Smart Tech For Building Retrofits: What Are The Viable Strategies?

08 Feb, 2018

Access this research

Access all Building Digital Platforms & Operational Tech content with a strategic subscription or buy this single report

Need help or have a question about this report? Contact us for assistance

Executive Summary

This report helps facility managers and building technology vendors understand the viable strategies to increase the performance of existing buildings. With over 80% of buildings in many developed countries now over 25 years of age, building owners, tenants and investors look to better understand how to make their existing buildings more efficient and engaging for occupants. Based on our recent research into the evolving visions and technology ecosystem for future smart buildings, this report outlines the critical questions that building managers must answer when identifying suitable retrofit strategies. The report identifies the six promising strategies and associated technologies to make existing buildings more efficient and engaging for occupants. The options reviewed in this report include both zero-capital approaches, which are based upon analysing existing building data to identify any inefficiency, and those that analyse very granular facility data to inform strategies such as better fault detection and predictive maintenance.
Smart Tech For Building Retrofits: What Are The Viable Strategies?
The Building Retrofit Puzzle: How To Find Projects That Deliver Sufficient Efficiency And Worker Productivity Benefits   
Five Decision Points For Building Managers When Selecting Smart Building Tech For Retrofits 
Six Viable Strategies To Smarten Up Existing Buildings

Figure 1. Four Commercial Models For Investing In Building Retrofits
Figure 2. Decision Tree: How To Find The Right Building Retrofit Strategy

About the Author

Susan Clarke

Susan Clarke

Research Director

Susan leads the Verdantix Smart Buildings practice. Her current research agenda focuses on software solutions for real estate management including integrated workplace managem...

Other related content

Blog
Built Environment Energy & Decarbonization
Are Real Estate Investors Managing Clim...

On November 3-4 2025, Greenbuild hosted the second annual Sustainable Finance and Investing Forum, a pre-conference event held exclusively for real estate investors, operators, dev...

04 December, 2025

Blog
Real Estate, Facilities & Workplace Tech
Eye.D, Please

JP Morgan’s new headquarters at 270 Park Avenue, New York, have turned the lobby into a logic gate: no iris or fingerprint; no entry. What began as a voluntary programme is now the...

04 December, 2025

Blog
AEC
AECOM Takes A Bold Swing At AI Transfor...

On November 25, 2025, AECOM’s announcement of its $390 million acquisition of Norwegian AI start-up Consigli caught the attention of the AEC industry. For decades, global services ...

03 December, 2025

Webinar
Real Estate Leaders
Predictions 2026: Real Estate & Facilit...

Real estate and facilities leaders are being held accountable for performance outcomes they cannot reliably deliver because their systems, data and service models were never desig...

Upcoming / 15 January, 2026

Blog
Building Digital Platforms & Operational Tech
Digital Platforms For Retail: How Quick...

Quick service restaurants, including fast food, fast casual and grab-and-go chains, are all about eliminating friction. Customers expect speed and convenience at every turn: tap, p...

12 November, 2025

Blog
AEC
Connecting The Built And Natural Worlds...

At the 2025 Year in Infrastructure (YII) conference in Amsterdam, Bentley Systems (Bentley) showcased how its ongoing investments in digital engineering and infrastructure lifecycl...

10 November, 2025