Climate Change

In 1950 only 30% of people lived in urban areas, now over 56% of people live in increasingly crowded cities – and that is expected to rise to 66% by 2050 as an additional 2.5 billion people join the global urban population. Urbanization creates numerous issues for citizens, including congestion, pollution, and poverty, but our crowded […]

What is the ultimate goal of smart technology? Is it to maximize productivity in workplaces? Is it to achieve net-zero energy performance? Is it to accurately predict human behavior? Is it to create digital urban utopias? Or, is it simply to make life better for users? There may be no right answer but all of […]

Once upon a time, smart buildings were all about energy management. Continuing pressure to cut costs and growing pressure to tackle climate change had converged to drive an energy efficiency revolution in buildings. At the heart of that revolution was smart technology, where sensor networks and big data software processed masses of information about the […]

Governments around the world are committing to a green recovery from the economic challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the fact that global energy demand actually dropped by an estimated 5% in 2020, resulting in a 7% drop in total energy-related CO2 emissions, the global nature of this crisis has brought the world together. Understanding […]

California is a unique place, even within the US. It is home to outstanding natural beauty, with snow-capped mountains, dry deserts, scenic beaches, and unique natural habitats, but also some of the worst environmental problems in the world with wildfires, earthquakes, resource extraction, and urban air pollution. California is also home to several of the biggest […]

Shiny new smart buildings are wonderful. They have energy efficiency built in to provide cost-saving and reduce environmental impact, they apply lighting and environmental controls to ensure all occupants are comfortable and productive, and they offer a wide variety of health, safety, and security benefits. These buildings offer a glimpse of our high-tech future with […]

Green buildings are nothing new. In fact, the energy efficiency of a wide range of building systems and operational practices have been hallmarks of the smart building movement that has been evolving over the last few decades. However, the sustainability of buildings is about more than just operational efficiency, they must also incorporate environmentally responsible […]