Hello, AutomatedBuildings.com community! I’m excited to be here and honoured to share my perspectives on automated buildings.
I’m based in Toronto and have 15 years of experience specializing in energy management and digital (“smart”) buildings. I’ve had an incredible journey so far, having worked in various sides of the industries, including commercial real estate, telecom, government, technology, consulting, and education.
About a year ago, I founded an engineering firm called Evolv Engineering.
My journey…
Like many of us, I fell into the field of digital buildings. At university, I studied mechanical engineering but had never considered a career in buildings. I graduated in November 2009 during a recession. A few months later, I was fortunate to land my first job as an energy analyst at Oxford Properties, one of Canada’s top real estate companies.
It took me a few months into my job to realize that the commercial real estate industry was seriously behind in its operational technologies and data use. I was surprised by the absence of technology to measure the real-time performance of assets – a trend I observed across the industry. Most of my colleagues understood real estate very well but had little awareness of technology. IT understood technology, but they were focused on corporate systems and didn’t understand building operations. Facilities staff knew buildings but did not understand how to use technology.
It then dawned upon me that I had an opportunity to help advance the industry. Over the next few years, I implemented various energy management technologies, enabling real-time monitoring of buildings across Canada. This program evolved into implementing advanced software for monitoring real-time telemetry data (HVAC, lighting, meters, etc.) for operational faults. Deploying and using these technologies at scale gave me an invaluable experience where I learned first-hand about buildings and acquired a personal textbook of lessons learned.
By the end of my 13-year tenure at Oxford in 2022, I had become a senior manager overseeing the global digital buildings program. I led a team of specialists responsible for digital building initiatives across buildings in Canada, the US, Europe and Australia.
Sharing my knowledge with others and advancing the industry has always been important. Four years ago, I began teaching at the post-secondary level. Last year I started Evolv Engineering Inc., a boutique engineering advisory firm that helps organizations define and bring their digital building strategies to life. In just over a year, Evolv has helped a few notable organizations advance along their digital building journeys, including government agencies, telcos, hospitals, and various tech startups.
A global perspective…
Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with leading Proptech firms, service providers, and consultants worldwide. I’ve noticed that the shift towards digital buildings has accelerated slightly in the last few years, but I still think there is significant room for advancement. We have a tremendous opportunity to rethink how we design, construct, operate, and maintain buildings and apply technology to modernize them. This is especially true in the context of helping to solve global sustainability issues.
In my view, the barrier to change isn’t technology but rather knowing how to apply it. Traditional building owners and operators often don’t fully grasp technology, and technology providers don’t necessarily understand building operations. Somewhere between these two sides is where I fit in, aligning people, processes, and technology.
I’d love to share additional perspectives or lessons I’ve learned for future posts. I’m considering writing on a few different topics, including:
- Steps to designing a smart building/program
- Defining the smart building value proposition
- The link between digital buildings and sustainability
I’m equally interested in hearing about topics that interest you. If you have suggestions, let me know—there are links below!
