My ongoing exploration of retrofitting, a key theme of my Market Engagement efforts in 2023, involved convening a series of high-level discussions to unpick its complexities. Among these, a significant roundtable published in Smart Buildings Magazine in August 2023 stands out. This session, titled “Navigating the perfect storm: how strategies for future proofing retrofits need more integrated and joined up thinking,” brought together influential figures from relevant rating bodies and provided profound insights that continue to resonate.
A critical discussion point, articulated by Giovanna Jagger, Global Market Development Director at the IWBI, was the vital distinction between ‘efficient’ and ‘effective’ buildings. While technology and materials can make buildings highly efficient (e.g., for energy consumption), if they are not genuinely occupied and serving their users, they cease to be effective and, consequently, sustainable. This insight profoundly highlights the tension between diverse stakeholder priorities – owners, operators, and occupiers – whose needs often diverge.
This dynamic directly informs what I refer to as the Project-Operations Gap. It became clear during this discussion that building users and facilities staff often feel sidelined, lacking influence over smart specifications defined by those who ‘walk away’ at practical completion, leaving them to manage the long-term reality. This disconnect underscored a fundamental challenge: design-phase decisions often fail to fully consider operational realities and user experience.
The implications of effectiveness over mere efficiency are profound, particularly when considering metrics like JLL’s 3-30-300 rule. This rule highlights that a 10% gain in employee productivity (payroll) can be worth significantly more than equivalent percentage savings in rent or utilities. From an occupier’s perspective, investment in employee experience and effective, human-centric spaces offers the greatest return, blurring the lines between smart buildings and smarter workplaces.
This roundtable, and the insights it generated, was a testament to the power of bringing together diverse, high-level perspectives to address systemic issues. It demonstrates my proactive role in identifying and articulating the critical challenges facing the industry, fostering integrated thinking, and laying the groundwork for more holistic approaches to the built environment.
For a full account of the discussion, you can read the article in Smart Buildings Magazine: Navigating the perfect storm: how strategies for future proofing retrofits need more integrated and joined up thinking
