Sign InWhere Smart Buildings Are Headed: Emerging Trends & Promise of a Smarter Future
The future of cities and buildings is undeniably becoming smarter, but are facility managers keeping pace? As urban landscapes evolve and businesses push towards sustainability, the commercial real estate sector finds itself rapidly changing.
Today, facility managers are at the crossroads of technology and operations, using cutting-edge systems to achieve optimal performance with less physical effort.
Smart building solutions fundamentally reshape how people interact with their environment. Done well, they create a seamless experience, transforming four walls into a responsive tool, much like a smartphone—optimal building performance and user experience. Mishandled, however, and you risk creating frustrating, overly complex processes.
By the end of this article, you’ll know:
What defines a smart building and how it differs from an intelligent building
The benefits of using smart building systems
Practical use-cases of smart building technology
How to start adding smart features to existing buildings
Current trends shaping smart buildings
What are smart buildings?
Smart buildings are an ecosystem of technology and can adapt real time to internal or external changes. Unlike intelligent buildings, which have a limited building automation system, a central platform that analyzes all data uses machine learning to make instant adjustments. Dashboards provide current and historic reports via an app or platform, providing a unified view and control of operations.
One of the biggest innovations in Smart Technology is digital twins—virtual, dimensionally accurate replicas of physical spaces that pair with real-time sensors, giving you even more control over your spaces.
To dig deeper into how all the systems integrate and what they can be used to achieve on a commercial level, check out this video:
6 Benefits of smart buildings for facility managers
This isn’t just a cool tech upgrade; these buildings transform how we experience spaces. Using smart technology in your buildings unlocks new levels of efficiency, sustainability, and control.
1. Proactively optimize building spaces
Spreadsheets and manual tracking were useful but limited, forcing facility managers to react rather than make proactive adjustments. As Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), a global real estate services company, mentions, "The true value of smart building implementation comes from optimizing your space, reducing costs, and improving how your teams work."
Automated building tech gives you real-time occupancy data so you can adjust and optimize rapidly.
Digital twins are continuously updated 3D models that make virtual collaboration and layout testing possible without site visits. Here are some projects results achieved using digital twin smart buildings:
Deloitte’s Amsterdam office slashed its dedicated workspaces by half, making room for more flexibility without sacrificing employee satisfaction.
Microsoft’s Redmond campus expanded usable space by 30-40%—without expanding the building itself.
Capital One saw a 20% improvement in space efficiency, creating more room for collaboration and innovation.
2. Improve the comfort, productivity, and safety of occupants
Smart buildings don’t just host people—they respond to them. Employees working in smart systems report 30% higher satisfaction rates, according to the Harvard Business Review. When workplaces prioritize well-being and efficiency, talent stays longer, teams collaborate better, and businesses grow. This is achieved in 3 key ways:
Optimized environment: By automatically adjusting lighting, temperature, and air quality based on real-time occupancy patterns, they create healthier, more productive environments.
Improved air quality: Automated HVAC air conditioning and lighting prevent stagnant air, minimizing discomfort and illness.
Enhanced safety and cybersecurity system: Virtual tools and control systems streamline emergency preparedness and compliance, reducing the need for on-site visits.
3. Improve energy efficiency and save costs
Smart building systems pay for themselves. Facility managers report a return within 3-5 years, with energy savings alone often justifying the upfront costs. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that these technologies can cut energy consumption by 30-50% compared to conventional buildings.
By integrating IoT data with building management systems, you pinpoint inefficiencies and can take immediate action.
4. Enhance sustainability and environmental performance
The World Green Building Council predicts that this technology will lower carbon emissions by 25-30% compared to traditional buildings. A powerful promise after the BBC short film below reveals some worrying statistics:
91% of people breathe air that doesn’t meet WHO standards
11% of a building’s carbon emissions occur before anyone even steps inside.
With stricter sustainability and renewable energy regulations on the horizon, smart solutions are stepping up to measurably improve building air quality..
By tracking real-time environmental metrics, you can reduce carbon footprints, monitor key sustainability indicators, easily generate compliance reports, and showcase progress toward achieving net-zero targets.
5. Future-proofing scalability and scale
As our environment becomes more unpredictable. The future of building management is all about flexibility and adaptation. Smart infrastructure helps you to keep up without the burden of constant overhauls—meeting today’s demands while preparing for tomorrow’s challenges.
As the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) states, “The key to future-proofing buildings is creating adaptable infrastructure that evolves with technological advancements—no extensive renovations required.”
Smart solutions are about building a future that can grow with us.
6. Increase property values and asset marketability
The rental marketplace is increasingly competitive as people and businesses flock to major cities. Smarter technologies help developers and property owners stand out.
Prospective tenants can virtually tour spaces and understand the technological amenities before signing a lease, increasing conversion rates and reducing vacancy periods.
This isn't just a prediction. Real-world applications are producing impressive numbers:
JLL research indicates that buildings with smart technology can achieve 5-10% higher rental rates and increased asset value.
A CBRE study found that 85% of building tenants consider these features important in their leasing decisions, reflecting a fundamental shift in market expectations.
Smart building use cases, applications & technologies
For facility managers and building developers, this means smarter, faster operations—saving time, money, and reducing carbon footprints. Tools like Matterport alone saved an estimated 380,000 tons of carbon in 2022, and customers see 20% faster project timelines. This is a game-changer for large portfolios and commercial buildings.
From cloud-based analytics to remote monitoring, these innovations streamline operations and create smarter, more responsive spaces.
Smart projects can cover 3 key applications:
Renovating existing intelligent infrastructure
Upgrading buildings with rudimentary technology infrastructure
Conceptualizing and planning new smart building developments
In each case, smart technologies digitize physical structures and assets with the goal of improving asset performance, production monitoring and sustainable manufacturing. Below are 3 smart building examples that help facility managers save time and deliver exceptional results.
Real-time spatial analytics for effortless building management at Danone
Efficiency is king in commercial real estate, especially for enterprise-level portfolios. Danone, a food manufacturer, uses 3D digital twins to make faster decisions.
Previously, teams had to visit in person, requiring training, special equipment, and risking cross-contamination. Now, with spatial technology, Danone says, “Our teams can save several hours every time they use Matterport even if they only use it to look up measurements. We average around four hours per day in time savings per site. Even better, projects are completed more accurately.”
Digital twins integrated with AWS, give you:
A visual and intuitive interface that makes managing complex building data easy to learn.
Accurate 3D models updated with real-time IoT sensor data to improve rapid decision-making.
Scalable remote monitoring and management for large property and enterprise portfolios
Check out how it looks to manage your facility using the AWS twin maker below:
Improved industrial faculty management at INVISTA
INVISTA, a global polymer and chemical manufacturer, needed to streamline complex operations across its various facilities. They had to find a way to gain better visibility into their operations, improve efficiency, and enhance safety.
With AWS and Matterport they built a visual foundation for retrofitting projects and enabled their team to accurately understand the current state of a building before making any changes.
Their digital twin has given them a significant competitive edge:
Remotely managed facilities, cutting site visits, lowering costs, and boosting sustainability across locations
Real-time data on equipment performance enabled predictive maintenance needs and root-cause analysis.
Integrated spatial data resulted in more informed decisions, with unified 3D views giving a complete operational picture.
Reduced site visits and improved practices enhanced safety and created a more sustainable operational model.
INVISTA Architectural Design: Matterport and AWS IoT TwinMaker Integration
Remote monitoring of systems using IoT at Siemens manufacturing
Siemens uses digital twins and real-time IoT sensors to keep track of everything happening in their manufacturing process.
Incubation manager Alexandra Piedade gives an overview of the advantages smart technology provides, “For building owners and factory and facility managers, remote monitoring is important. It’s even better when you can understand the context of what is physically all around the location where an industrial IoT sensor is placed. Is it near a window, a compressor, or any type of machine that could be giving off heat? That context is much more clear and insightful in a digital twin than with a simple 2D dashboard.”
With digital twin tools integrated deeply into network infrastructures automation capabilities of real-time monitoring continue to improve, reducing costs by an estimated 25%. Now it’s possible to predict equipment failures, streamline operations, and boost efficiency—all from one digital interface.
Test out the Siemens Lisbon Experience Center (image above) digital twin here
Key trends shaping smart buildings
The smart landscape is evolving at a fast pace as new technologies emerge and adoption grows. Several key developments are paving the way for smart building trends of the future.
Keep up with evolving regulations and sustainability standards
Climate regulations are tightening, and sustainability is key. Smart buildings are now essential, not optional. Matterport's digital twins let facility managers easily track sustainability, simplify compliance, and secure certifications. Establishing baselines and automating audits gives a competitive edge. Smart technology drives efficiency, accountability, and environmental impact, positioning properties for success in a market that values green performance.
AI is unlocking even more intelligent operations with advanced analytics
Artificial Intelligence is changing building management, offering predictive maintenance and real-time analysis. Matterport's computer vision turns visual data into key insights for precise space optimization. AI algorithms reveal hidden patterns to the human eye, empowering proactive decisions. Matterport enables buildings to continuously self-optimize for efficiency and sustainability, unlocking a new level of precision in how spaces are managed and optimized.
Integrations and ecosystems become increasingly relevant
No single technology can transform a building alone. Matterport's partnerships with platforms like Autodesk, Procore, AWS, and various IoT solutions create a unified ecosystem that connects design, construction, and ongoing operations in seamless workflows.
The result is a thriving ecosystem of solutions that prevent the information silos plaguing traditional building management. Through Matterport's open API and SDK, developers can extend building capabilities—pushing the boundaries of what's possible in connected facilities.
Future-proof your construction projects with Matterport’s 3D models and digital twins
Smart technology is shaping the future of construction. 3D modeling has become a standard, and Matterport's digital twins take this a step further with real-time, data-rich insights.
Learn more about how Matterport supports your new competitive edge in architecture, design, and construction workflows.
