Facilities/Construction
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If you've ever gone for a long walk in the woods, you're aware of the soothing power of nature. Now there's a way to bring that feeling to work with you. It's called biophilia: the idea of connecting employees directly to nature, even while they're at work. But how do you implement biophilic design practically? In part one of our special report, "The Federal Office of the Future," Bill Browning, a partner at the sustainability consulting firm Terrapin Bright Green, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to review the current trends in biophilic design.
July 14, 2015 -
As part of Federal News Radio's special report, The Federal Office of the Future, we take a look at 10 unusual places where federal workers clock in at every day.
July 14, 2015 -
Simply ensuring offices have views to the outside, contain plants, receive adequate daylight or have nature-inspired art all help create a more inviting, healthy environment. Bill Browning offers tips on making your office a more productive place for employees by bringing the outside in.
July 14, 2015 -
Ensuring effective office space accommodations for people with disabilities necessitates increased understanding of what accommodations really are, says the Labor Department's Jennifer Sheehy. And that starts with the words we use.
July 14, 2015 -
An exclusive Federal News Radio online survey shows feds are happiest when they work in offices where they can close their doors. Cubicles and open spaces with little separating them from colleagues are a recipe for distraction and lower productivity, they say. "My colleagues just pop up like prairie dogs and ask me questions all day," said one respondent. The survey is part of Federal News Radio's latest special report, The Federal Office of the Future.
July 14, 2015 -
Thirty-nine out of 41 of the Veterans Affairs Department's outpatient leasing projects -- worth about $2.5 billion -- are running behind schedule. Delays range anywhere between six months to 13 years. Most of the delays happened before the VA began the lease agreement because the Veterans Health Administration didn't detail the project's requirements on time. Dave Wise is a director of physical infrastructure issues at the Government Accountability Office. He testified recently before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose the reason behind most of the delays and where in the leasing process things started to slow down.
July 06, 2015 -
The Base Realignment and Closure controversy doesn't look different than it has the last few Congresses. The Defense Department wants another round of BRAC -- Congress says absolutely not. In this week's edition of Inside the DoD reporter's notebook, Jared Serbu writes about a group that you wouldn't expect would want another round of BRAC.
July 06, 2015 -
The government’s latest budget playbook, the Circular A-11, for the first time includes a specific mention of climate-smart buildings.
July 06, 2015 -
The Association of Defense Communities recently surveyed its membership, asking whether they’d prefer another BRAC round to the current hand-wringing about when or if the military will realign its stateside infrastructure. 91 percent said they’d prefer another BRAC, while 8.6 percent prefer the status quo.
July 06, 2015 -
U.S. Capitol Police gave the all clear at the Washington Navy Yard around 10 a.m. after an emergency call was made earlier in the morning about possible shots fired at the campus.
July 02, 2015 -
The Defense Department and General Services Administration have an information sharing problem. They aren't sharing information about space that's available on military installations and about the agencies that could use it. Brian Lepore is director of defense capabilities and management issues at the GAO. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose how the two agencies can improve that collaboration.
June 29, 2015 -
The Obama administration admits the government doesn\'t need all of the 2.8 billion square feet of property it owns and leases worldwide. But it\'s struggled to identify the property it can safely shed. New tools out this summer could provide a breakthrough.
June 16, 2015 -
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told an audience at the GreenGov Symposium Wednesday his service would reach the goal of producing 1 gigawatt of renewable energy five years ahead of schedule.
June 10, 2015 -
The Environmental Protection Agency has named winners of this year\'s Federal Green Challenge, which prompts agencies to help reduce the entire government\'s environmental footprint. More than 400 agencies participated this year. Mathy Stanislaus, the assistant administrator of the EPA\'s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the challenge, and this year\'s winners.
May 13, 2015 -
The base made famous for its large gold vault is the first in the country to operate independently from the civilian power grid, thanks to generous supplies of natural gas directly beneath it. But officials say they wouldn\'t have achieved the milestone without previous steps to invest in geothermal energy and other conservation measures.
May 08, 2015