Download The big question

Big Data
BIG DATA
have rolled out a smart monitoring
solution from EP&T Global that
uses the ‘internet of things’ to
collect data from a variety of
sources to help reduce energy
usage. Once collected, the data is
passed through an algorithm to
identify operational inefficiencies,
which are then fed back to the
centre’s management via the cloud
so that they can tackle the issue.
Collaborative workspace
provider WeWork has gone one
step further and uses data on
things like space utilisation and
traffic patterns that it collects
from its existing locations to better
inform the design and fit out of
future WeWork office space. To this
end the company recently acquired
a building consultancy firm called
CASE, which focuses on Building
Information Modelling (BIM) to
create more efficient workspace.
Big data is also something that
Interserve is utilising on behalf of
its clients in a number of different
scenarios. The most obvious use
is smart cleaning technology, but
Interserve is also exploring more
cutting edge uses such as the
monitoring of plant rooms.
Cognitive approach
The big question...
What does the future hold for big data in the real estate industry?
B
ig data is the big buzzword
in business circles at the
moment. All forwardthinking businesses are capturing
data in some form or other, but the
problem is that data is like oil – it’s
only useful when it’s been refined.
So the challenge with big data is
not necessarily how much data you
can capture or even what sort of
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data you capture; it’s who is reading
and analysing that data and what
they are then going to do with it.
Although the property industry
has in the past been accused of
being a bit of a luddite in terms
of its willingness to adopt new
technologies, when it comes to
big data it’s one of the sectors
that’s led the charge. So how is
big data currently being used by
the industry and how might it be
better used in the future?
A number of landlords and
occupiers are currently capturing
and monitoring data in a host
of different environments. For
instance, in the retail space
Manchester Arndale Centre
owners Intu and M&G Real Estate
The company looks after hundreds
of plant rooms and the key thing
that the majority of clients want
from their plant rooms is for them
to be as reliable as possible for the
lowest possible cost.
“We’re looking at cognitive plant
rooms to address this problem,”
explains Pete Derry, innovations
director at Interserve. “We’re
deploying microphones in plant
rooms that are listening to what
the plant room sounds like and
then we’re relaying this sound to
some of our best engineers. They
can remotely listen to the plant
room and say ‘something doesn’t
sound quite right here; let’s take
“Big data will
crash down on the
property industry
like a tsunami”
a look’. We’re also teaching an
artificial intelligence engine what
‘good’ sounds like so that we can
be responsive or even predictive
because we know something is
about to break.”
While this all sounds very sci-fi,
Philip Tidd, principal and head of
consulting, EMEA, at Gensler, is
concerned about why the real
estate industry is rapidly harnessing
data. “Data seems to be being used
to squeeze even more efficiencies
out of the building and promote
better, more intelligent and
real-time facilities management
strategies,” he says. “This is all well
intentioned, but can create an
environment of mistrust among
employees who feel they are being
covertly monitored in ways they
are not comfortable with.”
He cites the example of
journalists at The Telegraph who
expressed outrage after it was
revealed that motion sensors
had been fitted to their desks in
what the company claimed was
part of a wider effort to improve
energy efficiency in the office.
The journalists felt the sensors
could also be used to monitor how
long they spent at their desks and
therefore their productivity levels.
As a result of employee protests,
the newspaper’s owners removed
the monitors, but examples like
this only serve to underline the
opinion of people like Tim Oldman,
chief executive at Leesman, who
thinks occupiers and landlords alike
haven’t really got to grips with data.
“Big data will crash down on the
property industry like a tsunami,”
warns Oldman. “It has no idea
what big data is yet. There will
be a mass of data that floods
organisations; once they embrace
it, the next task is to interpret and
use this information wisely. When
businesses are able to unleash its
potential, big data will help people
design better spaces.”
But the industry needs to get
its head around this challenge
sooner rather than later because
big data is here to stay. The
industry also needs to understand
that, rather than purely using data
as a lens of a building’s efficiency,
there is an enormous untapped
opportunity to harness big data
and use it to create working
environments that make for a
happy and productive workforce.
“By looking at employee
wellbeing and considering what
makes them feel energised in a
given space at any given time,
we can drive higher levels of
engagement and productivity,”
says Tidd. “By utilising big data
in line with social sciences such
as psychology, we can create
environments that are not only
efficient in terms of space, but
also for employees. The real estate
industry still needs to understand
and grasp that.”
And only when it masters
this trick will the big data oil
rush begin.
propertyweek.com
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