Think of the Room Like a Laptop
Technological and regulatory trends for
commercial real estates
Buildings are responsible for 40% of energy consumption and more than a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU). If the goal of being climate-neutral by 2050 shall be achieved, building technology is an important key to success. What the EU Commission is planning to do and what new technological approaches there are for commercial real estate was presented at the ISH trade show 2025 in Frankfurt.
An office in which the heating switches on automatically when the employee starts working – and switches off again when he or she says goodbye to lunch break or the end of the day. An office that regulates humidity and lighting independently. A self-learning office that adapts to the user’s behavior. Such “presence-based solutions” are already a reality and make it possible to save more than half of heating costs and CO2. At the same time, employees can be sensitized to their individual energy consumption at the workplace by means of an app and also financially incentivized. “Such an approach works best by turning each room into a building,” reports Maik Cwielong. Until now, office buildings have always been viewed holistically before new construction or renovation. “It’s easier to break the building down to the smallest zone and think of the room like a laptop that is set up with software and connected to the building via an interface,” adds Marco Della Penna.
Office space emits huge amounts of data
Both experts work for Teffi GmbH in Weissach, which deals with building automation to create energy-efficient and networked properties. They are currently experiencing a paradigm shift. “Each office space emits between 10,000 and 20,000 data points per hour. There is a permanent target/actual comparison when it comes to temperature or humidity. Such volumes of data can only be processed sensibly by way of IT,” says Della Penna. That’s why they collaborate with software companies whereas manufacturers of building automation reached their limits. Because the market is fast-moving, the focus is on manufacturer-independent software solutions. This can save significant energy. “In a building at the University of Stuttgart, we were able to reduce heating costs by 60% per year,” Cwielong emphasizes.
Regulatory innovations
Such approaches fit in with regulatory innovations that Silvia Rezessy from the EU Commission presented at ISH 2025 – and which have significant consequences for owners and tenants of commercial real estate. “By coming summer, we want to initiate amendments to the EU Buildings Directive (EPBD),” says Rezessy. In terms of content, it is particularly about the quality of the indoor climate (“Indoor Environmental Quality”). This term is now to be defined for the first time in Article 2 (66) and applies to both new buildings and major renovations. Temperature, humidity, ventilation rate and the presence of pollutants will be the parameters in the future. The EU member states should be able to set concrete specifications for indoor conditions.
Technological specifications for the indoor climate
At the same time, technology for measuring the indoor climate is to be made mandatory in the directive. In commercial zero-emission buildings and for major renovations of existing commercial properties, it will be mandatory in the future to equip them with devices that measure the air quality of the interiors. The EU member states are to be free to determine this for residential buildings as well. In addition, it is planned that the regulations for Building Automation And Control Systems (BACS) for large commercial properties will be expanded with regard to the measurement of energy consumption. “They should be able to react to external signals and adjust consumption accordingly,” says Rezessy. The planned specifications for automatic lighting controls also fit in with this.
Need for action and gamification
According to previous experience, it will take about two to three years for the changes to come into force at EU level. The EU member states then have another two years to implement the regulations into national law. What still sounds far away, however, already leads to a need for action for owners and operators of large commercial properties when it comes to planning future real estate projects. The upcoming innovations should therefore be taken into account and taken into account. Because there will still be a lot of technological progress on the way to implementation, the focus should be on data and software. “Transparency about the energy consumption of an office can make employees aware of what makes their behavior energetically important. There are already gamification approaches to increase incentives for employees,” says Marco Della Penna. In this way, the play instinct could be used for climate protection.
Board Journal – March 20, 2025
