More badges than a girl scout!

It’s no surprise to anyone that knows me, that I love a certificate. In fact, I’ve just celebrated my 5 year anniversary as a reverend of the Universal Life Church. Peace be upon your smart building… but the vast range and increasing specificity of some certifications is getting out of control. Lately, email signatures have … Read more

Is the Digital Twin destined for the bin?

I’ve never been particularly enthusiastic about digital twins. I don’t know why. Maybe they’re for the sort of people that never grew out of their ‘The Simms’ phase? Maybe the abuse suffered at Architecture School has led me to believe that those hours at the literal drawing board with leaky Rotring pens, was somehow worthwhile? … Read more

In defence of individual offices

Open-plan offices have never been for me. I don’t have the attention span to deal with all the distractions, I’m a germaphobe, and I still struggle to understand that, just because they’re far away, you don’t need to shout down the phone. To be a bit Gen Z about it, they’re just not part of … Read more

A single pain in the ass

We’ve all worked on projects that want one… a Single Pane of Glass. Apparently, having one place to access all systems is the panacea of smart buildings. They’re supposed to be sleek, streamlined interfaces that bring together various systems – be that heating and cooling to security and lighting – into one, easy-to-use dashboard. It’s … Read more

When success is shared, it grows

On a recent conference panel, I was disheartened to confirm something that I had already suspected. When someone has success with their smart building project, it’s kept top secret. So this month’s column is a combo of whinge and a business self-help article. I find the level of secrecy to be a paradox that is … Read more