Digitalization enables paradigm shift in the real estate industry

The new Center Smart Commercial Building in the Smart Logistics Cluster on RWTH Aachen Campus sees itself as a central contact for generating and imparting knowledge about the use and operation of commercial real estate. The Center aims to shape the era of software-defined buildings alongside project developers, investors, operators, planners, technology providers and software companies. These include companies like Drees & Sommer, Signify, Enlighted, Zumtobel, ThingIT, Art-Invest and American Tower Germany.

In the past, location and architectural design determined the value of a property. In future, this value will depend increasingly on software and integrated services on offer for building users. The development of new utilization and operations concepts will be needed in view of this paradigm shift in the real estate industry. These will likely include new business models, the use of artificial intelligence for the exploitation of additional potential and a closer look at the possibilities posed by human-machine interaction.

The Center Smart Commercial Building works in interdisciplinary academic teams, which analyze, research and thematically penetrate future challenges of the industry. The new center has unrivaled access to industry and benefits from a rapidly growing research infrastructure within the RWTH Aachen Campus ecosystem. Solutions are rapidly implemented in close cooperation with research and industry partners and translated into scalable concepts based on short sprints. In realistic test environments, e.g. the Innovation Labs, these solutions are tested with the help of demonstrators and adapted for their intended use in the field.

“There will be a massive change in the way we assess the value of a property. Increases in the overall productivity in terms of facility utilization based on improved productivity per unit area, better working conditions and utilization quality, as well as the implementation of new energy concepts will be deciding factors and will result in new levels of sustainability. Innovations brought on by digitalization and software solutions will be the key to tapping this new potential,” explains Dr. Gerhard Gudergan, Center Director of the Center Smart Commercial Building. With these focal points in mind, the Center will be hosting the Congress “Smart Building Solutions” on April 1-2, 2020 at the Smart Logistics Cluster on RWTH Aachen Campus. Discussion topics will center around platforms that will be able to intelligently collate planning, building and user data.

Caption: Center Director Dr. Gerhard Gudergan (right) and Aleksander Cavlek, Head of Smart Building Platform.

Personal contact for companies

Alexandra Köther
Head of Innovation Projects
Center Smart Commercial Building
E-Mail: Alexandra.Koether@smart-commercial-building.de
Phone: +49 241 47705-605

Birgit Merx
Smart Logistics Cluster
c/o FIR e.V. an der RWTH Aachen
E-Mail: Presse@fir.rwth-aachen.de
Phone: +49 241 47705-150