Active Listening Delivers Better Design
Guest blog by James Hadden, STG Design
Hiring a commercial architect can often be intimidating. Even experienced clients struggle to differentiate between firms and understand the value that each one brings. Know-how on similar projects is vital, but once you’ve created your short list of firms, how do you decide between them? A local firm may have a better understanding of jurisdictional issues, but a larger firm may have more substantial resources to bring to bear. A more sophisticated firm may have better visualization and communication tools, but a smaller firm may be able to focus on your project more wholly. While these are all important considerations, the most critical factor is the quality of the partnership you will develop with your architect or designer. On a ground-up project, you may be working closely with the design firm for three years or more so it is critical to select a firm that is a good fit.
Leveraging Internal Partnerships for RE/FM Success
Guest blog by Tracy Brower, PhD, MM, MCRw
Work has become ever-more complex and it seems like nothing can be accomplished successfully unless we’re leveraging our relationships with internal partners.
CoreNet Global’s Corporate Real Estate 2020 research described the necessary HR/IT/RE-FM partnership as the “super nucleus,” but what this mean exactly? Even more importantly, what are the ways to engage internal partners without adding unnecessary layers and slowing everyone down?
Overwhelmed by RE/FM Measurements? Here’s How to Make them Work for You
Guest blog by Tracy Brower, PhD, MM, MCRw
You know you should be measuring your results. You know how critical positive outcomes are for the business case you make for real estate and the workplace. But knowing what to measure and how can be overwhelming. Today, we can gain helpful insights into the work experience through a lot of measurement methods. But in some ways, the complexity has made things much more complicated.
Here’s how to navigate the sea of measurement possibilities to make a compelling business case and continuously improve: Read more
Long Commutes Affect Mental Health
Well we knew that!
But the folks at Randstad and ApartmentGuide.com are out with a new survey that gives several more interesting data points on how people are living and working today:
Work has Changed, Why Haven’t Our Offices?
Guest blog by Drew Carter and Anna Grayhek, IIDA at H. Hendy Associates.
“I am the CXO, but I’ll put you in touch with our Director of Influencer Campaigns.”
What we do for work and how that work gets done is fundamentally changing. In response, many organizations are scrambling for solutions or guidance. This is reflected in the many office environments that have left behind traditional offices and cubicles in favor of open plans, outfitted with features meant to boost interaction and engagement. Yet, because of a vacuum of guidance and knowledge, many of today’s businesses are merely chasing the latest trends. Innovations such as sit-stand desks, docking stations, wireless displays, ideation technology and teaming areas have already made their way into the office, but their potential impact to the workforce is not well understood.
Digital Twins and CRE
According to an article in Engineering & Technology, “the government of Andhra Pradesh – along with planners, architects and tech experts – has set a precedent by creating a digital twin of Amaravati, the People’s Capital of Andhra Pradesh. An upcoming green field city, Amaravati is a $6.5 billion project.
Its smart digital twin offers dynamic information about the urban infrastructure in a 3D format.”
Say what?Read more
Office of Tomorrow: Healthcare Advancements Drive Workplace Design
Guest blog by Jennifer Walton and Susan Dwyer, H. Hendy Associates
Healthcare as we know it is expected to have a dramatic shift by 2040, according to Deloitte. This healthcare industry metamorphosis, which is paving the way for significant technological advancements, will not only transition our thinking from health “care” to health “maintenance” but also will place a larger emphasis on detection and prevention rather than treatment.
Will New Abortion Laws Force The Issue Onto CEOs’ Agendas?
Are the new, more restrictive abortion laws that several states are in the process of considering going to force the issue onto corporate agendas?Read more
Health Benefits of Adjustable Height Desks
Guest blog by David Bernardi, Ergonomic Consultant, President of Summit Ergonomics
Part three of a three-part series
The science supporting the health benefits of reducing sedentarism in the workplace is well documented.1, 2 Several chronic disease states can be attributed to an inactive lifestyle, including the four most impactful on life expectancy; type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.3 Let’s take a look at how proper utilization of a sit-stand desk can potentially impact one’s health.
Read more
Extracting the Full Potential of Corporate Real Estate Metrics
The Four Cornerstones of a Sound Data Foundation
Guest blog by Patrick MacDonald, Group Manager – Real Estate & Security at Microsoft
For a large organization with a diverse global facilities portfolio, real estate data can hold insightful answers to the biggest questions about their assets. Who wouldn’t love a daily dashboard or weekly report that reveals exactly how a property’s amenities are being used, whether its space utilization aligns with corporate strategy, or exactly where every person sits in every building?
Unfortunately, many corporate real estate (CRE) data systems seem designed to actively block this objective. Extracting and collating relevant data can take weeks of trawling through multiple, often disconnected, databases that each have only a piece of the story. Ad hoc linkages made by users seeking their own answers, and content copied to local drives for manipulation, often lead to data that is duplicative, conflicting, missing, inconsistent, and outdated—and thereby unreliable. Without a strategic data plan and foundation that ensures their data and sources are accurate, timely, and trustworthy, many companies miss out on the best potential of their CRE metrics.
Automation, IoT and 3D Printing: These 3 Trends Will Dominate Your Facility in 2020
Guest blog by Carolina Weidler, Science and Technology project director at H. Hendy Associates
There are many considerations that go into setting up a manufacturing or production facility. Site availability, environmental issues and even high employee wages are often at the forefront of the conversation. But don’t let those stop you from building.
To overcome these challenges, many forward-thinking companies are deploying creative solutions to cut costs and increase productivity.
Take a look at a few key trends impacting the industry and how it affects your building’s design.
10 Factors to Consider If Purchasing a Sit-Stand Solution
Guest blog by David Bernardi, Ergonomic Consultant, President of Summit Ergonomics
Part two of a three-part series
Your company has made the decision to purchase Sit-Stand units for employees, either for accommodation or corporate-wide deployment. You are tasked with execution of this initiative. With so many sit-stand options on the market, how do you decide which ones are worth the money?