Articles

The market for AI-enabled energy management & sustainability services is growing fast and attracting a good number of new market entrants, with 32% of vendors now offering services for this space, states our recent report on AI and Machine Learning in Smart Commercial Buildings.  Leading building controls companies including Honeywell, Siemens, Schneider Electric and Johnson Controls […]

Germany, Portugal, and Ireland are some of the first major economies to make remote work a mandatory option for all employees that can work remotely. Home office product sales have continued to grow despite our longest spell without mass lockdowns since the pandemic began. Even the question “are you working remotely?” has become commonplace in […]

Innovation is critical to technological development and especially impactful in spaces undergoing technological transformation, such as buildings. Innovation is the precursor to the technological breakthroughs that are bringing new value to our increasingly smart indoor spaces through applications that improve efficiency, productivity, and the occupant experience. As green buildings take center stage at the COP26 climate […]

Few publicly listed companies like Johnson Controls International (JCI), present a pure smart buildings product and service offering. Since the 2016 merger with Tyco, and the 2019 sale of its Power Solutions business to BCP Acquisitions LLC for $13.2 billion, the firm is looking to capitalize on macro-trends including decarbonization, post-pandemic focus on healthier buildings, and digital technologies. JCI […]

In this research note, we examine the Buildings business of Siemens, which operates within the Smart Infrastructure (SI) division, based on their Q4 press conference, Capital Markets Day presentations and building technology-related activities throughout 2021. The SI portfolio addresses the complete value chain across buildings and electrification, increasingly growing together at the grid edge. Their smart building […]

In the space of three days this week, two already well-funded Occupancy Analytics companies closed Series C and D rounds, underscoring (in case anyone was in doubt) investor confidence in the move to hybrid working driving demand for digital workplaces. On Monday, California-based Vergesense announced that it had closed a $60m Series C round led […]

While lighting makes up 95% of Acuity Brands Inc revenue (they are now the largest lighting manufacturer in North America) it is their Intelligent Spaces Group (ISG) business segment that focuses on smart buildings technology. In this research note, we examine their recently published 2021 Annual Report. Acuity’s ISG business segment offers building management systems […]

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the US workforce spent just 5% of their total working time remote from the office. By the spring of 2020, that figure had risen to 60% and remained at a similar level for over a year, according to an April 2021 special report by The Economist. In Europe, 89% of companies now […]