected regions.
facility

Five ingredients of a well-managed facility

Managing a facility requires a combination of skilled facility management personnel, efficient procedures, reliable process technology, and most importantly, a strong focus on the integration
Ashrae

A workplace guide to ASHRAE Standard 241

Before ASHRAE Standard 241, there were no specific standards for the control of infectious aerosols in our indoor environments.
standard

New standards for sustainable material use

A new set of standards defines minimum sustainability criteria for high-volume materials used in architecture and interior projects.
CRE

CRE industry reveals data-driven demands

Canada’s top commercial real estate players have identified the growing importance of visualizing indoor building activities in real time as the use of space becomes less predictable and tenant needs evolve.
net-zero

Archival preservation facility is a net-zero first

Library and Archives Canada’s new preservation storage facility opened as the first net-zero carbon archival centre in the Americas,
digital shortage

How digital twin technology can transform FM

Innovation in digital twin technology— virtual representations of physical objects—has the potential to create operationally rich, continuous data feeds across workplace, asset, and inventory systems.
waste

Refurbishing waste equipment in a circular era

Recycling tends to take all the glory and centre-stage of sustainability narratives in the media. Garbage, on the other hand, is a significant problem that is rarely discussed.
mould

Minding mould in LTC and hospitals

Air exchanges and mechanical systems that were sufficient when buildings were constructed may be considered undersized today, allowing fertile ground for mould growth.
Memorial University

Science on display at Memorial University

A blue whale skeleton, 25 metres long, suspends from the ceiling of Memorial University’s Core Science Facility—as though it is swimming in empty space.
Deep retrofit logistics trip up on key products

Deep retrofit logistics trip up on key products

Few of the existing building technologies projected to help dramatically curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have yet conquered their market categories
carbon

Fuel-switching challenges expected to ease

Climate, cost and capacity pose fuel-switching challenges for building owners looking to curb greenhouse gas emissions in line with Canada’s target for a 40 per cent reduction below 2005 levels by 2030.
Flammable refrigerants spark GHG reductions

Flammable refrigerants spark GHG reductions

Researchers and manufacturers have now done much of the work to prepare for the HFC phase-down, but codes and standards will need to catch up before a new generation of lower-GWP refrigerants can be used.