News

Tracking energy usage, establishing benchmark Energy Star scores and using that data to identify necessary energy equipment changes and retrofits will become an increasingly important activity for real estate owners as Maryland implements the Climate Solutions Now Act. Passed by the General Assembly in 2022, the act requires the state…

The Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) has scheduled a series of stakeholder meetings related to the development of regulations to implement a state-wide building energy performance standard. At this point, MDE interprets the directive in Senate Bill 528 to require that regulations apply to both energy use and direct emissions.

Property technology, generally known as Proptech, has emerged as an often-used tool among commercial real estate developers and property management companies to harness data and intelligence to simplify transactions, assist with marketing and leasing, and optimize asset management functions and operations. Its use ranges from gathering real-time feedback from tenants…

America’s greenest county is raising the bar on its own sustainability goals. On the heels of earning the first LEED Platinum certification in the country under the U.S. Green Building Council’s version 4.1 States and Communities Program, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball launched new initiatives in October to dramatically lower…

The first post-pandemic survey of D.C. area commuters documents the explosion in telework and sharp drop in transit usage since the onset of COVID-19. According to the survey conducted by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, three-quarters of commuters now telework three or more days a week – up from…

Now that employees and employers alike have proven that remote or hybrid work environments can be productive and sustainable, it has become incumbent on companies to “earn their workers commute.”  Employers need to offer amenities, opportunities and other intangibles that differentiate the workplace from the home. In many cases, organizations…

Retailers and landlords need to provide increased emphasis on experiential shopping and curated content to overcome lower sales volumes, retail experts say. Panelists in a Placer.ai webinar analyzed recent sales levels and consumer trends. Sales dipped during the summer and early fall, partly due to families taking vacations after…

With a plethora of resources about workplace culture, supplier diversity, community engagement and commitments to equity, the second annual Construction Inclusion Week October 17-21 is aiming to involve more construction leaders, workers and developers in efforts to improve diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across the industry. Modeled after Construction Safety…

In a letter to the state climate commission, BGE calls the full-electrification approach to meet Maryland’s climate goals unaffordable and implausible. The letter cites a new study conducted by E3 (Energy and Environmental Economics), who worked as the state’s lead climate consultant until last year. The study…

Photos courtesy of Chesapeake Contracting Group. After more than a year of planning and innumerable hours tracking shipments, the structure of Greater Baltimore’s first mass timber commercial building is up and leasing swiftly. Completing the structure of 40TEN – a Class A, four-story office building…