5 Emerging Concerns in Indoor Environmental Quality

Matt Fragala | November 4, 2019

On average, Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors — and the quality of their indoor environment can have significant effects on their health and well-being. Since indoor concentrations of some pollutants can be as much as five times higher than outdoor concentrations, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) should be a top concern for everyone....

BERDO & BEUDO Compliance: What You Need to Know – and What You May Not Have Considered

Andy Machado | October 3, 2019

Boston and Cambridge are following the path laid by New York City’s landmark Local Law 84. In recent years, both Massachusetts cities passed legislation to require mandatory energy and water reporting for large buildings within their jurisdictions. You may think you know the details…but you might not have considered all the consequences. Boston’s Building Energy...

Dead Legs in Water Systems Can Lead to Live Legionella: A Cost-prevention Feature Can Create Difficulties in Hospitals and Other Building Types

Kathleen Brown | August 19, 2019

Design engineers and building owners should take notice: small features intended to prevent headaches down the line could be increasing their risk of waterborne infections. Many building systems are designed to allow for future expansion, which can lead to “dead legs” in domestic plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This extra piping...

Earning the LEED IAQ Credit – Building Flush-out or IAQ Testing?

Will Wade | July 15, 2019

Building flush-out or IAQ testing? This is the question many project teams ask when trying to determine how to successfully achieve the LEED IAQ credit under Version 4. In this post we’ll take a look at the key requirements and the pros and cons of these two options. LEED v.4 IAQ Assessment Overview Leadership...

Safe Removal of Mercury-Containing Flooring in School Gyms

Will Wade | May 21, 2019

Products such as thermometers, thermostats, fluorescent light bulbs, and some electrical switches have long been known as potential sources of mercury. In recent years another mercury-containing product – polyurethane flooring – has garnered public attention and concern. Some polyurethane or rubber-like floorings manufactured from 1960 to 1980 contained mercuric acetate. These floors are most often...

6 Steps to Creating a Water Management Program for Your Healthcare Facility

Bryan Connors | May 8, 2019

The problem of Legionella bacteria growth in complex water systems has been known for decades, but recent changes to regulatory requirements have created a compliance issue for many healthcare facilities. If your hospital doesn’t currently have an effective water management program, it’s time to make creating one a priority. Since the Centers for Medicare and...

Mold and Moisture Control During Construction

Will Wade | March 22, 2019

Water use is an integral component of every construction project, and the focus should be on how to prevent it from impacting porous and finished building materials and affecting systems performance. There are three key phases common to all construction projects during which moisture and mold issues are most likely to occur: Transport and storage...

Construction Air Quality Monitoring for Higher Education

Matt Fragala | June 28, 2018

Putting a real-time air quality monitoring plan in place prior to a complicated demolition or interior renovation project can give universities an additional layer of assurance that they’re protecting sensitive populations in the area. Too often plans to control dust emission on demolition or renovation projects get overlooked. Once demolition has begun—and complaints of dust...