How Data Is Changing the Way Offices Are Run
Building owners are using data collection and artificial intelligence to help control systems like heating, lighting, air quality and even the flow of workers.
A security camera with machine-learning abilities at a co-working space at 717 Texas Avenue in Houston. Credit...Michael Stravato for The New York Times
By Patrick Sisson
April 27, 2021, 9:00 a.m. ET
Developers are harnessing a growing obsession with data to improve office buildings in ways that could cut costs and streamline operations, saving owners millions of dollars annually.
The field, known as property technology, or proptech, has become a booming sector in commercial real estate as property managers seek to use data collection and artificial intelligence to help control systems like heating, lighting, air quality and even the flow of workers.