Technology + Built Environment
Smart Building Magazine Column, The Smart Chronicles
The author expresses initial skepticism towards digital twins due to factors like cost, complexity, and relevance. However, as technology advances and becomes more affordable, the potential for digital twins to enhance sustainability, efficiency, and innovation is growing. The author envisions future models incorporating actionable intelligence, transforming them from static representations to dynamic, intelligent systems.
It’s starting to become clear to many across the industry that their smart buildings didn’t deliver the value that they were promised. From bombastic sales pitches to guaranteed savings, some have been left with lacklustre results or, at worst, nothing at all. And now that AI is being thrown into the mix, many are feeling […]
The rise of open-plan offices has increased over the past decade, aiming for collaborative environments but decreasing personal space from 23m2 per employee to just 6m2. However, private offices are making a comeback, supported by smart building technology, offering benefits like privacy, improved productivity, and personal space customization. These offices are proving essential post-pandemic, facilitating social distancing and enhanced cleaning regimes. Matthew Marson, in his monthly column, discusses these shifts in office dynamics and the integration of smart technology in building management.
The Single Pane of Glass concept in smart buildings, which purports a unified system management interface, frequently falls short, offering complexity and inflexibility instead of simplicity. Integration of diverse systems is challenging, often creating more problems than solutions. The industry must pivot towards a hybrid approach, utilizing specialized, interconnected microservices to truly realize smart building potential. Matthew Marson, a leader in technology and sustainability, will explore these issues in his monthly column.
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.
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.