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

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

  |  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...
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Beyond ASTM Phase 1: Do You Need the Protection of a More Robust Environmental Site Assessment?

  |  July 16, 2019

Purchasing or leasing a commercial property is a big decision, and you deserve to have a clear understanding of exactly what you’re buying. While your bank will require you to conduct an ASTM Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) to identify environmental issues associated with your new facility, this evaluation may not be comprehensive enough....
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Earning the LEED IAQ Credit – Building Flush-out or IAQ Testing?

  |  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...
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The Importance of Tabletop Exercises — and How to Do Them Properly

  |  June 4, 2019

If your biotechnology organization has a thoroughly developed business continuity plan or crisis management plan, you might think you’re well prepared for the unexpected. However, how can you really know your plan will work? While there’s no foolproof way to ensure your research facility or commercial laboratory is 100 percent safe from vulnerabilities and disaster...
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Safe Removal of Mercury-Containing Flooring in School Gyms

  |  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...
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Mold and Moisture Control During Construction

  |  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...
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