The Mobilization of ‘Smart Buildings’ and Smarter Management Practices

Mobile apps are indispensable to the creation of “smart buildings,” where technology can transform a property into a responsive entity unto itself. That is, the right technology can enable a building owner or property manager to customize a mobile app to reflect the physical dimensions of a specific commercial or residential space: to have an app that represents the number of offices or apartments––as well as the most minute details; the idiosyncrasies, if you will––that distinguish one building from another. Having this solution for Android and iOS devices, never mind having access to this solution from any device, period, is a milestone within the world of technology in general and business services in particular. Welcome, in other words, to the world of GreenApps.

Welcome to the union between mobilization and communication, where the former strengthens the latter; where the freedom of tenants to communicate with property managers, and the chance for both parties to free themselves from miscommunication and ambiguity, is a boon for everyone; where a branded app––one that has the look and feel of an existing brand––offers degrees of control unavailable elsewhere; where the product of this union is not only greater automation, but autonomy itself; where managers and tenants can work together, not because this work is laborious, but because there is almost no labor necessary to achieve the results both parties want.

An app of this kind should accelerate innovation among architects, engineers, and builders and developers. It can inspire other industries to embrace technology––to endorse mobile technology––as the best (and fastest) means of communication. This good will, in turn, yield a multitude of goods and services.

Now is the time to cheer the rise of smart buildings, at home and abroad.

Lewis Fein covers technology, health care, science, and education. Based in Southern California, he writes about disruptive products and services.