25 November 2025
This “Janet & John” story simplifies the diagnosis: The problem is confusing Information Management (Compliance) with Human-Centred Design (Usability). It’s time to move from abstract assets to testable products that actually work for the people running our buildings.
23 November 2025
A new discussion paper arguing that we must stop confusing Information Management with Human-Centred Design. We need to move from delivering abstract compliance assets to delivering testable products that work for human operators.
14 October 2025
A human-centred framework to finally plug the Project-Operations Gap. The industry must shift from abstract design compliance to delivering Minimum Viable Handover Requirements (MVHR) that guarantee testable operational value from day one.
23 September 2025
The BOS Market: A pragmatic T-shaped framework for evaluation that goes beyond a Magic Quadrant and into operational value.
13 September 2025
A strategic framework to solve the project-operations gap: The debate between central platforms and open protocols defines the future of smart buildings.
A digital soft landings framework can bridge the idealist and pragmatist divide, defining a minimum viable handover to solve the project-operations gap.
The gap between BIM and smart buildings is not a technical issue, but rather a consequence of the project-to-operations gap. Inspired by a conversation with Alex Plenty of Skanska, I explored solutions to the issue for Digital Construction Plus.
My refelection on AI’s seismic shock to the smart buildings market, advocating a forward-looking Sensemaking approach
James Pellatt: AI is the game-changer, transforming smart buildings from projects to products.
Challenges traditional use case views, advocating a collaborative shift to defining clear performance indicators for true digital building value.
Welcome to my blog, a record of my active engagement across the smart buildings ecosystem. Here, I focus on bringing diverse stakeholder groups together for common good and share perspectives from my ongoing work and insights. This includes my facilitation of the international Start With Smart Group.
Learn more about my background below, or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Justin Kirby is a leading industry commentator, connector, and facilitator with over two decades of experience in catalysing stakeholder engagement and business transformation. He is a passionate advocate for bridging the persistent gap between the design-and-build phase and the long-term operational life of a building. This is the central mission of Start With Smart Group, a community he recently launched to bring together a global network of forward-thinking professionals.
Justin’s work applies the same strategic and entrepreneurial drive he used as the Executive Director of the Digital Buildings Council (DBC), where he helped to establish a collaborative platform for industry leaders and facilitate key initiatives, including the crucial Review of The RIBA Smart Buildings Overlay.
A respected voice in the field, Justin has been appointed to the Editorial Guidance Panel for Build in Digital magazine, and was nominated to the prestigious Digital Construction Power Players 2025 list by Digital Construction Plus, which he contributes to and helps judge their Digital Construction Awards partnership with Digital Construction Week. He is adept at turning complex industry challenges into clear, actionable conversations and initiatives.
Connect with him on LinkedIn or get in touch there.
