House Bill Gives Facilities Tax Breaks for Improving IAQ
A bipartisan House bill, dubbed the Airborne Act, would grant commercial building owners tax credits for indoor‑air‑quality (IAQ) assessments and HVAC or filtration upgrades. Credits start at $1 per square foot for assessments, $5 per square foot for filter upgrades and $50 per square foot for HVAC improvements, with higher rates for work performed by prevailing‑wage, apprenticeship‑trained contractors. The legislation adds ASHRAE Standard 241 as an eligible benchmark, expanding beyond the earlier focus on Standard 62.1, and creates a voluntary DOE/EPA certification program to recognize compliant facilities.
OneKey MLS Taps BPP
OneKey MLS has partnered with Broker Public Portal (BPP) to power its consumer‑search site, Cribio, extending OneKey listings to a broader online audience while preserving broker and seller opt‑out options. The collaboration highlights a focus on MLS data integrity, fair...
AI Won’t Rescue Downtown Offices, Just Like Automation Missed Factories
"Expecting AI to revive central office districts was like expecting automation to revive factory towns."

4 Trends That Will Define the Commercial Real Estate Industry in 2026
The commercial real estate (CRE) sector is pivoting toward integrated digital, wellbeing, resilience, and sustainability strategies in 2026. Owners will shift from reactive management to continuous, data‑driven optimization of HVAC, energy, and space utilization. Tenant experience becomes a core differentiator,...

ICE Introduces Three Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Topics
Following a year‑long consultation, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has made three continuing professional development (CPD) themes mandatory for all professionally qualified members. The required topics—ethical and professional behaviour, safety and risk management, and sustainable development—must be addressed each...

Smart Moves: The Man Overseeing Balfour Beatty’s AI Plan
Balfour Beatty has launched a multimillion‑pound artificial intelligence programme aimed at a "productivity revolution" across its construction portfolio. The initiative is being led by a newly appointed AI chief, who will embed machine‑learning tools into design, scheduling and site safety...

Is Stabilisation in European Real Estate Transaction Timelines a Sign of Recovery?
Drooms’ Real Estate Trends Report 2026 indicates that European commercial real‑estate transaction durations have steadied at an average of 363 days. After several years of prolonged deal cycles driven by pandemic disruptions and tightening credit, the timeline appears to have...

Are We Doing Enough to Design for Low Temperature Heat in Net Zero Buildings?
The UK Climate Change Committee warns that net‑zero building designs often ignore low‑temperature heat distribution, embedding inefficiencies from the earliest stages. Heat pumps perform best at 35‑50 °C, yet many projects still design for legacy 70‑80 °C boiler systems, compromising seasonal COP...

How Agentic AI Is Driving the Property Operating System in Hotels
Hospitality technology is evolving from a patchwork of point solutions toward a Property Operating System (PropOS), an AI‑driven decision layer that coordinates actions across PMS, RMS, BMS and other platforms. Agentic AI enables these systems to act autonomously within defined...

Our Free Education Session From AHR Vegas Online
AutomatedBuildings.com hosted 16 free education sessions during the AHR Expo 2026 online, drawing more than 2,000 attendees. The sessions spanned HVAC automation, controls, and sustainability topics, and each was recorded for on‑demand viewing. A YouTube playlist now provides access to...

AHR Expo Reflections: Elevating the BAS Visual Layer for Real World Operators
At AHR Expo, industry leaders highlighted a persistent gap between building automation system (BAS) visual design and the needs of everyday operators. While user experience is a buzzword, many graphics are still engineered for technicians rather than the people who...
Petra Durnin: You Don't Need More Tech — You Need Better Data
In this episode, Petra Durnin, a veteran CRE researcher and tech‑to‑impact strategist, explains why the industry’s biggest hurdle isn’t more tools but cleaner, more integrated data. She walks through her career trajectory, from a temp analyst to leading data and...
The Multifamily Operations Tip of the Day: Dashboards Don’t Run Properties
Multifamily operators are reminded that dashboards are analytical tools, not decision‑makers. While dashboards can surface trends, flag anomalies, and aid prioritization, they cannot assess resident nuance, emotion, or context. The article warns leaders against outsourcing judgment to data alone, emphasizing...
Jones Lang LaSalle Inc (JLL) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) posted record 2025 results, with revenue rising 11% to an all‑time high and adjusted EBITDA climbing 22% to $1.45 billion. Fourth‑quarter leasing revenue surged 17%, led by a 26% jump in office leasing, while free cash flow...

Stockland Achieves Net Zero Scope 1 and 2 Emissions – Here’s How
Stockland announced it has achieved net‑zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions across its entire portfolio by deploying rooftop solar on more than 50 buildings and retiring a modest amount of nature‑based carbon credits. The initiative installed 75,000 panels, delivering up to 45 MW...

CoStar Rolls Out Homes AI; SkySlope Launches Agent Coaching App
CoStar Group launched Homes AI, a conversational search tool on Homes.com that uses Microsoft Azure AI to let users find listings via voice or text, integrating 3‑D tours, school data and market insights. SkySlope introduced Ayce, an iOS app that...

Lone Wolf Taps New CEO; Fathom Names VP of Growth
Lone Wolf Technologies appointed Matt Fischer, former Bullhorn president and COO, as its new CEO, succeeding Jimmy Kelly who moves to an advisory role. Fischer’s deep product and technology background is expected to accelerate Lone Wolf’s innovation agenda. Fathom Realty...
Jimmy Kelly Steps Down as CEO of Lone Wolf
Jimmy Kelly has stepped down as CEO of Lone Wolf Technologies after a seven‑year run marked by an aggressive acquisition strategy that added five companies, including W+R Studios, within nine months. The privately‑held firm, which powers a platform used by...

The Front Door Takes Center Stage at CES
CES 2026 placed the front door at the center of the smart‑home conversation, unveiling a wave of new lock technologies that blend biometrics, power‑generation and protocol upgrades. The Z‑Wave Alliance introduced the User Credential Command Class, enabling fingerprint‑based unlocking and...

The State of Facilities Management – 2026, From MRI Software and CoreNet Global
MRI Software and CoreNet Global released the 2026 State of Facilities Management report, surveying FM leaders worldwide. The study finds modernization is a top priority but is constrained by resource shortages, limited real‑time data, and an aging workforce. Energy management...
How to Advance Green Infrastructure F2or Urban Flood Resilience: Eight Lessons From the 2025 Shaw Forum
The 2025 Charles H. Shaw Forum convened over 40 real‑estate, government and nonprofit leaders to distill eight actionable lessons for scaling green infrastructure (GI) to boost urban flood resilience. Participants highlighted Hoboken’s data‑driven “resist, delay, store, discharge” strategy, the importance...

Ready To Free Your Team From Floor Cleaning?
Tennant has introduced the X6 ROVR, an autonomous mid‑size floor scrubber designed for high‑traffic facilities. The robot features a 26‑inch cleaning path, up to six hours of runtime on a lithium‑ion battery, and 75,000 sq ft coverage per solution tank. Powered by 3D...
How Digital Signage Providers Can Help Facilities Teams Add Value
Facilities managers upgrading to digital signage can extract greater value by partnering with providers like LG Electronics USA, which emphasizes cost efficiency, asset management, and return on investment. Bingham notes that modern signage must integrate seamlessly with other technologies to...
Colliers Going All-In on AI, CEO Hennick Says
Colliers announced a multiyear, record‑high AI investment, raising its IT capital expenditures to a level never seen in the company’s history. The spend is expected to deliver productivity gains and higher margins within two to three years across its commercial...
Innovation Hubs Face Record Office Vacancies Amid Boom
The two global centers of software and hardware innovation, San Francisco and Shenzhen, also have the highest share of empty offices. During a boom.

You're Probably Automating the Wrong Things
The commercial‑real‑estate (CRE) sector now has a structured tool called the CRE Automation Matrix, which classifies tasks by operational versus strategic nature and by verifiability. By mapping workflows onto four quadrants, the framework helps firms avoid low‑ROI automation and the...

PROPTECH-X : Why Digital Due Diligence Matters in Commercial Real Estate
The article outlines a digital due‑diligence checklist tailored for commercial real‑estate acquisitions, retrofits, and repositioning projects. It emphasizes how data‑driven analysis can surface hidden liabilities, streamline valuation, and accelerate transaction timelines. By integrating digital tools—such as BIM, IoT sensors, and...

How Drones Can Improve Your Next Facility Construction Project
Construction firms are rapidly adopting drones, with industry spending reaching $4.8 billion in 2024 and projected to hit $6.2 billion by 2030. Autonomous aircraft provide continuous site surveillance, reducing the need for hazardous manual inspections and helping prevent the over‑1,000 fatalities recorded...

Texas Poised to Become Global Leader in Booming Data Center Market
JLL’s Year-End 2025 North America Data Center Report shows vacancy at a record‑low 1% for the second year, underscoring hyper‑driven demand from AI and hyperscalers. Texas now hosts 6.5 GW of construction and is projected to eclipse Virginia as the world’s...

Emirates NBD Leads $31 Million Round in Real Estate Investment Platform Stake
Stake, a fractional real‑estate investment platform, closed a $31 million financing round led by Emirates NBD, bringing its total capital to $58 million. The raise backs Stake’s rapid expansion beyond Saudi Arabia into the United States and supports its regulated offering in the Kingdom....

Cintoo Embraces Ricoh-Native 360 Data
Cintoo has launched a new 360 Edition that natively ingests Ricoh 360° video and merges it with 3D scans, BIM and CAD models in a single cloud‑based environment. The platform offers unlimited automatic camera‑path processing, manual alignment tools, and Gaussian‑splat visualisation for...

Digital Permits 2026: From Regulatory Mandate to Industrial Excellence
The RavaBIM 2026 seminar examined Finland’s shift from PDF‑based permitting to mandatory BIM/IFC submissions, highlighting both regulatory progress and lingering gaps in standards and technical capacity. Panelists stressed that regional disparities, especially among smaller municipalities and modest design firms, demand focused...

The Future of Open Maps & Data Collaboration | GeoBuiz Summit 2026
At the GeoBuiz Summit 2026, Geospatial World CEO Sanjay Kumar and Overture Maps Foundation Executive Director Will Mortenson discussed the rise of open, standardized geospatial data. They highlighted the Global Entity Reference System (GERS) as a key framework enabling consistent...

Forgot Your Reusable Cup? No Problem: Why Office Buildings and Cafes Are Turning to Cercle
Australian startup Cercle offers a free‑to‑use reusable coffee cup network for offices, cafés and large venues, eliminating the need for customers to bring their own cups. Users take a cup, drink, and return it to smart drop pods that are...

Mortgage Originator Maestro AI Announces $1.2M Pre-Seed
Maestro AI, an AI‑powered platform for mortgage origination, secured $1.2 million in pre‑seed funding led by New Stack Ventures, with participation from Family VC, ZFO, Roark’s Drift, and local angels. Founded by industry veteran David Rogove—who previously built and sold Wemlo...

Agents Want More (and Better) AI Tools — and More Training
A recent Realtors Property Resource survey shows 82% of real‑estate agents are already using AI, mainly for drafting listings, emails and social posts. Most agents report saving at least an hour per week, with a third saving four or more...

The Modern Real Estate Marketplace: A Victim of Its Own Success?
The modern MLS marketplace delivers seamless, nationwide property exposure, driving higher sale prices for sellers. Standardized data rules from RESO have turned the MLS into a single‑pane inventory view accessible via mobile apps. However, some agents pursue “negative differentiation” by...

Esri and Pix4D Build Reality Capture Workflow
Esri and Pix4D have linked the PIX4Dcatch smartphone app with ArcGIS Online, creating a terrestrial‑mapping workflow that captures high‑precision 3D scans of trenches and subsurface infrastructure. The integration uses a real‑time kinematics (RTK) device to georeference scans at centimeter‑level accuracy,...
MB511: How to Use AI, Data, and Market Timing to Gain an “Unfair” Advantage in Multifamily — With Neal Bawa
Neal Bawa characterizes 2026 as a “muddle year” for multifamily, with rent growth flatlining and concessions climbing above one‑third of units. A three‑year supply binge left roughly 25% of new deliveries unabsorbed, pressuring especially Class A assets. Capital remains abundant, yet...
Storytelling with 4D BIM
The construction sector is leveraging 4D BIM as a storytelling tool that merges models with schedules to visualize project timelines. Real‑world cases show staging time reductions of up to 66% and optimized material delivery sequences, especially on constrained sites. Bentley...

Why Building Measurement Has Become a Specialized Discipline
Building measurement has shifted from a one‑time design task to a continuous governance function as BOMA standards ballooned in scope and detail. Modern portfolios experience frequent tenant improvements, phased occupancies, and mixed‑use changes, turning rentable area into a dynamic accounting...

AI Powers Land and Lot Search and Zoning Feasibility. Here’s How
Acres.com, a Fayetteville‑based land intelligence platform, unveiled an AI‑powered search and zoning feasibility tool that lets users find parcels with plain‑language prompts and receive instant zoning, floodplain and entitlement analysis. The system taps more than 150 million parcel records and thousands...

Interview: Richard Corbridge, CIO, Segro
Richard Corbridge joined Segro as CIO in November 2024, bringing digital leadership experience from the NHS, Boots and the Department for Work and Pensions. He is steering a three‑pillar transformation plan through 2026: simplifying complex processes with IBM and HCL, unlocking...
Tembo Raises £16M in Funding Round
London‑based fintech Tembo announced a £16 million funding round led by Gresham House Ventures and existing backers such as Goodwater Capital and the British Business Bank. The capital will fuel expansion of its digital savings and mortgage platform, including the recently...
Aiming High: KNX Userclub Jordan
The KNX Userclub Jordan was founded at the end of 2025 and currently counts 18 automation‑engineer and student members. Its leadership team runs monthly meetings and plans to expand to over 70 members by the end of 2026, while establishing...
KNX at ISE 2026: Innovation, Interoperability and a Booth Full of Energy
At ISE 2026 in Barcelona, the KNX Association showcased a 280 m² open‑concept booth that attracted both seasoned KNX integrators and AV specialists. Live demos highlighted KNX’s ability to unify lighting, security, HVAC and audiovisual systems through a vendor‑agnostic, interoperable protocol. The...

The Case for Smarter Facility Management at Airports
Airports face relentless operational pressure, requiring facility maintenance that never halts passenger flow. Fragmented asset data and multi‑stakeholder environments hinder rapid response to failures in power, baggage, or runway systems. Hexagon’s enterprise asset management (EAM) solution consolidates inspections, work orders,...
AI Isn’t the Product. The Workflow Is.
The article argues that AI‑generated visualizations in spatial computing are merely a flashy front‑end, not the end product. While AI can compress ideation and produce stunning renders, the real challenge lies in integrating those outputs into existing GIS, CAD, and...
Fact of the Week – 2/16/2026
Berg Insight reports private LTE/5G deployments reached $2.4 billion in 2025, with 6,500 networks launched. The firm projects the market will expand to $12 billion by 2030, implying a 38% compound annual growth rate. Growth is fueled by new deployments, upgrades, and...

New to the Industry, Under-Sink Water Filter Removes Microplastics, Lead & More
Aquavis, a two‑year‑old water‑filtration startup, has launched an under‑sink system aimed at hotels and resorts. The NSF‑certified unit removes 98.9% of microplastics, 99.7% of lead, chlorine, PFAS and other contaminants, using a .5‑micron filter. Early adopters report installations in more...