How should your facilities team deal with evolving building codes and performance standards?

In this one-hour recorded webinar, Banner Health’s Josh Brackett, system regulatory director of facilities, joins host Rob Tanner, Johnson Controls, for a candid chat on how building codes affect facility owners and operators. Hear his practical insights on what’s shaping the future of high-performance buildings in healthcare and other sectors, and what you can do today to support your mission.

Episode highlights

Chapter 1: What’s the current state of building codes and performance standards?

6:46 | Josh describes the differences between “best practice” guidelines and enforced government codes, the continuing emphasis on energy efficiency in state and local codes, and the need for owners and operators to look at the data behind creating a high-performance building and anchor changes in the organization’s mission.

Chapter 2: How do building codes look in practice – from construction to day-to-day operations?

19:40 | With 31 hospitals and about 400 buildings, Banner Health has moved to a centralized approach to address codes, avoid energy penalties and address the skilled labor shortage. Josh describes Banner’s remote operations center for building management, their continuous commissioning process and the use of chiller surge algorithms.

Chapter 3: How can facility managers do a better job of telling their story?

22:41 | Josh argues that facility management is a “dollar protection department” that directly impacts the organization’s ability to carry out its mission. Managing facilities to eliminate waste saves money, time and labor. Rob adds that it’s worthwhile to focus on incremental improvements, revealing opportunities while avoiding disruption.

Chapter 4: How can you leverage codes and standards to offset unnecessary spend?

28:46 | Josh notes that, with hundreds of codes and standards to consider when designing a building, owners should make sure they’re educated enough to ask for alternative compliance options up front—an approach that has saved Banner more than $100M in lifecycle costs. He offers an example using energy use intensity (EUI) penalties.

Chapter 5: What are some current trends related to codes and standards?

36:27 | Referring to the impact of Medicare/Medicaid cuts on hospitals, Josh says that cost pressure can lead to innovation. He also sees more collaboration among hospitals, accrediting agencies and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Rob notes that AI-fueled solutions are not replacing skilled technicians but rather requiring more knowledge, which makes those collaborations more powerful.

Chapter 6: What are practical takeaways for facility owners and operators?

44:29 | Think about how you tell the story of facility management. Tie the consequences of specific actions to the organization’s mission, making it personal and practical.

• When you discuss spending, include the impact on the mission. If equipment goes down, how does that affect revenue? What’s the effect on customers?
• Think of building performance standards as a continuous improvement model. Turn hot and cold calls into opportunities to dig deeper and resolve issues that ultimately have a bottom-line impact.
• Consider using AI tools to stay on top of changing codes and standards, using prompts such as “What are the top five changes in XYZ?”