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As the cost of operating escalates and the global economy continues to struggle, businesses are examining ways to cut expenses by saving energy. Iselin, N.J.-based Bergman Real Estate Group has entered into an energy management contract with Pine Brook, N.J.-based GSH Group Inc. to use GSH’s EnergyPlus program to help the firm consume less energy. And even a winery and parking garages are getting in on the energy-cutting action.GSH, a facilities and energy management provider that operates in the United States and Europe, guaranteed energy consumption savings for two office buildings in New Jersey: 51 Haddonfield Road—a 96,400-square-foot, three-story Class…

Commercial real estate managers must find ways to stretch budgets and resources and maximize productivity. It’s worthwhile, therefore, to consider the tremendous operational-efficiency and service improvements available from topline commercial property management technology:• Electronic transactions—Advanced commercial property management software lets you cut costs and mistakes associated with multiple touchpoints by centralizing, automating and streamlining accounts-payables processing and building-supplies procurement. Such a solution reinforces sustainability initiatives while improving operations for the business at large.• Data centralization—Operating commercial property management and accounting functions from one database represents a single solution for the full real estate lifecycle, from raising capital and investment management…

Data centers form 30 to 40 percent of a building’s operating costs, and reducing them is a complicated matter for owners, tenants and clients who know little about them. A facilities/operations manager’s job is to ensure that proper infrastructure is in place, along with varying degrees of backup and reliability to support data center equipment. Reliability and the elimination of downtime are the bases for judging any data center’s success or failure. Other important considerations are the data center’s energy demand and amount of redundancy necessary to build into cut sheets, matrix and equipment lists and striking a balance between…

By now it’s standard practice to conduct business on the web. In fact, it is a significant part of how commercial real estate brokers do business. They post property information, communicate with clients and other brokers via e-mail and conduct research, all using the Internet.Still, much of their prospecting and new business generation is done through cold calling, networking and signage. And even commercial brokerage firms that use Internet resources to a greater degree have not nearly reached the level at which residential brokers and agents are using it.Residential realtors have historically been aggressive in using the Internet to prospect…

The most impactive technological breakthroughs usually have less to do with new information and more with new packaging. Innovative ways to compare, contrast, synthesize and combine existing data sets enables those manning the keyboards to do more with less, making more informed and dynamic decisions.Thus, The Reinvestment Fund, a community investment firm based in Philadelphia that aims to revitalize urban neighborhoods, set out to harness the data it uses in a fluid, visual format and ended up with the Web-hosted PolicyMap service at www.policymap.com.The working theory was that accessing data via a map format would drive more effective decisions on…

Q: Why do I need cables when I can do everything wireless?A: Great question. First, a quick overview of what “wireless” networking really means:When users say “wireless,” they generally refer to “wi-fi,” technically known as 802.11a, 802.11b/g or 802.11n networks. You can use consumer-grade access points (wireless routers or bridges) available at any retail store, or you can use enterprise-grade access points (APs) from Cisco, 3COM, et cetera. The difference between consumer-grade and enterprise-grade lies in manageability, security options and cost of deployment.Wireless is a great solution for small networks. But from a developer or owner’s perspective, the flaws in…

Last week, more than 800 members of the American Institute of Architects from around the country met with their local congressional leaders with suggested strategies to rebuild the economy through construction-related provisions in the stimulus bill currently being debated.Our main point of emphasis is that any stimulus plan must include a long-term vision. The AIA recommends providing funding for construction projects across 24 months, which will ensure a steady stream of funds for job creation over the likely life of the recession. The longer planning and design periods for projects also helps ensure that they are carried out in the…

January was a bloodbath for the job market with 598,000 losses. The staggering number has the obvious immediate negative consequences–and then there is the secondary impact. With the slashing of jobs comes the slashing of occupancy rates in most sectors of commercial real estate. Hessam Nadji (pictured), managing director of research services with Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, spoke to CPN about how employment’s devastating nosedive is impacting commercial real estate. CPN: The consequences of massive job losses have trickled down to the real estate market, but have all sectors of the industry been equally impacted? Nadji: The…

With the ever-growing uncertainty of the economy, real estate firms are looking for ways to cash in by offering advisory services to developers. Denver-based Archstone is the latest to join the move with its unveiling of Archstone Real Estate Advisory Services, which is designed to help lenders and investors maximize the value of their multi-family and mixed-use assets. Archstone’s new group will focus on asset strategy, development, construction management and asset management. And Archstone is certianly no stranger to the multi-family sector, having developed and operated multi-family portfolios with more than 80,000 apartments and completed more than $30.8 billion of…

Commercial real estate is experiencing sluggish deal volumes, uncertain valuations and the gathering clouds of properties that need refinancing toward the end of this year and 2010–without the assurance that lenders will actually want to step forward and do those deals. What’s a potential property investor (there is money out there) to do in such a climate: sit on the sidelines or assess the risks, and wade into the market? “There are absolutely risk takers today, but they’re mitigating that risk somewhat by looking for deals,” Peter Lynn, co-founder and co-principal of Chicago-based brokerage Building Equity, which specializes in commercial…