Breaking down data barriers key to protecting asset value
Building data is very frequently abundant but has effectively been siloed according to Johanna Fuchs Boenisch, CEO of proptech company Susteco, part of the Bosch group.
“Property management has a bit of information, facility management has a bit of information, the owners frequently have the least amount of information. But everybody is after the same data, be it for ESG reporting or be it for building optimisation or just reporting to the bank,” she said.
“What I would encourage people to think about is really making data available digitally and not just manually,” she told Real Asset Insight’s Richard Betts.
Making data available digitally makes access easier making it available centrally means everybody that needs that data can gain access to it. Furthermore, if a building’s performance is being measured anyway then that is an opportunity to look too at optimising the building and seeking savings as part of the same initiative.
“If you go into a building and technically on-board it so that you can measure the performance, you might as well use the opportunity to enable your building to not just measure but also to control the building.”
She pointed out that the technical solutions that facilitate this are already available and the hurdles to their deployment are fewer than people think. “What I would personally encourage people to do is view the obligation for ESG reporting as an opportunity to interact with and optimise your building and make it ultimately transparent for all the building’s users, including your tenant.”
One of the biggest challenges is to get people to engage with what is already possible, she said. Another is investment.
“I see a lot of people who talk to us about savings and want to finance all this through savings. I understand, this is a sign of the times.”
However, Fuchs Boenisch said she would encourage people to see it as an investment into futureproofing a building to maintain its value. “I am absolutely certain that in a short amount of time it will make a difference in the pricing, if your building is transparent or not.”
There is already talk of building passports which she predicts that will become a permanent fixture.
“I would say if you want to maintain value, look at that and at what your tenants want. Your tenants want optimised buildings, they want to create spaces they will want to use again,” she said.
“Here is your opportunity to combine an obligation with an opportunity to really engage with your building and potentially increase its value, but certainly maintain its value.”
