Insights & News

Are Smart Buildings becoming trendy?

19 January 2024

Before we dive into the trends surrounding Smart Buildings, we should take a step back and look at what the Smart Building market is doing, and it’s safe to say it’s growing. In fact, it’s predicted that the market for Smart Buildings is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.5% from 2023 to 2030. That’s an impressive rate – as a comparison - Netflix had a compound quarterly growth rate (CQGR) of 27.5% between 2016 and 2021.

Proptech – once a trend, now a necessity

10 November 2022

The real estate sector has, for a long time, been reluctant to embrace technology. While the rise of property tech start-ups did go some way to open people’s eyes to the possibilities and fuel their imagination, it took something as monumental as a global pandemic to force many, who work within the sector, to move away from traditional (and often outdated) working practices into a more modern way of thinking and working.

Blockchain and the UK Property Industry

29 October 2019

Since 2015 there has been a growing body of commentary extolling the virtues of blockchain and how it could, and in all likelihood will, revolutionise the property industry. The fact that I (a commercial real estate lawyer and not the most tech-savvy of individuals) am writing a piece about it demonstrates how blockchain is becoming more mainstream but, I wonder, is all this talk of “revolution” a little excessive?

Smart Cities – Lessons from Smart City Developments around the World

09 October 2019

When we think of smart cities, images of skyscrapers, satellite dishes and high tech gadgetry often come to mind, coupled with large scale broadband infrastructure, wireless networks and mobile devices. But a smart city is much more than just a technological network; the concept encompasses also the way in which a city uses new technologies for the benefit of its citizens and becomes more efficient in the process.

Smart Floorspace Digitalising Retail Experience

10 September 2019

Media coverage over the last year for the retail sector has been saturated with reports about the decline of the nation’s high streets.

Is logistics really set to become the New Retail?

13 March 2019

The term ‘urban logistics’ is certainly on trend in the property market and in an effort to keep pace with the demands of the modern consumer, retailers are increasingly targeting urban industrial units to help tackle a key part of the supply chain; the last mile. The challenges of the high street are well documented and the fragile retail market has forced many retailers to re-assess all aspects of their business model. With traditional store retailers needing more space to help service on-line orders and e-tailers needing to scale up their infrastructure network to support their growth, achieving a flexible and agile supply chain to meet these demands is certainly a topic that should be at the top of any retailers to do list.

Tech Predictions for 2019

11 January 2019

Following on from our 2018 Tech Predictions, here are our top ten favourite tech predictions for 2019. Just imagine a world where new technology not only makes us more efficient but improves our lives in other ways - let’s see what 2019 might hold in store!

Sarah Mogford and David Lyons co-write for Building: Blockchain and the UK property industry: opportunities and risks

Press

12 October 2018

Sarah Mogford and David Lyons have co-written an article for 'Building' which discusses the use of Blockchain in the UK property industry.

Cliff Fluet writes for City A.M.: Bitcoin was just the beginning of the imminent blockchain era

Press

12 June 2018

In an article for City A.M., Cliff Fluet discusses blockchain technology and how it's potential impact is "staking a claim as being the most talked about disruptor."

James Gill writes for Essential Retail - Connected Retail: Where next for IoT and GDPR

Press

07 June 2018

Apparently, some 26 billion devices will be IoT (Internet of Things) connected by 2020, at least according to one estimate. The use of IoT is becoming increasingly ubiquitous - connected devices range from visible fitness and health wearables to less visible IoT devices embedded in fridges, heating systems, vehicles and cloud platforms. In the article, James asks, where next for IoT and GDPR?

Smart Cities and Renewable Energy

14 May 2018

In the time before smart cities, electricity by and large was generated by burning fossil fuels in relatively remote locations before being transmitted via high-voltage power lines to population centres.

Smart Cities – what does this mean for the Property world?

26 October 2017

One of the trending topics in property circles at the moment is the rather confusing term ‘Smart Cities’. Whilst there is a great deal of buzz around the topic the main question is what exactly is a ‘Smart City’?

Autonomous Vehicles and the Built Environment

25 September 2017

Self-driving cars are on their way. The trailblazers (Tesla, Google, Uber) are conducting increasingly sophisticated tests in real-world conditions. The traditional car makers (General Motors, BMW) are acquiring start-ups or partnering with established tech companies to boost their capabilities. Ford recently promoted the head of its smart mobility unit to chief executive and aims to have a mass market fully autonomous car by 2021.

Helping to shape the Global Driverless Revolution

03 May 2017

In this article, we look at the road ahead for autonomous vehicles.