Technology + Built Environment
In his column, Dr. Marson addresses the smart building industry’s culture of secrecy, which hinders collective innovation and learning. He argues that sharing project successes is crucial for advancing the industry, fostering collaboration, and establishing benchmarks. Marson advocates for a shift towards openness, suggesting that collective wisdom and shared achievements would catalyze faster progress and forge a more interconnected, dynamic sector.
I recently read Heatherwick’s book, Humanise: A Maker’s Guide to Building Our World. It’s a great read and something that everyone involved in the built environment should have a flick through. In it, he calls to end the blandemic of boring that we have in the monotony of our contemporary buildings and create a more […]
In his January 2024 column, Dr. Marson predicts trends in the smart buildings industry:
1. Widespread adoption of generative AI
2. Formation of more in-house smart building teams
3. Rationalization of the PropTech start-up market
4. Delays in achieving net zero carbon targets due to the pandemic. These changes will shape the future leaders in the industry.
In the December 2023 column, Matthew Marson discusses strategies to prevent smart technology obsolescence in buildings, drawing from his experience with Europe’s largest commercial building. He highlights the need for a proactive approach, suggesting lifespan expectations for building elements and advocating for a microservices architecture to enhance agility and relevance.
The Smart Buildings Show discussed the challenges and opportunities of retrofitting. Retrofits have the potential to enhance building capabilities, but face barriers like confusion over the term and resistance to digital transformation. Collaboration among industry bodies and sharing of case studies could help define strategies, while repurposing existing technology can reduce costs and boost sustainability.
COLUMN – November 2023 The 3 Sensors You Need for a Sustainable Building At a cheeky lunch the other week, James Palmer from Metrikus, quite rightly, told me I was stupid. Being the engineering nerds that we are, we were fighting over the best way to measure the efficiency of a building… I’m a disciple […]
The author critiques the RIBA Plan of Work for not effectively integrating smart building design. He advocates for early involvement of designers, agile project management, and procurement processes to match market capabilities. The columnist anticipates changes under the new RIBA President Muyiwa Oki and invites readers to join a taskforce for standard PoW overlay.
In his September 2023 column, Dr. Matthew Marson addresses the integrity issues within the PropTech industry, highlighting misleading marketing claims and dishonest practices. He warns readers to verify vendor claims and emphasizes the importance of credibility in decision-making. As an experienced leader in Smart Buildings, Dr. Marson provides insightful observations on industry challenges and trends.
In his August 2023 column, Matthew Marson reflects on the parallels between modern AI capabilities and those of the Terminator’s Cyberdyne Systems Model T101. He expresses a mix of optimism and cynicism about AI’s potential in smart building design, expressing concern about potential drawbacks and the impact on design uniqueness.
The July 2023 column discusses the evolution of smart building mobile apps and introduces the Apple Vision Pro as a potential game-changer. It highlights the device’s user-friendly features, its focus on the physical world, and its potential to revolutionize spatial computing. The author, Matthew Marson, is an accomplished leader in the Smart Buildings industry.