Liberty Building Forensics Group

07/06/2023

Many buildings within seismic zones are not built to withstand the impacts of earthquakes. Legislators in seismic regions across the U.S. have updated building codes and regulations to better handle seismic events for new construction and have put legislation in place to bring older buildings into compliance.

There is more risk and unforeseen circumstances behind seismic retrofit of older buildings, but a lot of that can be avoided through early investigative work during design:

Discover the challenges and complexities of seismic retrofitting older buildings, and how PCL Construction has become a leader in the field.

07/03/2023

We wish you and yours a very happy and safe Fourth of July. Happy birthday, America! 🇺🇸

06/29/2023

As property developers, healthcare providers, and building owners continue to seek ways to construct sustainable facilities that also meet their speed-to-market goals, prefabrication has demonstrated itself to be a useful tool. It's important to also keep an eye on what materials are used.

Corie Baker, AIA, shares three modular Gresham Smith projects that found sustainability benefits from the use of prefabrication.

06/27/2023

ASHRAE recently released an update on its benchmark energy efficiency standard, ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2022 – Energy Standard for Sites and Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. Learn about these changes and about what goes into updating a standard:

Key aspects in this quick read: ASHRAE, energy codes, energy efficiency, sustainability, facilities - From Building Operating Management and Facility Maintenance Decisions. Helping facility professionals with their jobs and careers.

06/22/2023

Many facility managers and sustainability leaders who are tasked with meeting company sustainability objectives are faced with uncharted paths and a dynamic ecosystem of potential solution providers. With so many factors to consider, the sustainability journey can be complex:

Learn about sustainability, best practices and related trends for building operations success

06/20/2023

The scope of work section in your construction contract should never be overlooked. Otherwise, you are potentially setting yourself up for a future dispute that could include (i) an additional work / change order dispute, (ii) an incomplete work dispute, or (iii) a failure to properly perform your work dispute. These are all disputes you want to avoid, and many times can avoid, by going through and negotiating the scope of work section to bring clarity to this section. Remember, clarity is a positive. Ambiguity or uncertainty is a negative:

A construction contract's scope of work section should be written with clarity to avoid any future dispute down the road.

06/15/2023

Not all of the fallout from COVID-19 was negative. For example, the pandemic alerted the general public about the central role institutional and commercial facilities – in particular, air filtration and ventilation systems – play in the health and safety of building occupants and visitors.

Key aspects in this quick read: IAQ, GSA, air filtration, ventilation - From Building Operating Management and Facility Maintenance Decisions. Helping facility professionals with their jobs and careers.

06/13/2023

Pre-pandemic, the phrase indoor air quality (IAQ) was an afterthought among building occupants in institutional and commercial facilities. Today, of course, IAQ is an important aspect of the workplace setting for all building occupants.

Key aspects in this quick read: IAQ, workplace comfort, hvac, facilities - From Building Operating Management and Facility Maintenance Decisions. Helping facility professionals with their jobs and careers.

06/08/2023

The COVID-19 pandemic produced an unexpected benefit for institutional and commercial facilities: It alerted the general public that facilities and their key systems – in the case of the pandemic, the ventilation and air filtration systems – have a direct impact on the health of occupants and visitors. But for all the heightened awareness of this connection, facilities remain woefully underfunded and undermaintained:

Key aspects in this quick read: maintenance, deferred maintenance, NIST - From Building Operating Management and Facility Maintenance Decisions. Helping facility professionals with their jobs and careers.

06/06/2023

This article by LBFG experts takes an in-depth look at how improper building pressurization resulted in widespread mold and moisture damage at a resort.

In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at how improper building pressurization resulted in widespread mold and moisture damage at a resort.