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Realising the value of smart buildings with enterprise agility
Corporate Real Estate Journal,
14
(3),
242-253
(2025)
Abstract
The proliferation of smart buildings, driven by advancements in the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and big data analytics, promises numerous benefits for a business. Despite significant investment in these technologies, many organisations have struggled to leverage the data generated, failing to transition from data acquisition to actionable insights. This challenge underscores the need for enterprise agility — a concept encompassing technological flexibility and the cultural and structural readiness to embrace change. This paper examines the evolution of smart buildings over the past decade, highlighting shifts in focus from sustainability and space management to human-centric outcomes and compliance in response to the global pandemic. It underscores organisations’ need to adopt a holistic digital transformation strategy that integrates datadriven insights into core business processes. The discussion delves into the fundamentals of enterprise agility, emphasising its importance in the smart building context. Enterprise agility involves iterative delivery, continuous improvement, and empowered teams working within clearly defined value streams aligned to business goals. The key components of enterprise agility are explored, including integrating feedback loops, establishing cross-functional teams and shifting from project to product thinking. The authors argue for the necessity of modular and scalable enterprise architecture, which aligns with business capabilities and value streams, enabling faster and more efficient delivery of value. In conclusion, this paper posits that the full value of smart building technologies can be realised by embedding them within an agile enterprise framework.
Keywords: smart; enterprise agility; system architecture; value; technology; enterprise architecture; business architecture
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Author's Biography
Matthew Marson Dr Matthew Marson is an accomplished leader at the forefront of technology, sustainability, and the built environment. With deep expertise in smart buildings and cities, Matthew has shaped the technology landscape across various asset types and geographies. He founded WSP’s Smart Places practise and was instrumental in expanding Accenture’s capabilities in this space, before leading a €100 million business that set new benchmarks in the industry. Today, he is the EMEA Managing Director for Advisory at JLL Technologies. As a key figure in the global smart buildings industry, Matthew’s contributions have earned him prestigious accolades, including the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Young Engineer of the Year 2022 and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Young Visionary 2016. His thought leadership extends to authoring The Smart Building Advantage, a seminal book that explores the return on investment for technology in the built environment. Matthew is a sought-after keynote speaker at international conferences, where he shares insights on emerging technologies, net-zero design and the future of urban spaces. His expertise is further solidified through his contributions to the Encyclopaedia of Sustainable Technologies and numerous published works in industry journals. Matthew holds a doctorate in built environment technology, underscoring his commitment to advancing the field and his ongoing role in shaping the future of our buildings and cities.
Andrew Targell has over 25 years of experience in technology, FM and real estate roles, spanning software development, infrastructure, project delivery, consultancy, and leading complex enterprise technology implementations for global organisations. Andrew currently leads the Real Estate Technology Advisory at JLL Technologies, helping clients achieve their business goals through Technology transformation. Andrew is passionate about leveraging digital technologies to enhance the human experience and specialises in: strategy technology; enterprise architecture; business transformation, agility, and operating model design; enterprise data and analytics strategies; global technology implementation and architecture; service management design and approach; consumer UX, Mobile, and DevOps.
