One of the pandemic’s many holdovers was its negative effect on the commercial real estate market in the US. The Great Resignation, coupled with the number of businesses that have either adopted a hybrid work environment or allowed many employees to work from home, has created smaller real estate footprints for many companies and lower … Read more
When most building professionals, facility managers, architects, and other professionals discuss building management systems (BMS), they immediately go to efficiencies in HVAC. Over the past decade, technological innovations have expanded this to include electrical distribution, energy efficiency, access control, security, and other areas. However, not much has been said about the solutions for water management … Read more
Administrators and employees at the VA Hospital in Fort Harrison, near Helena, Montana, now have one less concern when it comes to physical plant security. FICO recently completed the installation of a new access-control system that regulates the comings and goings of employees at the facility and, when it is fully completed, at all VA … Read more
Summer is here, with harsh weather in many regions across the country. Heat and its challenges can be tough on your BMS (building management system). However, simple maintenance can address most of these challenges. Many summertime issues relate not only to BMS but also directly to the HVAC system in your building. Fortunately, FICO technicians … Read more
Planners and administrators at colleges and universities know that their campuses must serve as a portal to the future and that the future includes sustainability and a common sense approach to energy use. Among these priorities is that the design and construction of classrooms, conference halls, libraries, faculty and administration offices, and especially student housing, … Read more
Building management systems have their roots in HVAC. In the late 1800s, as the industrial age started pushing more people into smaller work areas, industrialists began to see the first cases of sick building syndrome—employees becoming ill from breathing stale air and exposure to infectious diseases. Those employees who didn’t get sick were often still … Read more
Facility managers long for a crystal ball that can give them insight into the inner workings of their building or campus. How can they see problems before they happen? How can they save more on energy costs? How can they keep employees safe and healthy and create environments in which they are more productive? The … Read more
Building management systems (BMS) are essential to today’s office buildings, hospitals, colleges, and universities. Once the building is occupied, owners and tenants can save considerable money on energy bills. Buildings are also responsible for as much as 37% of pollutants and greenhouse gases in the US. Hence, reducing that output is essential as the country … Read more
The experts at FICO are playing a pivotal role in Legionella prevention at the VA Hospital in Ft. Harrison, near Helena, Montana. FICO worked with manufacturers of smart sensors for water testing and Armstrong Rada Digital Faucets with Infection Control that automatically flush parts of the plumbing system not used regularly. These are two crucial … Read more
Hospitals pose the ultimate challenge for building management systems (BMS) designers. They have multiple environments, many of which vary considerably in air quality requirements. There are operating rooms, treatment rooms, laboratories, sterile processing rooms, imaging rooms, supply rooms, and patient rooms. With COVID, there has been a heightened concern for infectious diseases, which poses more … Read more
FICO provides turnkey building management and system integration services for technically complex buildings in Montana and beyond. From design and installation to ongoing maintenance and security, our best-in-class people and products help you achieve operational savings and minimize risk as you work to provide reliable and safe environments.
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Great Falls, MT 59404
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