In 2017, a research study in Amsterdam changed everything.
What started as an investigation into how buildings affect human performance sparked an entirely new approach to smart building certification. One that would challenge the industry's obsession with technology for the sake of technology.
Nicholas White, co-founder of the Smart Building Collective, recalls the pivotal moment. "We built a living lab in CBRE's headquarters, fitted it out with all kinds of IoT sensors, and did an incredible study on cognitive performance and stress,” he says. “But after the study, that living lab just kind of died because there was nobody there to keep using it. The governance, the process to keep using that data, and we found that to be a little bit unfortunate."
This experience revealed a fundamental problem. Organizations were pouring money into sophisticated technology systems, only to watch them become expensive digital paperweights. The technology wasn't the problem. The real issue was the absence of meaningful standards that could ensure lasting value.
Breaking the Checklist Trap
To create a meaningful approach that truly measured smart building impact, White and his cohorts decided to break the mold.
Traditional building certifications are predictable: meet specific criteria, check boxes, get a badge. SBC was determined to avoid the checklist trap at all costs. They knew smart building technology was too dynamic for standardized checklists.
"We had a building in the UK that asked if hanging sound sensors all over would get them more points," White explains. "We said, 'What's your plan with those sound sensors and what are you going to do with them?' They didn't have anything beyond just buying them and putting them in. That to us was a red flag."
Smart buildings aren't about sensor counts. They're about smart outcomes.
This thinking drives their certification framework, which looks at six key areas: Building Usage, Building Performance, Building Environment, Health, Safety and Security, User Behavior and Collaboration, Connectivity and Integrative Design. Each area gets assessed independently, so buildings can earn platinum status in specific modules while improving others.
Standards That Actually Evolve
While most certification standards are set in stone, at least until the next addenda is published, the Smart Building Collective's framework learns and evolves from every building they assess. A platinum building certified in 2020 faces different standards than one certified in 2025. Why? Because technology keeps advancing.
This evolution extends to how long certifications last. Most existing building certifications demand annual renewals, regardless of whether anything has changed.
The Smart Building Collective takes a different approach: time-stamped certifications with recertification available when you want it. The logic is refreshingly straightforward. Why should solid work suddenly become invalid just because a year has passed?
People First, Technology Second
Flexibility is key, especially in certifying buildings for smart technology. SBC has certified buildings running just four integrated technologies and others managing thirty different systems. They don't care about the technology count. They care about functionality, security, and value delivery.
"Our definition is that it's not just about the technology, it's about the human interaction with that technology," White explains. "So it's a holistic approach that makes a smart building and delivering that technology against value and against organizational resilience."
This focus addresses a significant industry problem: the gap between what technology can do and what organizations are ready to handle. The most sophisticated sensor network is useless without proper governance, clear data ownership, and processes for turning insights into action.
The assessment process reflects this philosophy. Their peer-reviewed system uses trained assessors who focus on what they call the "gray areas": governance, processes, context, and return on investment. These are the factors that determine whether technology implementations succeed or become very expensive mistakes.
Cresting the AI Horizon
As artificial intelligence moves into building management, SBC is seeing exactly what they hoped for: a market that's getting smarter about being smart.
"We're seeing less technology being put into buildings but in a more meaningful way for real purpose and for real follow-through," White observes. "If you do that correctly, then you start to really get your data sets properly put in place, get all these things organized in a meaningful way. Then you can start to use AI in some really cool ways."
This shift reflects growing industry wisdom. Successful smart buildings need more than cutting-edge hardware. They need organizational transformation, cultural change, and crystal-clear outcomes.
Building the Complete Ecosystem
SBC offers building, solution, and services certifications, creating a full ecosystem for the smart building value chain. Their approach addresses a market increasingly skeptical of technology-only solutions. Organizations want proof of value, not just proof of concept.
The Amsterdam research study that started everything may have ended with a dormant lab, but it created something much more valuable: a certification framework that treats smart buildings as dynamic, human-centered systems rather than collections of connected gadgets.
Learn more about SBC at their website: https://smartbuildingcollective.com/
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