A year or more of lockdowns, quarantines, and social distancing regulations will put a huge financial strain on public and commercial spaces. As we emerge from this crisis our buildings will be faced with a whole new range of drivers and barriers that will demand new approaches and realigned expectations. Our buildings will be under pressure to enhance safety for occupants, comply with a new range of regulations, and maintain gradual improvements towards pre-COVID goals such as environmental sustainability, and they will have to do all this within a new economic environment as the post-COVID recession kicks-in. Smart technology could hold the answer to challenges buildings will face, but only if they can find a way to pay for those upgrades. “There is a ‘perfect storm’ of factors which are coming together to simultaneously drive change and make buildings smart,” explains a recent whitepaper by Siemens. “Firstly, the economic pressures resulting from the pandemic are […]