CREJ

Page 2 — Property Management Quarterly — January 2020 www.crej.com Letter from the Editor T his issue highlights a topic that will be a reoccurring theme in 2020 – sustainability and ener- gy-efficiency efforts in com- mercial real estate. Right off the bat, on Page 4, Paul Kriescher explains that when it comes to a building enve- lope’s air tightness, simply having good intentions is no longer enough – start- ing in May, Denver buildings will have to prove it with a blower door test. In the middle of the issue, we have an Energize Den- ver supplement, which highlights nine buildings that have made large strides in the last few years to become more energy effi- cient. Rounding out the issue, on Page 26, the U.S. Green Building Council submitted an article that outlines several recently launched initiatives to complement and further sustainability efforts. While working on this issue, I learned more about Denver’s 80x50 Cli- mate Action Plan, which outlines the city’s goals to reduce building energy use 10% by 2020, 30% by 2030 and 50% by 2050. Unfortunately, according to the article on Page 16, we’re not on track. (The plan also outlines goals to cut back on energy used by transporta- tion, which combined with the build- ing goals would reduce Denver’s total energy use by 80% by 2050.) However, that’s not to say the effort made by property managers across the state is going unnoticed. Denver leads the nation in green living – 7% of our apartment units are green certi- fied – while our office properties are the eighth greenest – 48.2% of office space is now green certified – accord- ing to green building adoption indices from CBRE, Maastricht University and the University of Guelph.This is the first year for the multifamily report and sixth year for the office index. Last year, Denver ranked No. 9 for office space, with 45.2% certified. Local properties aren’t the only ones catching the energy-efficiency wave. A survey of landlords, property man- agers, agents and suppliers predicts that investment in smart technologies will increase, especially as it relates to energy-efficiency improvements, according to management consultancy firm CIL.The research found that 58% of respondents said smart controls and sensors are important for building management, and 92% said spending in this area is increasing. Additionally, 84% of respondents said they predict a rise in future spending on advanced heating, ventilation and air-condition- ing systems and the smart thermo- stats and roommonitoring that comes along with it. With these predictions, it will be interesting to see if Denver maintains its spots on next year’s lists – and if we make strides to get on track to meet the city’s goals. I’d love to hear from readers who are undergoing or considering a major energy-efficiency upgrade in 2020. Michelle Z. Askeland maskeland@crej.com 303-623-1148, Ext. 104 Denver’s 2020 energy goals Contents Air-tightness testing requirement comes to Denver Paul Kriescher Leasing: Should they stay or should they go? William Low Tips to address maintenance staffing challenges Christin Daniels Create an empowering environment for your staff Nick Mertens Mentors and protégés: Are they relics or relevant? David W. Hewett Cultivate learning opportunities throughout career Joe Havey Energize Denver supplement The future of parking management is mobile Adam Kriegel New initiatives launched to complement LEED Charlie Woodruff Denver Metro BOMA celebrates award winners 4 6 8 10 12 14 15 24 26 27