Insights and Inspiration from
the World of Access
Few human-made construction materials stand the test of time as the good-old, humble brick does. Historians believe bricks are the oldest-known construction materials. Archaeologists uncovered bricks dating back to 7,000 BC in some ancient settlements in present-day Southern Turkey. The ancient craft of brick-making continued during the Middle Ages in Europe, and peaked during the Industrial Revolution in the […]
Over the last decades, sustainability has become one of the most defining forces across all industries, and architecture is no exception. A growing number of architectural firms and practitioners aspire for their buildings to be as green as possible. To do so, they utilize new digital technologies, innovations, and materials — and also tap into their own […]
“Expressive, unapologetic, and ahead of her time in ecological and participative design” are the words that The Architectural Review uses to describe Minneta De Silva — widely considered the first female architect in Sri Lanka and one of the most important figures in South Asian modernist architecture. Minneta De Silva was born in 1918 in Kandy, Sri Lanka, thirty years […]
Smart cities are among our best bets for a livable and prosperous future. By leveraging technology to solve problems, smart cities can improve the quality of life for residents, promote sustainability, increase efficiency, enable better decision-making, create new opportunities, and foster economic growth. Hence, it’s no surprise that smart cities have rapidly spread worldwide. In […]
The greatest injustice of climate change is the fact that those who are most vulnerable to it are the people who contributed the least — such as the indigenous communities around the world. On the other hand, these communities also have the wisdom, experience, and the technologies to construct buildings in a way to minimize the notoriously high environmental impact of […]
Dozens of buildings crumpled when a deadly earthquake hit Mexico City in 2017, but its gleaming Torre Reforma survived with just a few cracks. It's often said 'Earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do'.
In 2022, Vienna grabbed the top spot in the Global Livability Index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). For this picture-perfect Central European city famous for its legacy in classical music, baroque architecture, and coffeehouse culture, the top ranking didn’t come as a surprise. “Stability and good infrastructure are the city’s main charms for its […]
While buildings fulfill the most basic human needs like shelter and security, architecture impacts the emotional state of any person who interacts with it. Whether it's intended or not, a building can provoke a range of emotions such as belonging, awe, fear, or hope.
Outsourcing technical services recently emerged as a crucial business strategy. Even if the managers had the technical skills to attend to all the needs of their facilities, outsourcing saves time, money, and hassle.
Emergencies and accidents can strike anyone, anytime, and anywhere, including the workplace. The United States Department of Labor includes both natural and humanmade incidents as a workplace emergency.
Despite different architectural styles, histories, and locations, Westminster Abbey, Cathedrals of Milan and Cologne, the Palace of Alhambra, and Stonehenge have many things in common. They're all iconic landmarks visited by millions of people a year.
Tailgating, the passage of an unauthorized person behind authorized personnel, is one of the most common physical security breaches. Also known as “piggybacking", tailgating often results from a random act of kindness such as holding the door to a stranger.
Despite the growing appetite towards digital and high-tech entrance solutions, mechanical keys and locks remain the most popular market solutions due to their durability and affordability. Especially in residential settings, they're the most ubiquitous entrance methods and continue to record stable growth.
Buildings and construction are responsible for 39 percent of the carbon emissions in the world. Operational emissions, meaning the energy required to heat, cool, or light a building, account for 28 percent of overall emissions.
In facilities with high people flow such as restaurants, offices, or care homes, a closed door can be a hindrance in daily life. Especially following a hectic schedule, one might not always have a free hand to control a door. Even if they did, especially at a time when hand hygiene is a bigger priority than ever, people might be reluctant to touch a door.
Patient flow is the movement of people within a healthcare facility. As one of the most crucial parts of hospital design, a successful patient flow ensures that the hospital can provide the right care at the right time while minimizing any potential risk of transmission of diseases.
Recent technological developments in cloud computing have driven innovation in the security market, convincing companies of all sizes to switch from manual or electronic access control to cloud-based ones.