6 Future-focused applications of green building technology

Ensuring cybersecurity and technological compatibility 

With the rise of increasingly smart green buildings, concerns inevitably surface about cybersecurity, data privacy, and overall compatibility between new and existing systems. To guard against cyber threats and protect personally identifiable information, facilities managers should partner with experts to shore up networks and ensure occupants are trained in individual security best practices.  

The most critical systems to safeguard include surveillance cameras, access control systems, smart meters, and location tracking tools, says Buildings magazine. Data protections should center strict controls over collection, encryption, and storage; consent forms for tenants; and third-party security audits.  

 Achieving ambitious regulatory targets 

Pressure is mounting to implement sustainable practices at scale. In response to the United Nations’ 2015 adoption of Sustainable Development Goals, countries around the world have developed national strategies and policies to promote green buildings and sustainable construction practices, supported by international organizations such as the IEA and World Green Building Council.  

Other notable regulatory moves include California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, signed into law this September, which requires U.S. companies doing business in the state to disclose greenhouse gas emissions and related climate financial risk information, as well as the European Union’s 2023 directive on corporate sustainability reporting, which strengthens company reporting expectations beginning this year and Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which aims to achieve a fully decarbonized building stock by 2050. 

Although such efforts are energizing, keeping pace with an ambitious, ever-evolving compliance landscape can be daunting. Indeed, the building sector is lagging on the path to net zero by 2050, according to the IEA, though China, Japan, the EU, and the US have made “notable” recent strides in decarbonization. To regain ground, AECO professionals would like to see even more rigor, support, and incentivization from regulators, according to USGBC’s research.  

To facilitate decarbonization, for example, participants in the research are most interested in stronger energy codes; mandatory performance standards and energy benchmarking (e.g., building grades); and financial incentives for expansive energy retrofits and net-zero emissions. “These results demonstrate a strong desire to promote high efficiency, low carbon buildings across the industry and to elevate standards overall,” USGBC’s report states.  

The good news? Sweeping laws such as the Inflation Reduction Act should help in the long term. Easier payment mechanisms mean “many of the tax incentives encouraging green building are not only more generous but also much more accessible to public and nonprofit entities,” the USGBC researchers say.