Author: Dawn Allcot

Submetering can reduce costs and increase sustainability. Is it right for your building? Property managers often look for ways to cut costs while implementing green building solutions. One of the most affordable ways to increase your building’s energy efficiency while reducing operating costs is submetering. The U.S. Federal Energy Management Program found that submetering, when used with “a coherent, continuous commissioning program of benchmarking, analysis, and remediation can result in 15% to 45% savings” in energy use, submetering provider Triacta reported. In Canada, submetering showed a 17% energy reduction for CanmetENERGY’s complex in Ontario over three years, according to Triacta.…

Some of the key features in sustainable building include energy efficiency and renewable energy use, water efficiency, reduced waste, eco-friendly materials, and a healthier environment for workers. In the U.S., commercial buildings use 39% of the country’s total energy and create 38% of the carbon emissions. The numbers in Canada are similar, according to Alpha-Sense.com. A green building offers many benefits to building managers, property owners, and tenants. Some of these include: In addition to economic factors, there are social factors driving the popularity of green buildings. Significantly, a report from Dodge Data and Analytics, in collaboration with the USGBC…

Checking all the boxes for sustainability, flexibility, and modern design, Siskind’s new office in the high profile London City Centre Towers promotes collaboration and workplace wellness. Choosing a new office space for its rapidly expanding team wasn’t easy for Siskinds LLP, a law firm with more than 250 lawyers and support staff. Ultimately, the London City Centre Towers proved to be the best solution, with onsite parking for visitors, a central downtown location, and a landmark building in London, Ontario. While location is, of course, the key in commercial real estate, fulfilling the law firm’s vision for a sustainable, flexible…

If you are a project manager or property manager in charge of new construction or a retrofit project in an office or multi-use space, you are probably looking for ways to reduce costs and meet project timelines. That’s difficult enough in this era of inflation and supply chain delays. You probably also want to create a sustainable building. Whether or not you decide to apply for certifications, you know that using eco-friendly materials has grown increasingly important to building tenants as well as a company’s customers and workers. Finally – while we’re on the topic of workers – you want…

Breaking ground on a commercial real estate project, whether it’s an office building, retail location, multi-use space, MDU or even an institutional new build requires the cooperation of multiple contractors. Ideally, your experienced general contractor will be able to keep the project together, ensuring it finishes on time and within your budget. Finding contractors who are licensed, bonded, and insured in your city is the bare minimum. There are many aspects you should consider before signing a contract with any CRE professional, including how well the expert’s experience matches your project and if they share your views on sustainable building…

Whether you’re creating a new multi-use property or office space or retrofitting existing space to better meet the needs of a community, you might be wondering if it’s worth installing electric vehicle chargers. There are a few things you should consider before you answer: Beyond that, consider the vast benefits of supplying EV charging stations for your customers or tenants. You can monetize EV charging stations or provide the service free, which can lead to faster lease-ups. Properties with EV charging stations offer several advantages to: We’ll explore these benefits and then explain what you need to consider when choosing…

“Range anxiety,” or the concern that an electric vehicle will run out of power with no charging station nearby, is a real fear for many EV drivers. When J.D. Power polled drivers about what factors they considered when purchasing an electric car, “range” was cited as the number one consideration, according to Forbes.com. Meanwhile, a survey from EV charging station provider EVBox found that 30% of people who would buy an EV have range anxiety preventing them from making the purchase. EV makers point out many reasons that range anxiety isn’t a valid fear. First and foremost, EV drivers often…

Workers Want Flexibility, Safety, and Security and CES Tech Delivers The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) returned to Las Vegas this January, in person for the first time since the pandemic. While the emphasis of the show might be on the word “consumer,” this year’s event presented technology applicable to the workplace, smart systems that building contractors could implement in multi-dwelling units and modern office spaces, and innovations in the fields of IoT, security, personal computing, and more. As employees become more demanding about their workplace environment, including health and wellness, they are also looking for technology experiences that are the…

It is perhaps no surprise that a global healthcare company chooses to emphasize workplace wellness in its new facility. But the extent to which GSK Canada has designed its new Mississauga office space represents new standards in hybrid workplace design, workplace wellness, and an employee-centered approach to the office environment. “The state-of-the-art office was designed with input from employees – they were at the heart of the project and engaged every step of the way,” says a case study on the GSK Canada website. What makes the workspace, situated roughly 30 minutes from Toronto’s city center, so special? And how…

Did you know that heat coming into your building through windows in the summer and heat escaping through the windows in the colder months accounts for 25-30% of your building’s energy use? That’s why the quality of your windows plays such an important role in your energy bill. In commercial buildings, especially, you want to consider not just exterior windows, but internal glass such as partitions, walls, and doors within the building. These areas transfer light and heat, which can be beneficial to create an open feel to the office space while blocking sound to help workers focus. But in…