The smart building industry has a dangerous obsession. We are mesmerized by the promise of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and advanced analytics. We see the incredible potential of these tools to predict failures, optimize energy, and transform operations. But we are…
The Empowered Operator: A Campus Case Study in Value Creation
For years, the narrative around smart building technology has been focused on the technology itself: the AI, the algorithms, the dashboards. But this narrative is missing the most important character in the story: the operator.Technology is not a replacement for human…
The End of the ROI Mirage: A Blueprint for Value-Driven Procurement
The End of the ROI Mirage: A Blueprint for Value-Driven Procurement For decades, the process of buying and selling technology in the commercial real estate industry has been built on a fundamental flaw. It’s a flaw that creates the “ROI Mirage,”…
Augmentation vs. Automation: A Better AI Strategy for Facility Management
Beyond Automation: How to Use Technology to Augment Your Team’s Expertise The conversation around AI in the smart building industry is broken. It is dominated by a Silicon Valley narrative of “automation” and “disruption,” centered on a flawed premise: that the…
Big Data vs. Right Data: The Foundation of Building Analytics
Data Janitors vs. Data Scientists: The Unsexy Work of Building a Solid Data Foundation The smart building industry is obsessed with the promise of Artificial Intelligence. We’re sold a future where sophisticated data scientists and powerful machine learning algorithms will unlock…
The Problem-First Mandate: Fixing Your Smart Building Strategy
The Problem-First Mandate: Why Your Smart Building Strategy is Backwards The smart building industry has a fundamental addiction: solutionism. We are obsessed with new technologies—the latest AI platform, the slickest dashboard, the most advanced sensor—before we have a clear-eyed understanding of…
Fad or Future? Debunking PropTech Hype in AI & Digital Twins
The smart building industry is saturated with PropTech hype around transformative technologies like Artificial Intelligence, conversational chatbots, and digital twins. While these tools hold genuine long-term potential, their current application is often superficial, creating the illusion of innovation while failing to…
Beyond the Dashboard: Why Your Smart Building Tech Fails the ‘Burst Pipe’ Test
If you’re a facility or operations manager, your day probably doesn’t look anything like the slick marketing for smart building software. Marketing shows a calm professional, coffee in hand, serenely observing a beautiful dashboard. Green checkmarks are everywhere. Efficiency is trending…
The ROI Mirage – Deconstructing the Myth of Effortless Smart Building Payoffs
The financial justification for smart building technology is often presented as a simple calculation: invest in technology, reduce energy and operational costs, and enjoy a swift and certain return on investment (ROI). This narrative, however, frequently relies on a narrow and…
Lab Buildings & Analytics: A Smart Approach to Safety and Efficiency
Laboratory buildings are among the most energy-intensive and complex facilities on any campus. With their specialized equipment, stringent ventilation requirements, and safety-critical systems, labs can consume up to 5–10 times more energy per square foot than a typical office building. Balancing…