In a recent CoStar article, James Hallworth, Partner and Head of Building Technology at Workman LLP, explores why rising temperatures are redefining building performance and why climate resilience must become a strategic priority for commercial real estate.
Extreme heat is no longer an occasional challenge for commercial property and, as heatwaves become more frequent and intense, owners and managers need to think differently about how they keep their buildings comfortable, efficient and resilient. Managing higher temperatures is about much more than keeping occupants cool. It affects energy costs, operational performance, customer experience and ultimately the long term value of an asset, with investors and occupiers increasingly viewing climate resilience as a measure of building quality.
Many commercial buildings still rely on ageing Building Management Systems (BMS), fixed operating schedules and manual intervention, which can maintain comfortable conditions but often use more energy than necessary, leaving facilities teams reacting to changing conditions rather than staying ahead of them during periods of extreme heat.
A smarter approach is to make better use of the data buildings already generate, using information such as internal temperatures, occupancy, weather conditions and HVAC performance to continuously optimise how systems operate so cooling is delivered where it is needed, when it is needed, improving comfort while reducing energy use and unnecessary strain on equipment.
As climate risks continue to increase, operational resilience is becoming just as important as energy efficiency, with buildings that can adapt to changing conditions better placed to reduce operating costs, improve occupier experience, lower carbon emissions and protect long term asset value.
Technology is only part of the answer and the real opportunity lies in understanding how a building performs and using that insight to make better operational decisions, as small changes to the way a building is managed can often deliver significant improvements without the need for major capital investment. The future of commercial real estate is not about installing more technology, but about using existing buildings more intelligently so they are better prepared for the challenges of a changing climate.
Read the full article on CoStar
