Janelle Penny

Automation can help supplement your human staff to keep your facility clean. Here’s what to consider if you’re thinking about investing.

Interior products carry more embodied carbon than you think. New research sheds light on the carbon footprint of interior design.

Whether your building is utilizing steam, natural gas, propane or fuel oil, you’re probably feeling the pressure to electrify.

How much embodied carbon is in your portfolio?

It’s often noted that the built environment contributes 40% of carbon emissions worldwide. Architects and facilities professionals have responded to this number by attacking carbon emissions on two fronts; architects have worked to reduce the embodied carbon in common materials like concrete and ste…

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened people’s awareness of indoor air quality. This retrofit helps reassure tenants that the air in their spaces is clean.

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened people’s awareness of indoor air quality—not just the risk of virus transmission, but particulate matter, VOCs and other factors that impact air quality as well. People are eager to know what they’re breathing. That’s why global commercial real estate company JL…

The neighborhoods of Gulfton and Sharpstown in southwest Houston are home to people from more than 80 countries, and some 50 languages are spoken there. This area of Houston has higher rates of chronic diseases compared to the rest of the city, and more than 30% of residents live below the poverty l…

After two years of virtual events, the AHR Expo made its triumphant return to in-person events with a showcase of cutting-edge HVAC technology in Las Vegas.

Stress is nothing new to anyone who owns or manages commercial facilities, but COVID-19 has added an extra layer of uncertainty and pressure that can sometimes seem insurmountable. The pandemic has tripled the rate of depression symptoms in U.S. adults, according to a study published in JAMA Netwo…

Resilient buildings can roll with the punches, and when it comes to hotels, there’s no more important conversation to have. COVID-19 was hard on the hospitality industry, decimating the usual crowds of guests and forcing hotels to deal with the financial impacts of low occupancy. Today, business i…

The lighting industry is moving at warp speed to respond to the needs of building owners and managers, from flexible new design options to customizable color temperatures. LightFair International 2021, the top lighting event of the year, showcased exciting new technologies and strategies for lightin…

Iowa. Organic. Classic. Sustainable. Reasonable. These five attributes were the driving force behind the interior design of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa headquarters of Lil’ Drug Store Products, the nation’s top supplier of health and beauty care products for convenience retail. The 25,000-square-foot o…

Solar power use is growing steadily, powered by dropping costs, increasing system efficiency and installation incentives. Photovoltaic panels are no longer the same silicon rooftop systems you’re used to—they’re popping up in new places and may soon be made of new materials. We’ve identified three …

There are many factors that impact indoor air quality, from ventilation to your choice of air filter. Some of them are out of your control, but others you can affect directly—especially when it comes to your choice of interior products. “We spend roughly 90% of our time indoors and inhale as much …

<p>Are your interior products helping or hurting indoor air quality? Here’s what you need to know about building products and IAQ.</p>

Creating an open office design that works for the people in it is a real challenge. Specifying the right furniture and creating a flexible layout go a long way toward open office workspace success.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent move to working from home is changing the way our workplaces will look, feel and function, according to experts from the design and research firm Gensler. At IFMA’s virtual World Workplace 2020 conference, a team from Gensler revealed the findings from resea…

There is still much we don’t know about HVAC and COVID-19 transmission, but HVAC best practices may reduce the risk of transmission somewhat, according to two statements by ASHRAE.ASHRAE’s statement on the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, concluded, “Transmission…

How will your next roof impact your local landfill?The roofing industry is increasingly answering customers’ calls for recycled and recyclable material, including popular roof choices like EPDM, asphalt shingles and metal. Roofing materials like these can be recycled at the end of their life, return…