Trump Administration Seeks Scaled-Back Building Efficiency Money
The Trump administration’s FY2027 budget request trims the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy from $3.1 billion to $1.1 billion, slashing the Building Technologies Office to $20 million—a 93% cut. While the request earmarks a $4 billion increase for nuclear and other baseload power projects, it omits the Commercial Buildings Integration program and any explicit funding for the Energy Star program slated to move from EPA to DOE. The reorganization places the Office of Building Efficiency under the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, signaling a shift toward resource‑extraction priorities. Industry groups warn the cuts could jeopardize decades‑long energy‑saving standards and the broader Better Buildings Initiative.
3D Construction Printing Sees Growth, But Also Project Setbacks
The 3D construction printing (3DCP) sector is gaining traction as equipment maker Alquist launched its A1 series, selling 14 units—including 12 rail‑mounted A1X models—while Texas‑based ICON announced ICON Prime to serve defense, intelligence and lunar construction. In Colorado, Azure Printed...
Openmoove Secures £700,000 ($890k) Equity Boost to Accelerate UK Rollout
Cardiff‑based Openmoove has closed a £700,000 equity round, led by the Development Bank of Wales, to scale its B2B property‑transaction platform. The capital will fund product development, a six‑person hiring push and a broader UK market push, underscoring growing investor...
Stayntouch Deploys Mobile PMS to Six Storey Hotels, Covering 500+ Rooms
Stayntouch has extended its cloud‑based mobile property management system to six Storey Hotel Management properties, adding more than 500 rooms including The Walton Residence and The Fairlane Hotel. The deployment leverages the updated Stayntouch 2.0 platform and AI‑enabled guest messaging,...
Virginia Officials End Support for Proposed Data Center Next to Civil War Battlefield
Virginia officials in Prince William County voted to end support for a proposed 2,100‑acre data center adjacent to the Manassas National Battlefield Park. The project, which would have added 22 million square feet of space across 34 buildings, required a controversial...
Tapping Into Facility Software for Energy Efficiency
Facility software has evolved from basic building automation and maintenance tracking to integrated, cloud‑based platforms that combine BAS, CMMS, and advanced analytics. These solutions provide real‑time dashboards, AI‑driven fault detection, and predictive maintenance, enabling managers to cut energy waste while...
Prologis Posts Record 64M Sq Ft Lease and $1.3B Data‑Center Build‑to‑Suit Starts in Q1 2026
Prologis, the world’s largest industrial REIT, reported a record 64 million square feet of lease signings and launched $1.3 billion of build‑to‑suit data‑center projects in Q1 2026. The results lifted core FFO to $1.50 per share and underscored the firm’s dual‑track growth...
Hashgraph and The Institutes Deploy Hedera‑Based Portal to Modernize Property Risk Data
Hashgraph and The Institutes RiskStream Collaborative have launched a Hedera‑powered property risk data solution that creates a single, verifiable source of truth for insurers, brokers and reinsurers. The hybrid ledger aims to cut manual data handling and tokenise risk assets,...
OpenClaw Recipes for Real Estate Teams: A Better Way to Fix Speed-to-Lead
Real estate teams lose leads not from lack of demand but from sloppy handoffs, and speed‑to‑lead is a proven conversion driver. Harvard Business Review research and Zillow data show that buyers expect an agent to respond within a day, with...
McKinsey and Alice Technologies Form Alliance
McKinsey and Alice Technologies have formalized a commercial alliance to deliver AI‑driven, generative scheduling for large capital projects. The partnership, built on five years of joint work, is already deployed with more than 35 clients across infrastructure, energy, mining and...
How AI Turns Construction Documents Into Procurement Intelligence
In this episode of the AEC Business Podcast, Arnie Heiskanen talks with Victor Mugiri of BuildVision about how AI can transform construction procurement by extracting structured data from design documents and matching it to manufacturer catalogs. BuildVision uses industry‑specific AI,...
Ericsson and Proptivity Deploy World’s First Fully Digital Indoor 5G in Oslo Office Building
Ericsson and Proptivity have completed the world’s first fully digital indoor 5G deployment at a commercial building in Oslo, using the Host Management Control feature and Ericsson Radio Dot System. The shared‑infrastructure model lets multiple mobile operators connect to a...
Beeline Partners with SRG to Embed Mortgage and Title Services in AI‑Driven Real‑Estate Platform
Beeline Holdings announced a strategic partnership with Structured Real Estate Group to embed its mortgage and title solutions into SRG’s AI‑driven real‑estate platform. The integration will support 2,000 new homes in the Dallas‑Fort Worth market over the next three years,...
HousingAI Names Veteran Phil Shelton CEO Ahead of England Launch
HousingAI has hired Phil Shelton as chief executive as it readies its AI‑driven knowledge platform for a launch in England. Shelton brings more than two decades of housing‑technology leadership, positioning the startup to meet rising compliance pressures in the UK...
Zillow’s ‘Buzz’ Sheds Light on User Engagement; Side Enhances App
Zillow unveiled the Zillow Buzz Index, a data‑driven metric that quantifies how over 600 home features and architectural styles affect buyer engagement, with exposed beams generating a 20% lift in daily interactions. Side introduced four AI‑powered tools inside its transaction...
Prestige Group Signs Three‑year Deal with Autodesk to Digitize Real‑estate Lifecycle
Prestige Group, one of India's largest property developers, has entered a three‑year enterprise partnership with Autodesk to digitize its entire real‑estate lifecycle. The deal will roll out Autodesk Forma, Construction Cloud and the AEC Collection across residential, commercial and hospitality...
Zimbabwe Rolls Out $1 B AI‑Driven Fintech and Smart‑City Project to Spur Digital Industrialisation
Telecom magnate Strive Masiyiwa announced a $1 billion AI‑driven fintech and smart‑city programme anchored by an 800‑acre Econet Tech City near Harare. The plan couples NVIDIA‑powered AI factories, a stablecoin joint venture and a listed infrastructure platform to position Zimbabwe as...
ICYMI This Week at the Smart Buildings Center & Building Potential
The Smart Buildings Center hosted the third SBX Plus webinar, “How to Utilize Diagnostic Tools to Identify Energy Savings.” The session, led by Southern California Edison’s Jorge Melendez, ATS Automation’s Robby Martin, and SBC’s Britton Rife, demonstrated how modern diagnostic...
OnePlan Launches AI‑enhanced April 2026 Release to Automate Enterprise Portfolio Planning
OnePlan announced its April 2026 product release, introducing AI‑powered plan automations, bulk CSV import, and new financial dashboards. The upgrades aim to cut manual effort and boost visibility for the 500+ companies that use the platform.
Design That Powers Itself Redefines Home Living
What if your house powered itself? 👀 ⚡️ I’m doing something at my new project, Casa Mallorca, that I’ve NEVER done before - and it’s changing the way I think about design entirely. Good design isn’t just about how something looks....
HAR Subscribers Gain Enhanced Access to Real-Time Data
Repliers has become the exclusive API gateway for HAR.com’s MLS and three subscriber‑only data sets, delivering real‑time listings and proprietary metrics via a single platform. The partnership adds HAR’s page‑view, lead, and ShowingSmart activity data to Repliers’ feed, enabling on‑demand...
Operators Favor Legacy PMSs Over Risky AI Startups
Appfolio and the other "legacy" PMSs are racing to build AI agents before the new AI-native startups can build their own PMSs. For the record, all the operators I know (from people running 100 units to people running thousands) are rooting...
What Hotels Are Getting Wrong About AI
Richard Valtr, founder of cloud‑based PMS Mews, says most hotels are treating AI as a checkbox exercise, adding chatbots and voice assistants without a cohesive strategy. He argues the industry focuses on yield management—price optimization—while neglecting broader strategy management that...
Insiders Take | 01 - The Efficiency Is in the Planning, Not the Software
General Superintendent Chris Masse of EllisDon describes how a pilot with Buildots transformed his approach to construction planning. The cloud‑based platform quickly processed 3,000 schedule items, turning a manual update process into a rapid scan and verification workflow. By stripping...
Buildots Unveils AI‑Driven ‘Construction Intelligence’ Platform to Slash Delays by Up to 50%
Buildots introduced its AI‑powered “construction intelligence” platform, a unified data layer that turns fragmented site information into actionable insights. The system claims to reduce project delays by as much as 50%, equivalent to 2‑3 months on typical builds, and is...
Agilysys and FreedomPay Extend Partnership to Modernize US Hotel Payments
Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS) and payments‑technology leader FreedomPay announced an expanded partnership that will roll out a more open, integrated payment architecture across U.S. hotels, resorts, and gaming venues. The collaboration promises greater flexibility for operators and a seamless, secure...
Transparent Window Insulation Is Better at Stemming Energy Loss, Manufacturer Says
Global Holdings is retrofitting over 2,000 windows at New York’s 39‑story Nomad Tower with LuxWall’s transparent window insulation. The technology promises a 20% reduction in building energy use and an R‑value of 18—about 18 times the performance of existing glazing....
NYC Launches Concierge-Style Service, Enhanced Web Tools to Aid Local Law 97 Compliance
New York City unveiled Momentum, a free concierge‑style accelerator that helps building owners navigate Local Law 97’s strict emissions targets. The service bundles a call center, an online portal with decarbonization planning tools, case‑study library, and financing guidance, and expands into...
AI Could Automate $13T Mortgage Market, Ditch Advisors
Wealthfront runs 45% EBITDA margins without a single advisor. Now David Fortunato wants to automate the $13 trillion mortgage market. (0:00) Can AI Replace Your Financial Advisor? (1:47) How Close Is Self-Driving Money? (3:59) What Happens to 400K Financial Advisors? (4:43) Is the 1%...
AI Firms Devour NYC Office Space, Leasing Data Shows
My friend and broker from the Breather days, Ramsey Fehrer at CBRE, shared NYC tech leasing data they pulled for a client recently. AI is eating NYC office space. https://t.co/tEdfzI97NT
The Southeast Just Got Bigger
The Southeast MLS Alliance, originally comprising CHS Regional MLS, Realtracs, Canopy MLS and Georgia MLS, has added realMLS from Jacksonville, expanding its network to over 118,000 subscribers across five southeastern markets. The integration links listing data without merging entities, creating...
Access Point Reveals $375M Capitalization for Studio 6 Conversion Initiative
Access Point announced a $375 million financing package to acquire and rebrand a 38‑hotel portfolio as Studio 6 properties. The deal includes $286 million of senior debt from Citi and a mezzanine layer funded by Access Point, secured on an accelerated timeline. The...
Abandoned 3D‑Printed Duplex Project Leaves $590K Deposit Unpaid in Rural Illinois
Prestige Project Management Inc. abandoned a massive 3D construction printer in Cairo, Illinois, halting a $1.1 million affordable‑housing effort and forfeiting a $590,000 deposit. The stalled duplex project has drawn community outrage and a federal investigation.
75% of Homebuyers Expect AI in Process but Still Want “Human in the Loop”
A Cotality study finds 75% of U.S. homebuyers assume AI is already embedded in the homebuying journey, yet 44% would pay extra for a human expert to verify AI outputs. AI‑driven workflows could shave one to three months off mortgage...
Balancing Water Savings with Real-World Performance
Modern restroom fixtures are engineered to slash water use through lower flow rates, pressure‑compensating spray outlets, and metered run times while preserving hand‑washing performance. Manufacturers highlight interchangeable cartridge systems that let facilities retrofit existing fittings with metering or ceramic‑gear components,...
AI Tech Collab Takes on SA’s Energy Distribution Crisis
South African energy tech firm Plentify and developer Balwin Properties have launched an AI‑driven geyser management system using HotBot devices to optimise residential water heating. The controllers, now deployed in over 7,500 homes, adjust heating based on occupancy patterns, solar...
STR Search Launches Turnkey Short‑Term Rental Service for High‑Income Investors
STR Search introduced a technology‑enabled, done‑for‑you short‑term rental acquisition service aimed at investors earning $200,000 to $1 million plus. Backed by a $50,000 tax‑savings guarantee and a $5,000 happiness guarantee, the platform promises to cut 500‑1,000 hours of work per deal.
New 300 Home Development Becomes 'World's Largest' Zero Bills Neighbourhood
Octopus Energy has teamed with housebuilder Prosperity Group to create a 300‑home development in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, branded as the world’s largest Zero Bills neighbourhood. The scheme guarantees residents no electricity or gas charges for ten years, backed by integrated renewable generation...
Gammon Construction Team Uses Low-Carbon Concrete in Hong Kong
Gammon Construction and Hongkong Land have deployed CarbonCure’s CO₂ mineralisation system in the Landmark retail renovation, creating low‑carbon concrete that incorporates about 40% ground‑granulated blast‑furnace slag. The mix reduces cement use by up to 7% and cuts concrete‑related carbon emissions...
Eleven-X Expands Smart Parking Platform with Vehicle Counting
Eleven‑x has introduced a wireless Vehicle Counting solution that expands its eXactpark platform from stall‑level monitoring to zone‑level occupancy tracking. The system provides real‑time entry and exit counts across multi‑level garages and surface lots, delivering up to 98.4% accuracy and...
Energy Efficiency Is the New Property Power Play Agents Can No Longer Ignore
Australian real‑estate agents are being urged to shift focus from cosmetic upgrades to measurable energy productivity. A coalition led by CSIRO, REA Group, Domain and PropTrack has created the world‑first Energy Efficiency Data Standard, paving the way for a national...
Swegon to Automate HVAC Acoustic Design
Swedish HVAC manufacturer Swegon has introduced Design Assist, a free Revit plug‑in that automates acoustic design for ventilation systems. The tool extracts building and duct data from the BIM model, automatically places and sizes sound attenuators, and recalculates space acoustics....
How Kamini Lane Is Modernizing Real Estate at Scale with AI and Standardization
In this episode, Coldwell Banker Realty CEO Kamini Lane discusses how the brokerage is modernizing its massive, agent‑centric operation with AI and standardized platforms. She explains the shift from fragmented, market‑specific processes to a unified digital backbone that automates tasks...
Bettermove Introduces Chain-Mending Service to Tackle Failed Transactions
Bettermove has unveiled a chain‑mending service that steps in when a buyer withdraws, purchasing the property to keep the transaction chain moving. The offering targets estate agents, landlords and sellers, aiming to reduce the roughly 25% failure rate of UK...
Studio RAP to 3D Print Ceramic Columns for Student Housing
Studio RAP has been hired to design and 3D‑print hundreds of custom ceramic tiles that will clad three monumental columns at the Ginkgo Complex, a new student‑housing project in Utrecht. The leaf‑inspired tiles will be glazed in a warm gold...
Rural Spain Fears AI Data Centers: Land Loss, Water Crisis
What happens when Big Tech wants to build a data center on your land? Locals in rural Spain fear forced land sales and water shortages as AI moves in https://t.co/prPonKTo3A via @clarahenz https://t.co/hMOAu2WgmC
Real Estate App Development Costs 2026: MVP to Enterprise Ranges $25K‑$300K+
A recently published industry guide outlines three cost tiers for building real‑estate mobile applications in 2026, ranging from $25,000 for a minimum viable product to over $300,000 for enterprise‑grade platforms. The breakdown highlights how AI, virtual tours, and integration complexity...
Intelligent AI Launches US Underwriting Platform to Bridge 40‑50% Data Gaps
Insurtech startup Intelligent AI has entered the US market via the Connecticut InsurTech Corridor, debuting a cloud‑based platform that supplies high‑resolution COPE data to close the 40‑50% of incomplete property submissions. The move targets insurers seeking faster, more accurate underwriting...
Becca Wilson Named 2026 Female Trailblazer of SaaS by Software Equity Group
Software Equity Group (SEG) has honored Becca Wilson, owner and CEO of Spherexx.com®, as its 2026 Female Trailblazer of SaaS. The award recognizes Wilson’s 25‑year track record of scaling AI‑enabled real‑estate SaaS platforms and her role in diversifying executive leadership...
Vectorworks 2026 Update 4 Adds Phasing, Rendering Tools
Vectorworks released Update 4 for its 2026 product line, adding intelligent phasing tools, an enhanced embodied‑carbon calculator, and a live‑render integration with Maxon Redshift. The new phasing system embeds time‑based status directly into BIM models, while the sustainability dashboard now aligns...