M|O Perspectives
Check back here for our thoughts on the latest developments in our industry.
The Vital Role of ASHRAE Energy Audits in Sustainable Building Management
Oct 10, 2023
In an era where carbon emissions reduction and energy efficiency are paramount concerns for building owners, operators, and occupants, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) energy audits have emerged as a vital tool in achieving sustainability goals....
Fire Prevention Week
Oct 09, 2023
It’s Fire Prevention Week! As AEC consultants, we know that fires are all too common these days. Because fire/life safety issues affect entire complex building systems, our teams are astute at managing the coordination of many moving parts, using concepts from fire protection engineering and...
Critical changes are coming your way. Are you prepared to meet new requirements?
Sep 06, 2023
The landscape of building regulations is rapidly changing, and it’s critical to be aware and prepared for the future. While codes and regulations have long shaped our industry, a new wave of measures is demanding immediate attention. Recent years have seen a shift towards prioritizing carbon...
The Ordinance That’s Energizing Denver: What You Should Know
Aug 15, 2023
The direct relationship between increasing levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and the increase in frequency and severity of weather-related stressors is well documented. Over the last decade, tremendous efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have been made across the energy production,...
5 Challenges to Building Owners and Investors
May 08, 2023
The news cycle today is filled with financial concerns such as inflation, rising interest rates, layoffs, and banking issues. Despite the headlines, the construction industry is continuing to add new jobs, and contractor backlogs remain strong. That said, the building sector is not without its...
Learning from the February 2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquakes
Apr 17, 2023
On February 6, 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in southern Turkey near its border with Syria, followed about nine hours later by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake approximately 60 miles to the north of the first one. The impacts of these earthquakes were devastating. The number of fatalities in...
Navigating Nuances of Student Housing Construction at Community Colleges
Feb 24, 2023
Many economically distressed students as well as educators looking for teaching jobs feel higher education is entirely out of reach in communities where the cost of housing has skyrocketed and is in limited supply. As more students look to community colleges for a more affordable and flexible early...
Design-Build Delivery: What Owners Need to Know
Jan 12, 2023
In part one and part two of our design-build series, we explored the history of design-build and its evolution to progressive/collaborative design-build. Now we’ll discuss what owners need to consider when implementing either type of design-build. While we’ve noted that modern design-build has...
New ASTM Guide for Property Resilience Assessments Well Underway
Dec 15, 2022
There are over 12,000 ASTM guidelines that apply to everything from steel to sustainability. With the climate crisis at unprecedented levels, there is greater regulatory pressure to document and disclose climate risk, and the time is now to develop an industry-wide ASTM guide for property resilience...
Collaborative Design-Build in Multifamily Construction
Oct 31, 2022
Design-build (DB) was initially adopted by healthcare organizations to streamline design and construction, and its subsequent success led to its adoption by governmental/public agencies, higher education, and the K-12 education sector. In the multifamily industry, DB is relatively unknown, but...