LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

EPISODE 1

An Introduction to Building Intelligence with Vincent Dermody of CohnReznick

You might be as surprised as we were to learn that the first “smart building” was an unassuming office tower in Hartford, Connecticut. Today there is nothing more than a few old newspaper clippings to document this unusual distinction. So what went wrong? According to Vincent Dermody, Managing Director of CohnReznick Australia, the problem is that many smart buildings don’t actually work any better than their analog counterparts. In this episode, Vincent introduces us to The 8 Principles of Intelligent Space that he thinks every building owner needs to adopt in order for their building to become smart.

EPISODE 2

Innovate, with Maureen Ehrenberg of Blue Skyre IBE

Just about anything you read about the business world now-a-days will mention the word innovation. Championed by the tech world, innovation is just another way to say “make something better.” As much as we all nod our heads about the importance of innovation, how to actually bring it about is much harder done than said. In this episode, we talk to Maureen Ehrenberg of commercial real estate advisory company Blue Skyre IBE, about how she helps real estate companies identify and implement innovative new ideas to continuously make their buildings and organizations better.

EPISODE 3

Intelligent with Sheridan Ware of Charter Hall

We all know someone that we think is intelligent. They are usually people that are quick-witted, thoughtful, or wise. But when it comes to buildings, intelligence is less a personality trait and more a set of structured processes and reliable systems. In this episode, Sheridan Ware, the Chief Information and Technology Officer at property investment management firm Charter Hall, gives us some great examples of how she has adapted her company’s real estate processes and systems to drive intelligent decisions.

EPISODE 4

Integrity with Lisa Stanley of OSCRE International

Integrity is the foundation on which we make our moral decisions. For buildings, data integrity is the foundation on which they operate. The more technology a building deploys, the more important it is to collect, organize, and analyze information and recognize that each datapoint influences the whole. Lisa Stanley’s organization, OSCRE International, has developed a set of standards for the commercial real estate industry to make sure that the industry’s data maintains its integrity. In this episode, we talk to Lisa about standards and integrity and why it is so important that our building systems speak a common language.

EPISODE 5

Insight with Susan Gerock of WashREIT

In business, insight is often a misunderstood concept. An insight is not data, nor is it an observation. Though sometimes confused for those things, insights are gems of knowledge that hide in plain sight and can only be revealed with experience and in the proper context. The most innovative companies in real estate have built their businesses on the insights of sharp-eyed people. For this episode, we spoke with Susan Gerock, Senior Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at WashREIT, about some of the ways that she has been able to uncover valuable insights within her organization.

EPISODE 6

Integrate with Miao Song of GLP

Most modern software can be easily integrated with other platforms using things like APIs. If only it were as simple for property companies to integrate with their tenants. Increasingly landlords are being asked to do just that. Miao Song is the Global Chief Information Officer of GLP, a giant in the logistics world. In this episode she explains what her company has learned as they integrated with their end users in a very fundamental way.

EPISODE 7

Inclusive with Lisa Harvey of the Spiritual Quotient

Inclusivity is the mantra of our times. More than ever, the business of real estate should be looking for opportunities to adapt to today's inclusive cultural movement. While many of us might think that means embracing all races and genders, there is much more to think about when designing spaces that need to appeal to a variety of people. For this episode, we spoke to Lisa Harvey, a change management specialist whose unique approach to inclusivity offers some great takeaways for building owners and managers.

EPISODE 8

Intuitive with Alana Collins of Zoom

Two years of office workers staying home has changed how think about the workplace. After a global pandemic, bringing people back to work in unfamiliar hybrid offices will not be easy. Flexible arrangements that allow employees to do some tasks in the office and others virtually are clearly remaining a big part of the picture. But it will take more than videoconferencing and chat rooms to create a successful flexible work environment. In this episode, Alana Collins, the Head of Real Estate & Workplace at Zoom, talks to us about making spaces and work processes more intuitive for the way people naturally like to work.

EPISODE 9

Involved with Joanna Frank of the Center for Active Design

Buildings are only as good as the neighborhoods they are a part of. So it stands to reason that one of the essential things building owners can do is look to improve their surroundings. Joanna Frank is the President & CEO of the Center for Active Design which oversees the Fitwell certification. In this episode, she talks to us about ways her non-profit organization helps building owners quantify their building's impact on the health and wellness of its occupants, neighbors and the world.