IFMA’s World Workplace 2008: Facility Tours

Thanks to George in the comments, who pointed me to this press release, which  lists all the great tours lined up for WW08:

[9/3/08 Updates on Facilities Tours]

For Immediate Release
Andrea Sanchez
IFMA
1-713-623-4362

Date Posted: August 14, 2008

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WORLD WORKPLACE FACILITY TOURS HIGHLIGHT DALLAS ARCHITECTURE

The World Workplace 2008 Conference & Expo will bring the “youniversal” workplace experience to Dallas — but it is the city’s own rich architecture that will bring the conference to life. When an estimated 5,000 facility professionals from around the world meet in Dallas Oct. 15-17 to analyze the trends and new products affecting today’s built environment, many will see the city firsthand during tours of Fluor headquarters; the Dallas Morning News corporate offices; the American Airlines Center; the 115-year-old, newly-restored Old Red Courthouse; and the Dallas Convention Center. The International Facility Management Association’s World Workplace conference annually offers attendees the opportunity to see the facilities that help define the conference’s host city. Last year’s event in New Orleans featured a tour of the largest rebuilding project in the history of U.S. stadiums — the Louisiana Superdome — and this year’s tours will again showcase facilities that highlight the culture and values of those who use them.

Fluor’s new corporate headquarters building has been recognized with coveted LEED® certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Completed in 2006, the building incorporates multiple sustainability features into its design.

“Fluor’s newly built corporate headquarters here in Dallas is a great addition to the World Workplace facility tours for a number of reasons,” said Mary Feterly, facilities manager for Fluor Corporation’s global headquarters. “While it was essential to have this facility retain a lot of the inherent beauty of its surroundings by using the natural terrain, local stone on the facade and preserving much of the native plants and vegetation, it was equally important to make sure the building met modern-day expectations such as LEED certification. I think conference attendees will not only enjoy the tour, but also come away with some ideas they can incorporate into their own facilities.”

World Workplace will feature two tours of the Dallas Morning News corporate offices, including reconfigured areas of the facility that formerly housed the newspaper’s production equipment. The tours will also include the facility’s boiler chiller plants, which feature different generations of equipment housed separately but configured to function as one plant. The historic newspaper traces its roots to an unpainted, one-room shack built before the Republic of Texas was admitted to the Union.

The American Airlines Center serves as the backdrop to Dallas’ most vibrant urban gathering space — the 72-acre Victory Park development, the largest Environmental Protection Agency brownfield restoration project in the U.S. The tour will focus on center features such as a one-of-a-kind retractable seating system and 150,000 square foot roof supported only at its corners.

The Old Red Courthouse opened its doors to the people of Dallas in 1892, and while the building served as the heart of Dallas legal affairs for many years, decades of decline left the building in disrepair — until a $48 million renovation breathed new life into Old Red’s walls. Building tour guests will have the opportunity to see the restored 19th century courtroom, grand iron staircase and original molding and stained glass windows that help bring to life the story of Old Red.

Playing host to this year’s conference is the Dallas Convention Center, a 2 million square foot facility featuring the largest column-free exhibit hall in the world. The tour will cover the center’s utility performance project and its efforts toward LEED Silver certification. The center addresses five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

World Workplace 2008 facility tours will be held Thursday, Oct. 16, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and will depart from the Dallas Convention Center. Members of each facility’s engineering, operations or facility management team will conduct the tours and be available to answer questions.

To learn more about the World Workplace 2008 facility tours, or to register, visit http://www.worldworkplace.org/2008/conference/facility_tours.cfm. For a complete list of conference details, visit www.worldworkplace.org.

Members of the media interested in attending World Workplace may register at no cost by visiting https://www.ifma.org/secure/worldworkplace/2008/attendees/otherreg/register.aspx.

IFMA’s World Workplace Conference & Expo is an annual three-day educational and networking event focused on the future of the built environment. Building on the professional development opportunities available through the association year-round, the World Workplace experience includes a conference focused entirely on education and an exposition incorporating product demonstration and instruction. This year’s conference will be held Oct. 15-17, 2008, at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.worldworkplace.org.