Blog

Say you are the owner of a retail store and your building has a solid wall facing a busy street where potential consumers just walk right past instead of coming inside.  You wonder what's the most effective way to resolve this issue and decide to take action and open the wall up to showcase your product and let natural light in.  A contractor tells you that you will need to install temporary shoring to re-support the existing structure in order to make the opening.  Building a temporary shoring… Read More

Crawling into what the facilities manager referred to as “the catacombs” is not exactly what you would expect when doing work on a bank in the 21st century.  This is exactly the type of work you should imagine though when working in the heart of Philadelphia, one of the oldest municipalities in the U.S rich with history and, a lot of structural unknowns. Bala’s Structures Team was commissioned to upgrade two levels of space for Bryn Mawr Trust within an old building on the corner of Walnut and… Read More

COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus that is predominantly spread through contact and dispersion of droplets between people and nearby surfaces.  Because the elderly are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19, there are some measures long-term care facilities (LTC) can take to help prevent the spread of the virus.  Effective measures for LTC facilities include modifications to HVAC systems, cleaning, screening occupants, staff and visitors and containment. Isolation Wings In a long-term care… Read More

When it comes to designing warehouse and logistic centers, it's all about size!  Spaces are designed around volume (footprint x height) and the demand for these facilities has become insatiable over the years. Structural engineering plays a key role in making sure the bones of these mammoth facilities are strong enough to sustain a wide variety of elements. Read More

The COVID-19 Virus is infecting people of all ages with the elderly being most vulnerable.  Long-term care facilities house millions of seniors across the country.  We must plan now to identify solutions to manage current and future pandemics so that long-term care facilities are better prepared to respond and keep their facilities “healthy”.  From filters and air changes in HVAC systems to Isolation Wings and germicidal ultra-violet (GUV) lights as well as technology integrations for access… Read More

The use of camera systems to detect staff and visitor body temperature has become extremely topical because of the contagion rate of the COVID-19 virus, and recent clarifications by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Committee regarding the acceptability for employers to restrict access to a work site based on temperature screening. Read More

Recovering from the current worldwide pandemic will impact the lives of the work force in obvious ways, such as social distancing, working remotely and cleanliness, but also in more obscure ways, such as energy use, waste streams and office norms. Read More

Bala has worked with URBN and its brands for over 15 years on various projects including the headquarters in Philadelphia, multiple warehouses, and retail stores across the Northeast region.   Read More

Depending on the type of HVAC system in your building, below are some HVAC measures to implement for the short term and long term to reduce the potential spread of contaminants. Read More

Since most office buildings currently have low or no occupancy, there are some measures for your domestic water systems that you can implement now to be sure these systems are well maintained and prepared for the return to the workplace. Read More