Retrofit

General contractors, technicians, and handyman-labor hold unique roles, especially within the small and medium scale residential and commercial building sector. Every day these figures are welcomed into buildings for repairs and develop trust through maintenance of critical systems. Every day they advise building operators on how to optimize their systems and even guide decision-makers on […]

“Imagine this… There is an explosion in your building, and everyone is trying to get out, including Fred, your facility manager. Jim at the front office shouts across the hall “Hey, Fred! Emergency Services are here. They need to know where the shut-off valves are! Fred pauses and turns to his desktop only to find […]

What’s a smart city without smart buildings, and where is the city with only smart buildings? Municipal and national governments talk confidently about their smart cities, but until they can drive the conversion of old building stock into smart-connected elements of the urban landscape, they are just creating smart infrastructure. To truly see the potential […]

Buildings are arguably the biggest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for about 40% of total energy consumption and 39% of all carbon dioxide emissions. While energy efficiency and smart building movements have reduced building energy consumption per square foot in recent years, the 3% annual increase in the sheer number of square feet […]

Over six days in May 2018, German conglomerate Siemens made its smart building intentions clear. On the 17th, Siemens announced its acquisition of Los Angeles based J2 Innovations, a software framework provider for building automation and IoT technologies. Six days later, on May 23rd, the European manufacturing giant announced the acquisition of California-based IoT-enabled smart […]

“The Paris Agreement has sent a signal around the world. A new energy system is emerging. It will unfold over decades, moving at different paces in different places. The transition offers challenges, opportunities and tough choices for governments, businesses and customers,” states the Shell Energy Transition Report. Royal Dutch Shell, the British-Dutch oil and gas […]