Ædificare & Utilization

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Ædificare & Utilization

August 6, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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New Construction Release Schedule: https://www.census.gov/construction/c30/release.html

Reports are usually released at 10 AM EST the first day of every month except this month. (May 2026)


There’s been a significant redesign of the look and feel of the monthly Census Bureau reports construction activity. Today we sort through the rather more granular statistics that inform our recommendations for facility spend.

 


December 1, 2025

It has been 20 years since we began tracking educational settlement facility spend.  Starting this month we will examine federal government data together with the best available data about space utilization to enlighten our response to the perfectly reasonable question: “Are we over-building or under-building or building ineffectively”.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

United States: Schools of Architecture

The Society for College and University Planning (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

National Center for Education Statistics

The Financial Impact of Architectural Design: Balancing Aesthetics and Budget in Modern Construction

 

Homeschooling

2022 International Existing Building Code 

  • University College London

As reported by the US Department of Commerce Census Bureau the value of construction put in place by August 2025 by the US education industry proceeded at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $137.604 billionThis number does not include renovation for projects under 50,000 square feet and new construction in university-affiliated health care delivery enterprises.   Reports are released two months after calendar month.  The complete report is available at the link below:

MONTHLY CONSTRUCTION SPENDING August 2025 (released two months after calendar month)

 


 


This spend makes the US education facilities industry (which includes colleges, universities, technical/vocational and K-12 schools, most university-affiliated medical research and healthcare delivery enterprises, etc.) the largest non-residential building construction market in the United States after commercial property; and fairly close.  For perspective consider total public + private construction ranked according to the tabulation most recently released:

$137.604 billion| Education Facilities

$155.728 billion | Power

$69.625 billion | Healthcare

Keep in mind that inflation figures into the elevated dollar figures.  Overall — including construction, energy, custodial services, furnishings, security. etc., — the non-instructional spend plus the construction spend of the US education facilities is running at a rate of about $300 – $500 billion per year.

LIVE: A selection of construction cameras at  US schools, colleges and universities

Architectural Billings

We typically pick through the new data set; looking for clues relevant to real asset spend decisions.  Finally, we encourage the education facilities industry to contribute to the accuracy of these monthly reports by responding the US Census Bureau’s data gathering contractors.

Reconstruction of Ancient Agora

 

As surely as people are born, grow wealthy and die with extra cash,

there will be a home for that cash to sustain their memory and to steer

the cultural heritage of the next generation in beautiful settings.

More

National Center for Educational Statistics

AIA: Billings Index shows but remains strong May 2022

National Center for Education Statistics

Sightlines: Capital Investment College Facilities

OxBlue: Time-Lapse Construction Cameras for Education

Architectural Billing Index

IBISWorld Education Sector

US Census Bureau Form F-33 Survey of School System Finances

American School & University

New Report from Occuspace Finds U.S. Campuses Face Significant Underutilization

Global Consistency in Presenting Construction & Life Cycle Costs

Carnegie Classifications

Why You Need Standards

August 6, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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Department of Justice Antitrust Case Filings

When we talk about standards in our personal lives, we might think about the quality we expect in things such as restaurants and first dates. But the standards that exist in science and technology have an even greater impact on our lives. Technical standards keep us safe, enable technology to advance, and help businesses succeed. They quietly make the modern world tick and prevent technological problems that you might not realize could even happen…”

Technical Requirements for Weighing & Measuring Devices

Fountain of the Four Seasons

August 6, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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Standards Iowa | Art School | Art on Campus

The Four Maidens are four seated limestone sculptures by Danish-American artist Christian Petersen, installed in 1941 as part of the Fountain of the Four Seasons outside Iowa State University’s Memorial Union. These iconic figures, depicting Native American women inspired by an Osage tribe chant of thanksgiving, represent the annual cycle of corn agriculture and family life: Spring (planting corn, east), Summer (sheltering a young plant, south), Fall (holding the harvest, west), and Winter (nursing a child, north). They symbolize renewal, growth, harvest, and sustenance. Recently replicated in durable Bedford limestone after erosion, they remain a beloved campus landmark.

https://www.museums.iastate.edu/visit/art-on-campus-collection/fountain/where-maidens-now

“Knoxville: Summer of 1915”

August 6, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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Michigan Central


Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA. Founded in 1793, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. The college was established through a bequest of Colonel Ephraim Williams Jr., a war hero who died in the Battle of Lake George during the French and Indian War. In his will, Colonel Williams left funds for the establishment of a free school on the condition that it be located in Williamstown.

Dawn Chorus: Bird Song

August 5, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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“Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.”

— Psalm 108:2

Standards New York |  Homophily New York

 

Animal Welfare Act (AWA) Regulations for Birds (9 CFR Part 3, Subpart G)

University Policy 1.2: Research Integrity

Terrestrial Animal Health Code


Animal Safety

Cornell University’s status as a land-grant institution, coupled with its location in Ithaca, far from New York’s urban centers, fosters a campus atmosphere of grounded normalcy. As a land-grant university, Cornell emphasizes practical education, research, and outreach, rooted in its mission to serve the public good. This ethos cultivates a community focused on collaboration and accessibility rather than elitism.

Ithaca’s rural setting, surrounded by gorges and rolling hills, creates a tight-knit, insulated environment where students engage deeply with academics and each other without the distractions of a bustling city. The slower pace encourages a balanced lifestyle, with traditions like Slope Day and local eateries fostering camaraderie. The lack of urban pressures allows for a focus on intellectual curiosity and personal connections, while diverse student organizations and cooperative extension programs reinforce a sense of purpose and community, grounding Cornell’s atmosphere in authenticity and approachability.

Methods of Building Measurement

August 5, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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“The Ideal City” 1480 Giuliano da Sangallo

Inspired by Lord Kelvin’s “If you can not measure it, you can not improve it” and Peter Drucker’s adage “If you can’t measure it, You can’t improve it” and  W. Edwards Deming’s counter-argument — “It is wrong to suppose that if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it – a costly myth.” we present the standards catalog of the Building Owner’s Management Association:

BOMA Standards

BOMA Area Measurement Standards Timeline 1915-2021

At the moment all titles in this catalog seem to be stabilized although a great deal of economic activity in the commercial real estate market involves adjustment to the circumstances of the pandemic.  Largely because a sizeable portion of square footage in every school district, college, university and university-affiliated healthcare research and clinical delivery system derives at least part of its funding from governments at all levels there are workgroups devoted to measuring square footage and documenting its use.   For example:

Space Management: University of Oklahoma

Space Management: Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Space Management Policy: University at Buffalo

Getting square-footage right is essential for securing an organization’s sustainability and “green” claims for example.  The links in previous posts provide for information about future public consultations.

We maintain the BOMA catalog on the agenda of our Space Planning, Hammurabi and Architectural colloquia, hosted 6 to 8 times annually.   See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting, open to everyone.

€ 492 Million: Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien


Posted March 20,  2021

We drill into the specifics commonly found in education communities: sub-lease of space to private industry in publicly-owned facilities.  The Building Owners and Managers Association International is an ANSI-accredited consensus standard developer and revised its standard — BOMA Z65.5 Retail Properties: Standard Method of Measurement.  Measuring the area of a retail building can quickly become complex when variables must be considered such as ancillary space, mezzanines and storefront lease lines.  Many large research universities have long since leased space within many of their building envelopes for private industry to service their communities — student unions, hospitals, dormitories and athletic venues, for example.  From the project prospectus:

Z65.5 is intended exclusively for retail properties and their associated structures and may be applied to single-tenant, multi-tenant or multi-building configurations. It features a single method of measurement, with two levels of measurement data, known as Partial Measurement and Overall Measurement for retail properties. It does not measure sidewalks, surface parking, drainage structures, or  other ancillary site improvements.  This standard is chiefly designed to generate Gross Leasable Area figures, a key metric in retail leasing; however, it also produces area figures which may be of interest to those examining space utilization, valuation, benchmarking, and the allocation of building expenses to various cost centers. The scope of this standard is not intended to be submitted for consideration as an ISO, IEC, or ISO/IEC JTC-1 standard.

Public consultation is open until February 8th.  

You may obtain an electronic copy from: floorstandards@boma.org.   Send comments (with optional copy to psa@ansi.org) to: floorstandards@boma.org.  We encourage user-interest subject matter experts in education facility management to participate directly in the BOMA standards development process by communicating directly with Tanner Johnson at BOMA (tjohnston@boma.org) or 202-326-6357 for more information.

We keep the BOMA catalog on the standing agenda of our colloquia devoted to building construction best practice.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [14-117]

Category: Architectural, Facility Asset Management

Colleagues: Jack Janveja, Richard Robben

More

National Center for Education Statistics: Postsecondary Education Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education


Posted February, 20  2020

The Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA) is an ANSI-accredited consensus standard developer.  BOMA has initiated the process of revising its real property measurement standard —  BOMA Z65.2 For Industrial Buildings: Standard Methods of Measurement.  The primary objectives of this standard are:

– To promote an unambiguous framework for determining the areas of Industrial Buildings with a strong focus on Rentable Area calculations;
– To facilitate transparency and clear communication of building measurement concepts among all participants in the commercial real estate
industry;
– To allow a comparison of values on the basis of a clearly understood and generally agreed upon method of measurement; and
– To align concepts and measurement methodologies with the International Property Measurement Standards: Industrial Buildings (January 2018)
document.

Comments due March 15th

Click here to view these changes in full (Page 2) 

Send comments (with optional copy to psa@ansi.org) to: tjohnston@boma.org

"The past is never dead. It's not even past" -- William Faulkner

Standards Michigan follows, but d0es not advocate in most of the BOMA standards suite for the following reasons:

  • Educational facility occupancies are fairly well accounted for in existing federal and state regulations
  • Advocacy in energy-related best practice titles are a better use of resources at the moment.

We encourage user-interest subject matter experts in education facility management to participate directly in the BOMA standards development process by communicating directly with Tanner Johnson at BOMA (tjohnston@boma.org) or 202-326-6357 for more information.

We maintain the entire BOMA suite on our periodic Model Building Code colloquia.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [15-200]

Category: Architectural, Space Plaaning, Facility Asset Management

Colleagues: Jack Janveja, Richard Robben


LEARN MORE:

Facilities Information Management

Guideline for Square Footage Requirements for Educational Facilities

Guide to School Site Analysis and Development

Mixed Use Standard

 

ARCHIVE / BOMA

5.18.20

Grounding, Bonding, Earthing and all that

August 4, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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National Electrical Code (NFPA 70): Article 250 Grounding & Bonding

2026 Code Panel 5: Transcript of Proposed Changes

Electrical grounding is vital for safety and system protection. It provides a path for excess electrical current to safely dissipate into the earth, reducing the risk of electric shock, fire, and equipment damage. Grounding stabilizes voltage levels, ensuring the proper operation of electrical systems and devices. It also protects against electrical surges and lightning strikes by diverting harmful currents away from sensitive components. Overall, grounding enhances the safety, reliability, and performance of electrical installations, making it a fundamental practice in electrical engineering and construction.

In other words, without grounding, electric energy does no useful work.  Today we review the grounding principles for exterior lightning protection and building interior telecommunication and audio-visual systems.  Use the login credentials at the upper right our home page.

“Railroad Sunset” | Edward Hopper

Grounding protects buildings from lightning by providing a safe path for the immense electrical energy of a lightning strike to travel into the earth, thereby minimizing damage. Here’s how it works:

  1. Lightning Rods: Metal rods placed on top of buildings intercept lightning strikes. These rods are connected to a network of conductors.
  2. Conductors: These metal cables or strips carry the electrical charge from the lightning rod to the ground.
  3. Grounding System: The conductors are connected to grounding rods buried deep in the earth, dispersing the electrical charge safely into the ground.

This system prevents lightning from passing through the building’s structure, reducing the risk of fire, structural damage, and electrical hazards.

“Rain in Charleston” 1951 Thomas Fransioli

Grounding in telecommunication systems is crucial for ensuring safety and operational reliability. Here’s how it works:

  1. Surge Protection: Grounding helps protect telecommunication equipment from voltage surges caused by lightning strikes, power line faults, or switching operations. By providing a direct path to the earth, grounding allows excess electrical energy to be safely dissipated, preventing damage to sensitive equipment.
  2. Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Reduction: Proper grounding minimizes EMI, which can disrupt communication signals. By creating a common reference point for electrical potentials, grounding reduces noise and interference, ensuring clearer and more reliable signal transmission.
  3. Safety: Grounding protects personnel from electrical shocks by ensuring that any fault currents are directed away from equipment and safely into the ground. This is particularly important in environments with high-power transmission equipment.
  4. System Stability: Grounding stabilizes voltage levels within the system, preventing fluctuations that could cause equipment malfunctions or failures. This stability is crucial for maintaining consistent and reliable telecommunications services.

Overall, grounding enhances the safety, performance, and reliability of telecommunication systems by managing electrical faults, reducing interference, and protecting both equipment and personnel.

“Telegraph Poles with Buildings” | Joseph Stella (1917)

Grounding in audio systems is essential for ensuring high-quality sound output and preventing various types of electrical noise and interference. Here’s how it works:

  1. Noise Reduction: Proper grounding minimizes hums and buzzes often caused by ground loops, which occur when different pieces of equipment are grounded at different points. By ensuring a common ground point, the potential differences that cause these loops are eliminated, leading to cleaner audio signals.
  2. Shielding: Grounding provides a reference point for the shielding in audio cables, which helps to block external electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI). This shielding prevents unwanted noise from being introduced into the audio signal.
  3. Safety: Grounding protects both the equipment and users from electrical shocks. In the event of a fault, the grounding system directs the fault current safely to the earth, reducing the risk of electric shock and equipment damage.
  4. Signal Integrity: By maintaining a consistent ground potential, grounding helps preserve the integrity of audio signals. This ensures that the signals are transmitted and received accurately without degradation, resulting in better sound quality.
  5. Equipment Protection: Proper grounding can protect sensitive audio equipment from power surges and static discharge, extending the lifespan and reliability of the components.

Overall, grounding is a fundamental practice in audio systems to ensure high-quality sound, protect equipment, and maintain safety for users.

Related:

History of grounding/earthing practices in the united states

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