Making buildings truly smart
With heating season approaching, building owners on both sides of the Atlantic face the same challenge: keeping occupants comfortable while controlling energy costs and meeting increasingly tough carbon regulations.
In the UK, that means preparing for the next phase of Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) and the longer-term goal of Net Zero by 2050. In the US, owners are grappling with performance standards like Local Law 97 in New York and the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) in Boston, regulations that carry significant financial penalties for non-compliance.
For many portfolios, the barrier to meeting these goals isn’t a lack of technology. In fact, years of investment in ‘smart’ systems, from HVAC to lighting, access control and building management systems, have often created more complexity than clarity. Without integration, even the most advanced technology can underdeliver. Master Systems Integrators (MSIs) such as OTI are helping address this challenge by connecting disparate systems into a cohesive, high performing platform.
Why ‘smart’ often isn’t
The term ‘smart building’ suggests efficiency, insight and ease of control. Yet in practice, many buildings are filled with standalone systems from different vendors that don’t communicate effectively with one another. Each comes with its own dashboard, reporting format and maintenance requirements.
This lack of integration can lead to common operational problems: heating and cooling systems working against each other, energy wasted in unoccupied spaces and maintenance teams juggling multiple log-ins without a complete view of performance. Data may be collected, but it remains siloed, making it difficult to spot trends, take proactive action or deliver accurate reporting.
The result is that building owners and operators often fall short of their efficiency, comfort and compliance targets, despite having invested heavily in advanced technology. Research from Boston Consulting Group underscores the challenge, finding that only 30% of digital transformations worldwide achieve their intended outcomes. Blindly adding more technology doesn’t instantly make a building smarter, in fact, it may make it harder to operate.
The integration solution
MSIs address these issues by creating a unified data layer across all building systems. This approach connects HVAC, metering, lighting, access control and building management into one coherent ecosystem. Data from each system is standardised and made accessible through a single, user-friendly platform. For HVAC in particular, integration ensures that heating and cooling systems are coordinated, responding dynamically to real-time occupancy and environmental data. This avoids the common problem of systems working in opposition to each other, driving up costs and undermining comfort.
The benefits are extensive:
- Operational efficiency – centralised control enables faster adjustments and reduces duplication of effort
- Energy and carbon savings – real-time optimisation minimises waste and supports emissions reductions
- Predictive maintenance – early detection of faults prevents downtime and costly repairs
- Regulatory compliance – accurate, automated reporting for MEES, Local Law 97 and BERDO
In the UK, integration can help landlords and asset managers prepare for tightening EPC requirements and avoid the risk of stranded assets. In the US, it supports emissions tracking and optimisation needed to meet city-level carbon caps.
Trends driving adoption Several market forces are pushing integration higher on the agenda. Regulatory pressure is growing across all regions, with penalties for non-compliance creating a clear financial incentive. The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in building management is also a factor. AI tools can optimise equipment schedules, predict failures and improve comfort, but only if they’re fed accurate, timely and structured data. Without integration, the data AI needs remains siloed across incompatible platforms.
Finally, tenant expectations have shifted. Comfort, sustainability and transparency are no longer ‘nice to have’ features; they’re part of the value proposition that attracts and retains occupiers.
Practical steps for building owners and operators
For those looking to unlock similar benefits, the starting point is an honest audit of existing systems. Identify where data is locked in proprietary platforms, where equipment is unable to communicate and where duplicate processes exist.
When investing in new technology, prioritise equipment and platforms that enable integration with other systems over time. Work with an MSI to develop a roadmap that focuses on creating a unified platform, rather than adding more standalone tools.
Integration should also be seen as the foundation for AI and sustainability projects. Without a clean, comprehensive data layer, these initiatives will struggle to deliver their promised outcomes.
Conclusion
With rising energy costs, tightening regulations and evolving tenant expectations, building owners can no longer afford fragmented systems that work in isolation. Integration turns these disparate components into a coherent, high performance asset, capable of delivering both operational and environmental gains.
Companies like OTI are showing that with the right integration strategy, it’s possible to enhance comfort, cut costs and meet stringent emissions targets on both sides of the Atlantic.
A truly smart building isn’t defined by the number of devices installed, but by how well those devices work together.
Case study: 800 W Fulton – from connected to truly smart
In Chicago’s West Loop, 800 W Fulton is a 500,000sqft Class A office building designed to be the city’s smartest. Best-in-class technology was already in the building. The real challenge was making sure these systems worked seamlessly together. OTI integrated 7,849 data points from HVAC, metering, lighting and other systems into a single AI-enabled platform. This provided a centralised dashboard for operators, allowing real-time monitoring,
command control and automated fault detection. The result was a building capable of continuous optimisation. Energy efficiency improved, maintenance became proactive rather than reactive and occupants enjoyed a more consistent and comfortable environment.
The project earned 800 W Fulton both Platinum SmartScore and LEED Platinum certification, setting a new benchmark for connected, high performance buildings in Chicago.
Brian Turner is CEO of OTI.
