VergeSense: Smart building technology for occupiers

In the world of commercial real estate (CRE), smart buildings have become essential for enterprises. The new ways of working and current uncertainty surrounding the “return to office” process require a more agile and efficient system of workplace management. Smart buildings help deliver this. 

From an occupier’s perspective, smart building operations means the dynamic management of portfolios and occupied buildings, revolutionizing how businesses use space. This includes dynamic occupancy planning, dynamic facility management, and making data-driven decisions to optimize portfolios and workplaces down to the finest details, such as determining the required number and size of meeting rooms. 

The expected results from embracing smart buildings are significant. Occupiers can expect cost savings in areas such as energy consumption, heating, ventilation and AC (HVAC) systems, cleaning services, maintenance, and employee amenities like catering. Additionally, smart buildings offer higher efficiencies for day-to-day operations and contribute to the reduction of carbon footprints.  

However, occupiers face the challenge of reducing costs while maintaining and even improving the user and employee experience. To navigate this new paradigm, corporations need to adapt and identify the right opportunities within their portfolios and workplaces. While collecting occupancy data is essential, many real estate and workplace teams lack access to data analysts and the required skillsets to make sense of the vast amounts of information at hand. Hence, there is a need for data-driven decision-making processes to be adopted. 

To address this issue, JLL Spark has invested in VergeSense, an occupancy intelligence platform for enterprises. VergeSense collects detailed occupancy data and integrates it into a proprietary platform, to guide workplace decisions that optimize spaces, reduce costs, ensure sustainability and improve employee experience. With this technology in hand, occupiers gain vital insights to help answer critical questions such as whether to renew a lease, how often conference rooms are underutilized, and the feasibility of consolidating floors without compromising user experience. The data can also serve to automate building operations and services for maximum efficiency, without sacrificing user comfort (air quality, temperature, lighting, and more). 

For data management support, VergeSense has recently introduced an AI-powered solution using a custom-trained GPT-4 model from OpenAI. The AI model connects with the platform, allowing corporate real estate directors and workplace managers to interrogate the collected data and receive precise recommendations to optimize office spaces. Much like having a dedicated data analyst working for the team, this solution enables occupiers to transform their portfolios based on actionable insights and their unique occupancy trends, aligning with their workplace goals. Users can also identify trends over time and make informed decisions thanks to utilization and occupancy trend insights: identifying popular versus underutilized spaces, for example, and creating a more balanced use of space.  

Of course, decisions and actions always remain in the hands of the workplace leader, who utilizes the data-driven insights provided by the AI assistant. As we enter a new era of “true” smart buildings, occupiers will expect smart infrastructure and technology as the default offer for their workspaces, including the capability to leverage AI to unlock their full potential. Landlords, operators, and service providers will need to adapt to this new model to satisfy the needs of their tenants. 

Written by Arnaud Bouzinac, Growth Principal at JLL Spark

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