The Missing Framework Preventing Commercial Buildings from Becoming Smart

Whether the goal is to leverage technology that already exists in building systems such as building management systems, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) controls, and energy monitoring, or to integrate an entirely new set of smart building technologies, such as sensor solutions, organizations managing a handful of commercial buildings in their portfolio continuously face challenges in the absence of a unified integration strategy. Without a clear management framework, technology adoption is fragmented, limiting long-term use.

Data centers face constant uncertainty and rapid innovation cycles. To accelerate time to deployment and overcome barriers to grid limitations, supply chain constraints, and regional differences, reference designs are increasingly relied upon. Reference designs have enabled faster build cycles, reduced integration risk, and allowed for more predictable operational outcomes (see ABI Research’s Data Center Reference Designs Are Accelerating Global Deployment Timelines report (AN-6504)).

In the smart building ecosystem, there is no shortage of innovative technology ranging from advanced analytics platforms to Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven analytics and fault detection, but friction in commercial buildings persists due to inconsistent management practices from disconnected teams, inconsistent data management, and a lack of long-term lifecycle planning. By standardizing core integration and design strategies while allowing for adaptability and flexibility, vendors and building managers/Information Technology (IT) managers can streamline integration, reduce management friction, and extend system lifecycles in buildings. This will lay the necessary foundation to transition building practices away from isolated upgrades toward continuous optimized maintenance and eventually, autonomous operations.

The transformation in commercial buildings that will drive adoption isn’t a single product or sensor, but rather the emergence of integration-first, future-conscious technology integration strategies that enable technology deployment to continuously evolve. Solutions such as Siemens Building X, Honeywell Forge, and Schneider Electric EcoStruxure can streamline workflows, increase energy savings, and enable advanced analytics of energy optimization and autonomous operations across building portfolios. In offices, healthcare, retail, and education buildings, these technologies reduce the burden on facility teams while improving energy performance, space utilization, and occupant comfort.

But adoption still lags behind. The challenge is that deployments in commercial buildings operate with an upgrade-based mindset where technology is installed, underutilized, and left until the next upgrade cycle. By contrast, data center operators continuously monitor and optimize. Applying the same integration mindset and practice at a smaller scale allows commercial buildings to extend system lifecycles and lower operating costs. A unified approach to innovation in buildings results in ongoing value to both occupants and building managers and operators.

Meaningful progress in building technology adoption will require a shift toward integration-first strategies that can scale across unique building types and sizes. Building teams need to understand what integration will look like across systems and how to take advantage of digitization to realize the long-term value of smart systems. Adoption often stalls due to vendor lock-in, inconsistent integration approaches, and misalignment between facilities managers, IT teams, and occupants. While many smart building technologies deliver measurable benefits in isolation, these barriers prevent building managers from realizing the full operational value of intelligent systems. Solutions such as Switch Automation, Facilio, and Skypark are solutions that make sense of complicated landscapes of system sensors and turn them into actionable insights for building teams.

However, modular, open, and repeatable integration solutions are required for performance monitoring, tuning, and improvement over time. This can be especially useful in small and mid-sized buildings with limited staff and resources. To enable the acceleration of building technology adoption, investment decisions must be reframed around operation outcomes, rather than short-term incentives or one-time upgrades. Clear integration roadmaps, redefined deployment timelines, and lifecycle-oriented solutions reduce friction and increase workflows for building owners and operators.

Data center reference designs developed through the Open Compute Project define standardized, modular system designs for power, cooling, and IT infrastructure to enable faster deployment, interoperability, and continuous optimization at scale. A similar approach can be applied to commercial buildings by creating similar frameworks that standardize core integration layers and data models, allowing HVAC, lighting, energy, and analytics to evolve over time with site flexibility.

Building managers and vendors must align their internal strategies to fully realize cost savings to truly transform building operations. The next acceleration of building technology will not be adopted if there isn’t a convergence of strategy throughout the vendor ecosystem and across management practices. Reference designs for data centers have emerged as a solution to accelerate deployment times alongside rapid innovation. However, a more unified integration strategy for adoption and integration in commercial buildings is necessary to enable their digital transformation.