For decades, construction and commercial real estate have shared a reputation as the industries technology forgot. Both were described in the same terms in the same consulting reports, sitting near the bottom of every digitization index alongside agriculture, running on relationships and paper and institutional knowledge that lived in people’s heads. That characterization was fair for a long time. It is becoming less accurate for one of them.

4 min read    

When Prologis first tried to buy Segro in March 2024, it was rebuffed in a curt, 75-word letter from the chairman of the British logistics giant, describing its bid as opportunistic and inadequate. The fact that San Francisco-based Prologis is now about to buy Segro for $19B, swallowing whole its largest European rival, sums up the qualities that have helped Prologis rise to the top of not just the world of logistics but real estate and business more broadly: patience, cold-eyed analysis and determination. 

10 min read    

The publication of Modernise or Die, the new Government Construction Strategy and the UK BIM Mandate all made 2016 feel like a seminal year for our industry.  A remarkable disruptive energy had the world watching. I was among the voices advocating for wide adoption of BIM, with a detailed focus on implementing common data environments to make sure all the great digital progress and learning going on wasn’t being lost in the dreaded silos, which we don’t hear much about in 2026.   

7 min read

Walmart is expanding its use of 3D-printed construction, potentially providing the scale needed to move a technology largely associated with small residential projects into mainstream commercial development. Over the past two years, contractors working for the retailer have used 3D printing to construct walls for five store additions in Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas, according to Fast Company. 

1 min read

The myth that interoperability requires years of custom master-systems integration is holding the industry back. 
Building integrations are supposed to begin with meetings. 
This one began with a LinkedIn chat, a simple question, and a link. In seven days, a digital building model became a place where independent systems could meet, even ...

8 min read    

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and Sandia National Laboratories announced a deal on Communications and Cybersecurity for the Energy Edge (C2E2), which automates power grid data engineering and enables utility operators to detect and locate the source of cyber threats.  

3 min read   

The building automation and smart buildings industry is undergoing a massive structural evolution. Discussions on platforms like AutomatedBuildings.com often focus on how traditional engineering, contracting, and facility management models are being rewritten. The Four Forces Reshaping Building Automation: (1) Labor Challenges (The Skills Gap): The industry faces a severe demographic bottleneck - retirements heavily outpace incoming talent ...

1 min read   

Canadians young and old are facing a housing crisis. The good news is that beginning to solve it presents a massive opportunity for jobs, for the Canadian economy, and for building smarter, better homes that save money and boost livability. The solution is an industry that has been ignored for too long, and is finally getting some recognition: modular housing. Imagine a Canada where rents and mortgages are at reasonable levels because there are enough homes ...

11 min read