Public Spaces

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.
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.
Social destabilization unsettles city fabric

Social destabilization unsettles city fabric

Data, collaborative networks and a suite of tested best practices can be valuable resources for property managers pressed to respond to the unsettling social destabilization occurring in many Canadian cities.
Centennial

Reconciling through design at Centennial College

A look at the recently completed $112-million expansion project at Centennial College built on Indigenous values.
healthcare

A new healthcare tower for a diverse community

The new Ken and Marilyn Thomson Patient Care Centre in Toronto’s east end ushers in a new era of healthcare.
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,
Meaford

A supermarket becomes Meaford’s new library

The adaptive re-use project relocates Meaford Public Library from an inaccessible three-storey building to a one-storey facility.
Accessible public bathrooms show bad form

Accessible public bathrooms show bad form

Low-cost investments and practical adjustments to the configuration of fixtures could improve safety, convenience and assurance for people with disabilities.
accessibility

A path to barrier-free buildings: Facility assessments and strategic accessibility plans

A pressing issue facing facility managers is the crucial impact that barrier-free accessibility can have on a strategic renewal plan.
workspace

At Scarborough’s newest collaborative workspace

LCH Developments wanted to bring something unique to the empty retail space on the ground floor of a condominium in Cliffside Village.
World Workplace

A recap of IFMA’s World Workplace

In the past, cleaning suppliers, landscapers, and pest control companies dominated FM shows. Not anymore.
trauma

Realizing trauma-informed care in the workplace

Trauma is defined broadly as an emotional response to an overwhelming incident or series of events. When our subconscious ability to cope is overwhelmed, we
Grande Prairie

Designing for patient dignity in Grande Prairie 

Inside the 681,000-square-foot facility, people are able to experience the landscape and natural light, even throughout Alberta’s harsh weather extremes.
shopping

Designing the shopping experience of the future

New theories on retail centre on how experiences, convenience and a sense of community can draw people to a physical site.
disabilities

Tapping into the disability purchasing market

Canadians with disabilities make up the largest potential market of consumers, clients, employees and homeowners, with an annual buying power of $25 billion.
Passive House

Inside a Passive House first in Surrey, B.C.

Designing the ​​Clayton Community Centre to become Passive House certified for ultra-low energy use was no easy feat, especially since the international standard had never been pursued for this type of facility in North America.
Indigenous

Indigenous-led projects raise bar for city-building

The architects and developers behind some of Canada’s new Indigenous-focused projects are designing spaces that harmonize with their natural landscapes, setting a higher standard for how urban buildings impact the environment and their surrounding communities.