— Insights
Field notes and technical writing.
Explainers, comparisons, and project stories from the crews who install and program these systems. Pick a topic, search, or jump to the full index. Looking for downloadable checklists and reference cards? Those live in Resources.
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Start with what you're working on.
— Editor's picks
Start here.
I/A Series Niagara: Schneider’s Niagara system, explained.
Schneider sells a complete Niagara-based building management system under its own name. Here is what is in I/A Series Niagara, how it…
ReadRemembering Mitch
Twenty-two years at Athena, from truck driver to General Superintendent. Raiders fan, NASCAR fan, grower of good things. Still on the crew.
ReadHow We Migrated Piper Spirit From LonWorks to BACnet/IP
In 2025 we migrated the BAS at our own headquarters from legacy LonWorks to BACnet/IP. Our controls crews did the work. Here…
Read— Topic
Controls Platforms
What is actually inside the systems we install and program — Schneider EcoStruxure, Niagara, Johnson Controls Facility Explorer — and how they compare. Start here if you are choosing a platform, or trying to figure out what is already in your building.
Schneider Electric Brands
A field guide to Schneider Electric's brand portfolio — Square D, APC, TAC, Andover Continuum, Invensys, and more. The legacy lineage running…
ReadPowered by Niagara: what the small Tridium sticker on your BAS controller actually means
A short guide to the open framework most building automation systems are actually running on — and why it changes the math…
ReadI/A Series Niagara: Schneider’s Niagara system, explained.
Schneider sells a complete Niagara-based building management system under its own name. Here is what is in I/A Series Niagara, how it…
Read— Topic
Legacy Migrations
Moving an aging BAS onto open protocols without tearing out everything that still works. LonWorks, pneumatics, older Schneider platforms — how we plan it, phase it, and keep the building running while we do it.
Twisted-pair adapters, compared — the open T1L standard vs. Schneider’s free topology.
Which twisted-pair adapter fits your building? A side-by-side of the open T1L standard, Schneider's free-topology approach, and where each one belongs.
ReadReuse the wiring you already have — upgrading building controls without a rewire.
How the Schneider SpaceLogic Twisted Pair Adapter lets you upgrade to BACnet/IP without pulling new cable — and where its limits sit.
ReadWhy are BACnet/IP Controllers a Big Deal?
IP controllers aren't new anymore — they're the default. But the why still matters, especially if you're writing a spec, planning a…
Read— Topic
Mechanical Systems
Air handlers, chillers, VAV, VRF, fan walls — the equipment side of the building. Comparisons, lessons learned, and project stories from the mechanical crews who install it.
Inside the Ebell of Los Angeles
How Athena Engineering designed and built a custom VRF retrofit for the Ebell of Los Angeles — a 1927 historic theater featured…
ReadMore coming
More on Mechanical Systems is in the works.
Is there a question you'd like answered here? Tell us, and it may be the next piece we write.
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Critical Environments
Labs, grow facilities, data centers — spaces where pressure, temperature, and humidity have to hold, every hour of every day. What makes these systems different, and what designers tend to miss.
How lab pressurization actually works — and what most BAS designers miss.
What separates a lab BAS from a building BAS, why valve mechanism matters more than valve brand, and how Athena Engineering ties…
ReadMore coming
More on Critical Environments is in the works.
Is there a question you'd like answered here? Tell us, and it may be the next piece we write.
Suggest a topic— Topic
Security & Connected Buildings
Cybersecurity, access control, and cloud-managed systems. What happens when the BAS joins the network, and how to keep it from becoming the easy way in.
Hackers turned up the heat.
Hackers pushed French supermarket freezers to 122°F through their controls. What that attack and others like it mean for your BAS security,…
ReadAccess Expert or Security Expert? A field guide to Schneider’s two access control products (and who should install them)
Two Schneider access control products, one deep EcoStruxure Building Operation integration, one common installation mistake. A plain-English guide to Access Expert vs.…
ReadCloud-managed BMS, explained — what Neeve actually does.
What a cloud-managed BMS actually is, what Neeve actually does, and where it fits — from an integrator that runs it on…
Read— Topic
Culture & Crew
The people behind the work — and what forty-plus years in a family business has taught us.
— In the press
Coverage, awards, and recognition.
— Every piece
The full index.
21 published pieces, newest first.
- Oct 2026 I/A Series Niagara: Schneider’s Niagara system, explained. Controls Platforms Explainer
- Oct 2026 Remembering Mitch Culture & Crew Story
- Oct 2026 Leading Without Limitations Press & Awards
- Oct 2026 Hackers turned up the heat. Security & Connected Buildings Explainer
- Sep 2026 My Turn at the Safety Congress Press & Awards
- Jul 2026 Access Expert or Security Expert? A field guide to Schneider’s two access control products (and who should install them) Security & Connected Buildings Comparison
- Jul 2026 Cloud-managed BMS, explained — what Neeve actually does. Security & Connected Buildings Explainer
- Jul 2026 Twisted-pair adapters, compared — the open T1L standard vs. Schneider’s free topology. Legacy Migrations Comparison
- Jul 2026 Reuse the wiring you already have — upgrading building controls without a rewire. Legacy Migrations Explainer
- Jun 2026 How lab pressurization actually works — and what most BAS designers miss. Critical Environments Explainer
- Jun 2026 How We Migrated Piper Spirit From LonWorks to BACnet/IP Legacy Migrations Project Story
- Jun 2026 Forty Years In. The Arc Behind the Work. Press & Awards
- Jun 2026 Two Generations on the Cover Press & Awards
- Jun 2026 Inside the Ebell of Los Angeles Mechanical Systems Project Story
- Jun 2026 Schneider Electric Brands Controls Platforms Explainer
- Jun 2026 Powered by Niagara: what the small Tridium sticker on your BAS controller actually means Controls Platforms Explainer
- May 2026 To Our Daughters: Play in Dirt, Dream Big Culture & Crew Story
- May 2026 Why are BACnet/IP Controllers a Big Deal? Legacy Migrations Explainer
- Feb 2026 Three Wins, One Year Press & Awards
- Jan 2026 The Kaiser Partnership Press & Awards
- Nov 2025 The Safety Program, Reviewed Twice in 2025 Press & Awards
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Technical questions, project frames, budget math — if you've been searching for a thing and not finding it, tell us. We probably have an answer worth writing down.
