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But Berman said persistent uncertainty in the office market has made every lease negotiation unpredictable.

We were pleased, but a little bloody, Berman said of Ponds renewal, which took place last month. Who isnt going to get bloodied up when you make a renewal in this marketplace?

Historically high vacancies and increased interest rates have many real estate experts concerned about mounting foreclosures in the office sector. Metro Atlanta set records last year for its unwanted office space, ending 2023 with about 32% of its office square foot available for rent, according to real estate services firm CBRE.

Cities, counties and schools rely heavily on commercial tax revenue to fund services. Fuller buildings are worth more than emptier ones, meaning local governments have a lot riding on how healthy the office market is.

Persistent hybrid work schedules, an abundance of vacant space and a tough refinancing market have clouded the office market since the onset of COVID-19, forcing employers and landlords to adjust to a post-pandemic work environment. For many, that has meant sitting tight and taking time to evaluate, which has lead to years of depressed leasing activity.

Less than 5.7 million square feet of leasing activity took place in metro Atlanta during 2023, about 3.8 million square feet less than the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to data from real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.

Push comes to shove when a lease is about to expire, and many employers have decided to reduce their office footprint while reconfiguring their remote work policies. The average amount of office square footage leased across the country has shrunk 25% since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, according to Addison Meriwether, an Atlanta-based executive managing director at Cushman & Wakefield.

Even the largest lease transaction of 2024 so far in the Atlanta area was a downsize. Logistics software maker Manhattan Associates renewed 209,000 square feet of space at Wildwood Center in Cobb County, according to CBRE, but that was a 5% decrease from the companys prior footprint.

Meriwether said office owners are doing whatever possible to prevent their tenants from shedding space from investing money to refresh their buildings to offering concession packages.

To keep the status quo is certainly a win for the landlord, he said.

Berman declined to disclose the lease terms of the renewal with Pond, which has operated in Peachtree Ridge since 2005 and now occupies about two-thirds of the building. OA Development was represented by Transwestern, while CBREs Craig Goldberg and Pablo Melgarejo represented Pond.

OA Development recently completed lobby and landscaping enhancements at the 37-year-old office building at 3500 Parkway Lane.

Credit: OA Development

Credit: OA Development

This is an industry that if youre not constantly investing in the asset, you cant keep up, Berman said.

Bob Williams, Ponds CEO, said most of the 300-plus employees based in Peachtree Ridge come to the office about four days a week. His company also added a 20,000 square foot satellite office in Cobb because of the companys recent growth.

Its a great opportunity to find your balance, Williams said. Dont go completely work-from-home because youll miss that camaraderie, but its OK to not have that commute every once in a while.

Several Atlanta employers have ramped up return-to-office mandates in recent months. Fortune 500 shipping giant UPS became one of the countrys largest companies to require employees to come back five days a week, and digital commerce firm NCR Voyix announced a similar policy last week for its Atlanta workforce.

Cushman & Wakefield recently studied 160 companies, and about 85% of them have policies requiring at least three days of in-person work. Meriwether said, Theres a concerted effort to get people back in the office.

Berman said loan distress is a looming threat even for landlords who are retaining tenants. His firm made headlines a year ago after a fully leased building of his in Alpharetta nearly went through foreclosure.

You can do all the right things and still end up on the wrong side of the bed, Berman said. This is a humbling market to work in.

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Engineering firm signs one of the largest office leases in metro Atlanta this year - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Of the 14 Grand Challenges of Engineering identified by the National Academy of Engineering, six are in the environmental and ecological engineering domain. These six challenges address critical issues like providing access to clean water, restoring and improving our infrastructure in a sustainable way, and developing methods to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions.

Solving these complex problems requires environmental and ecological engineers to possess a unique blend of advanced knowledge and skills. Because these challenges are multifaceted, a purely scientific background isnt enough.

Instead, an advanced degree is required. This way, graduates can apply the full range of technical expertise in systems engineering, biology, and chemistry to protect human and environmental health, design sustainable systems, and manage Earths resources for future generations.

At these leading universities, you can pursue those advanced degrees in environmental and ecological engineering, equipping you with the tools and expertise needed to tackle these pressing challenges:

Purdues EEE programme is flexible and designed to develop the careers of students. Source: Purdue University

Environmental issues pose some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet. Purdue Universitys Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE) programme equips graduates with the skills to address these issues head-on. Ranked #12 for graduate programmes by US News & World Report (2023), Purdue EEE takes a holistic approach, training future engineers to consider environmental and ecological aspects when designing solutions.

Purdue EEE offers MS, PhD, and combined degrees that allow graduates to develop sustainable solutions for various issues, from clean water and air to waste management and resource conservation. The curriculum goes beyond traditional environmental engineering by covering industrial sustainability designing systems that minimise waste and maximise resource efficiency. This two-pronged approach reflects Purdue EEEs commitment to true sustainability, addressing existing environmental problems while preventing future ones.

The EEE MS programme, which can be completed in three semesters, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, drawing students across STEM fields. With 21 faculty members appointed across seven departments across the University, the programme offers an unparalleled breadth of knowledge. As such, students benefit from diverse perspectives which helps them to develop well-rounded problem-solving skills.

Purdue EEE understands that career prospects are important. This is why it works hard to maintain their 100% internship or independent project completion rate before graduation, ensuring graduates are job-ready. Environmental engineers are in high demand, ranking #2 on US News & World Reports 2024 Best Engineering Jobs list with a median salary of US$96,530 (2022). Purdue EEE graduates are top contenders for these roles, with many going on to make significant contributions in various sectors like consulting, manufacturing, government, NGOs, and academia.

Diversity is another strength of the programme. With a student body and faculty of roughly 55% women year-over-year and students from over 14 countries, Purdue EEE cultivates a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.

A masters degree in Ecological and Environmental Sciences at Imperial College London opens doors to various career paths, including PhD pursuits, roles in conservation NGOs, and multinational corporations. Source: Imperial College London

Imperial College London is a global top 10 university with a world-class reputation for excellence in teaching and research. In 2022, it was named University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide. Here, youll find an educational experience in ecological and environmental sciences like no other that equips students with the knowledge and skills to tackle critical environmental issues.

Their masters programmes, including MSc Environmental Engineering, MSc Conservation Science and Practice and more, are based at Silwood Park, a vibrant rural campus with diverse natural habitats. Upon arrival, youll go on a week-long field trip, immersing yourself in the ecosystems that youll be studying.

Silwood Park has cutting-edge facilities, from the Wolfson Genomics Laboratory for advanced DNA sequencing to state-of-the-art microbe labs. You can even get hands-on with pond mesocosms, giant controlled ponds that simulate real-world ecosystems.

Studying here places you within a thriving community of passionate students. Youll follow in the footsteps of groundbreaking researchers who made significant contributions to ecology and environmental science, including the foundation of disease modelling and chaos theory. As a masters student, youll be part of this dynamic research culture, actively participating in practicals and potentially contributing to ongoing projects. This could involve animal surveys, collecting soil samples, or computer coding to solve environmental challenges. You might even contribute to ongoing research, like Ecology, Evolution and Conservation programme students who track Lundy Islands sparrow population.

The masters programme culminates in a unique student conference, where youll present your research an invaluable experience for a scientific career. Beyond academia, graduates go on to diverse fields, with many joining conservation organisations or taking on roles with environmental consultancies and carbon restoration companies. Others have secured positions with multinationals like JP Morgan and Hitachi.

The Environmental Engineering programme at ETH Zrich attracts technically-minded students passionate about environmental and climate issues. Source: ETH Zrich/Facebook

Nestled amidst breathtaking Alpine vistas, ETH Zurich, ranked sixth globally, offers a unique learning experience for over 23,000 international students. This university goes beyond traditional education whose sole purpose is to only prepare for a job. Instead, the university designs and runs interdisciplinary programmes that tackle pressing global issues like climate change.

The Institute for Environmental Engineering (IfU) exemplifies this commitment. Here, renowned researchers focus on developing sustainable solutions for environmental challenges. Their work in areas like water management, air quality, and ecological systems have won global recognition.

These are the same people who teach the Environmental Engineering programme, which caters to technically inclined students passionate about environmental and climate issues. The curriculum is continuously updated, reflecting the dynamic nature of environmental challenges. This ensures graduates are well-equipped to tackle real-world problems, whether in engineering firms, government agencies, or pursuing scientific careers.

Masters students can choose a specialisation, such as urban water management, environmental technologies, resource management, water resources management, and river and hydraulic engineering. Whats more, a wide range of electives from ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich allows for further specialisation or a broader educational scope. The programme culminates in a masters thesis to test and showcase research capabilities.

Beyond the classroom, the Environment and Computer Laboratory provides hands-on experience in technical methodologies. Students refine their experimental techniques and gain expertise in software applications crucial for environmental analysis. While internships arent mandatory, the programme strongly encourages them to bridge the gap between theory and professional practice.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

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3 global leaders within the environmental and ecological engineering space - Study International

The UKs railways have been in dire need of an overhaul for years now, with the government repeatedly kicking responsibility down the road since a plan to reform the rail network and how it operates was first floated as part of the Williams Rail Review, first convened in September 2018.

But finally, the brakes have been taken off the train and things are in motion at least partly. A Draft Rail Reform Bill has proposed creating an Integrated Rail Body, which could be called Great British Railways, that would oversee decisions about infrastructure and train operations. (Even if the current Conservative government does not lead the country following an election planned for later this year, its likely that large parts of the Draft Rail Reform Bill will be inherited by a Labour government and enacted.)

The draft bill was published by the Conservative government in February, but has so far received a muted reception. One reason? It seems unlikely that the current proposal would even make it into law before a general election, meaning that the process of parliamentary ping-pong would start again from scratch.

Even if the bill was fast-tracked into law, one 37-year veteran of Network Rail, David Shirres, said the proposals were too little, too late.

However, Shirres did appear to welcome the idea of bringing infrastructure and operational decision making under one roof. Doing so would tackle misaligned incentives which are the root of many of the railways problems and the reason why customer needs are not always put first, he wrote for Rail Engineer.

Yet Shirres also worried about what had been lost in the years-long process of developing the bill through different stages and iterations. One proposal that was sorely missed in the final bill according to the former engineer, but was present in the May 2021 Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, was a Whole Industry Strategic Plan. The WISP, as it was called in the 2021 plan for rail, would identify strategic priorities in the rail network for the coming three decades, and be in charge of enacting them. It is [] disappointing that the engineering benefits of a whole system technical authority do not now seem to be recognised, wrote Shirres.

Losing the WISP could have huge knock-on effects on the UK rail network, and more than that, the engineering staff working within it.

The problem with losing [the WISP] is things become political again, says Tony Lodge, research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies, a centre-right think tank, who wrote a 2022 report on the rail industry. And when it comes to political decision making, choices are often made for the short-term what will benefit a government in power most in advance of a tricky election? than the long-term. The whole point of Great British Rail is, in theory, to remove heavy Department for Transport micromanagement, says Lodge.

And going against that plan, and not implementing a WISP, does away with that, and could result in knee-jerk, reactionary responses to political controversies, rather than long-term thinking about what is best for the wider rail network.

The case for a WISP is simple, says Lodge. It provides certainty of the consistency of projects in the pipeline, which are scheduled for eight years away, five years away, two years away or 15 years away, he explains. Its about having a clearly identifiable funnel of forthcoming works and what government is looking to do.

The importance of a centralised, apolitical whole-system technical authority is even more important when considering the scale of ambition government has for the rail network in the coming decades. There is quite a lot of infrastructure enhancement work necessary to deliver anything close to that target, says Lodge. But knowing how to sequence and structure the rollout of that infrastructure in a logical way to meet the ambitious deadlines in place would be better suited to a WISP, rather than coming under the control of central government.

Lodge points out that recent decisions to U-turn on major rail infrastructure projects, such as the High Speed 2 (HS2) project, by central government make the case for why the original idea for a WISP in an earlier iteration of the national rail plans were so vital to the engineering sector.

That was a political decision, he says. It was a political decision, taken because of an inflated cost overrun. But the HS2 brouhaha could become more commonplace and have an impact on the ability for the rail engineering sector to conduct long-term planning if the Rail Reform Bill as currently drafted were to enter into force in the coming years.

Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? TheProfessional Engineeringnewslettergives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, clickhere.

Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

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What the draft Rail Reform Bill would mean for engineers - Professional Engineering

Ross Anderson, a professor of security engineering at the University of Cambridge who is widely recognized for his contributions to computing, passed away at home on Thursday according to friends and colleagues who have been in touch with his family and the University.

Anderson, who also taught at Edinburgh University, was one of the most respected academic engineers and computer scientists of his generation. His research included machine learning, cryptographic protocols, hardware reverse engineering and breaking ciphers, among other topics.

His public achievements include, but are by no means limited to, being awarded the British Computer Societys Lovelace Medal in 2015, and publishing several editions of the Security Engineering textbook. Anderson noted that his academic genealogy referring to thesis advisors rather than parents included Lord Rayleigh and Isaac Newton.

As it is currently a public holiday for Good Friday in the United Kingdom, to be followed by another public holiday for Easter Monday, an official announcement is not expected until Tuesday.

Throughout his career, Anderson was an outspoken defender of individual privacy and individual security and a committed educator.

A full obituary will be published in due course.

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Alexander Martin

is the UK Editor for Recorded Future News. He was previously a technology reporter for Sky News and is also a fellow at the European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative.

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Ross Anderson, professor and famed author of 'Security Engineering,' passes away - The Record from Recorded Future News