Today’s designs pursue lofty performance goals for people, place, and planet. How can analytics support these goals while minimizing cost and complexity? Shaping the built environment involves a broad range of design considerations – from resource efficiency and green infrastructure to urban amenity and occupant satisfaction. Early intervention informed by targeted analytics can unlock high-performance…
Insights
The COVID-19 global pandemic has created a paradigm shift in the built environment. While our recent focus was trending towards occupant health and wellness in the workplace, it is clear we need to explore this once more under a new lens. With state and federal governments preparing to ease social distancing restrictions, the focus of many businesses is shifting to the safe and successful re-entry of their staff to the workplace.
While the Australian Government and industry bodies continue to produce guidelines for safe work practices, it can be difficult for building owners, landlords and operators to navigate the shifting advice and feel confident they’ve done everything they can for tenants.
At Umow Lai and Integral Group, we’ve established a global team tasked with scouring rapidly evolving research and advice from governments, institutions and industry bodies around the world. Through this exercise, we’ve developed a framework that can assist in the development of workplace re-entry strategies, with considerations that go beyond distancing and cleaning to answer questions such as “Which areas of my floorplan present the lowest airborne infection risk?” and “How do I manage infection risk in lifts?”.
With broad experience in the performing arts industry, Simon Austin, the newest Senior ICT / AV Consultant, is an exciting addition to the Melbourne ICT team. Read below as he reflects on his career and what it means to give life to performing arts spaces. What inspired you to join Umow Lai (a member of…
Principals and hotel sector leaders David Glossop and Rob Harris offer their insights on what to expect from the industry post-COVID-19 The hotel industry has been one of the hardest-hit from the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of hotels have closed temporarily, if not for good. Those that remain open are recording record low occupancy. There are…
news
IG | VISION Batteries + Electrification: Unlocking Decarbonization Live Event Recording
May 22, 2020
Around the world, companies are making pledges to rapidly decarbonize. Battery storage will help make those promises reality. While the building industry continues to strive for Net Zero Energy goals, recent policies requiring all-electric building design are shifting the focus away from energy and onto carbon emissions. It is now more important than ever to…
Integral Group is proud to share that Noah Zallen has been awarded Consulting-Specifying Engineering’s 2020 40 Under 40 Award! This award is given annually to 40 building industry professionals ages 40 and younger who stand out through an assortment of personal and professional aspects of their lives. “The 2020 40 Under 40 winners are more creative,…
Integral Group is proud to be listed in this year’s Engineering News-Record (ENR)’s 2020 Top 500 Design Firms, moving to #183 up from #220 in 2019. Integral Group also ranked #36 on ENR’s Top 50 Designers in International Markets sublist, up from #42 in 2019. The annual Top 500 Design Firms list features peers and…
The engineering sector is one of the most significant industries in the world, affecting economies, environment and human health. As new research and innovation cause changes in architectural and environmental design, sustainable energy strategies, and occupant behaviour, keeping abreast of the most up to date trends and information can be challenging. Elementa have curated a…
What does wellness in the workplace look like in a COVID-19 reality? The British Council for Offices sets the global benchmark for Class A Office Space. In 2018 it launched Wellness Matters – an outcomes-based roadmap to support health and wellbeing in the workplace. Its three lead authors – Ed Garrod, James Pack, and Will Poole-Wilson…
In celebration of Earth Day, Integral Group Chief Sustainability Officer Megan White broke down Integral’s mission driven approach towards environmental design and corporate operations. This presentation will include a review of Integral’s annual environmental reporting (CSER) and details into the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment. Additionally, Megan will highlight ways in…
Sustainability Consultant Melissa Nouel in Sydney discusses why she made a career switch from architecture, the importance of the building life cycle and trends she hopes to see in green building. Why are you so passionate about working in sustainability? My interest in sustainability started in 2010 during the BP oil spill in the Gulf…
Carl McKenzie, Elementa Principal and Chairman of the Professional Development Committee with the Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management (IHEEM), offers his views on the current and future state of the Healthcare Estates sector. Since its founding in 1948, the National Health Service has played a central role in UK society and our shared…