The coronavirus hit the world full force in March 2020 and upended business. Offices emptied out, with millions of workers opting to work remotely. In downtown Chicago, huge office towers stood vacant except for maintenance...
The nonresidential building sector did not see the same gains in 2021 as other sectors, such as multifamily. In fact, spending on nonresidential declined 5% in 2021, compounding on a 2% decline in 2020. However, according to...
Despite a global pandemic, weeks of wildfires and the ongoing challenges of serving as an international travel hub, Oregon’s Portland International Airport is several years into a project to update and expand its facility...
With the emergence of new approaches to office layouts combined with the changing demands on work settings during the pandemic, office environments have been a hotbed of re-evaluation and transformation, and so have the needs...
Wiring to ensure quality and constant connectivity in commercial developments has become a larger part of the job for electrical contractors. A road map for success would be helpful. WiredScore may be one solution. Begun in...
According to a report from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), Arlington, Va., construction spending rallied in January, especially as private nonresidential construction increased for the first time in seven...
Chicago O'Hare International Airport has been expanding its runway system and installing a new airfield lighting system, a new electric lighting vault and a lighting control sys-tem that provides and regulates power for...
Arizona State University (ASU) retrofitted six parking structures on the Tempe campus with new light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures. Changing the existing fixtures to LED low-bay solution will give ASU an annual savings of up...
Three years after Hurricane Rita, while electrical contractors in southern Texas were still repairing and replacing damaged electrical systems, Hurricane Ike surged into Galveston and brought contractors the most work they...
Foster's is giving consumers a better reason to drink the Australian lager. The beermaker is teaming up with scientists to generate clean energy from the wastewater the brewery creates. The process uses sugar-consuming...
Multimode fiber testing gets international attention I almost feel obligated to apologize for writing about technical issues related to multimode fiber again. However, multimode fiber is undergoing a revival in both interest...
Be prepared with the tools and skills for the CII market: With technology advancing daily and customer demands for improved building performance and reduced costs, electrical contractors can no longer approach projects in the...
Progress toward a more reliable and efficient national power grid began at the University of Arkansas as construction began on the College of Engineering’s National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission. When...
Commercial availability of wireless handsets that work with conventional cellular networks and 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs) will ultimately drive more organizations to migrate to voice over Internet protocol...
Since the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has the power to fine and even shut down businesses for safety violations, many employers fear inspections. One way to combat this fear is through safety...
In June, 2006, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle signed three bills in an ambitious renewable energy package. Combined, the three pieces of legislation make up her “Energy for Tomorrow” vision. SB 2957 emphasizes energy self...
Klein Tools, a manufacturer of professional hand tools and occupational equipment, has moved its corporate headquarters from Skokie, Ill., to a new 64,000-square-foot facility located on a seven-acre site in Lincolnshire, Ill...
At the heart of any photovoltaic (PV) system is the inverter, also referred to as the power conversion unit (PCU) or power conversion system (PCS). Its primary function is to convert the direct current (DC) output of the PV...
Building owners are becoming increasingly interested in sustainable construction and having their buildings certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green...
More and more companies want to be recognized as being environmentally conscious. One way that they are demonstrating their commitment to a cleaner environment is through green construction. The Leadership in Energy and...