5 Examples of Innovative New Development Projects
New Home Projects Using Innovative Technology Strategies
Regardless of the industry, new technologies tend to bring a revival to the market as innovators vie to capture buyer attention. New development real estate is no different.
An increased number of developers are probing the market and implementing new technologies in ongoing projects as well as adding improvements to the existing ones. Real estate technology has powerful impact on the sales and marketing of new development, but on the flipside, improvements to home technology—from built-in 5G capabilities, to sustainable energy, to drone landing pads—in new builds are making changes to the types of homes developers are creating.
We’ve compiled a list of five interesting developments that are spearheading the movement and might become a lesson for those who are looking for inspiration on where the industry is heading.
BoKlok Solar Energy by Skanska and IKEA
ABBA is not the only great thing that came from Sweden. Back in 1995, Ikea and Skanska, a Swedish development company, partnered up to bring affordable and sustainable housing to Sweden’s real estate market. The result of this collaboration is a project called BoKlok (live smart).
In the developer’s own words, their mission is to build “blocks of flats and terraced houses for people who want to live in a home of their own, but still have money left at the end of the month.” Although BoKlok will soon be hitting the thirty-year mark, it’s still doing well and has expanded to other real estate markets, including Norway, Finland and England.
Recently, BoKlok received a major upgrade when Ikea and Skanska announced that, starting this year, they will be installing solar PV panels on every new project they build. That amounts to around 1,000 homes annually and puts BoKlok at the forefront of an innovative approach to sustainable development.
According to the official website, “the electricity from the solar panels will drive the buildings’ ventilation, lighting and parts of the shared heating. Any surplus will be sent directly to the common power grid. As much as possible, the buildings will be oriented to maximize solar energy production.”
BoKlok is essentially aiming to allow the homes within the block to operate self-sustainably, decreasing the strain on other power sources.
5G Infrastructure at Frisco Station by AT&T
Nested at the center of Frisco, Texas, there’s an ongoing mixed-use development project called Frisco Station. Divided into six sections and spanning 242 acres, Frisco Station aspires to enable its residents to “achieve the ideal work-life balance and enjoy a healthy lifestyle, while being surrounded by the latest technology at every corner.”
What makes Frisco Station really stand out is the way it takes advantage of the emerging 5G technology. Instead of adding connectivity infrastructure once the project has been completed, the developer decided to incorporate 5G into the very structure of the project from the ground up.
Future-proofing of Frisco Station involves “wireless stealth micro cells, ultra-fast internet powered by AT&T FiberSM and robust Wi-Fi throughout all common areas.”
The developer, Hillwood Properties, is working to put Frisco Station ahead of the current curve of new development technology by anticipating and incorporating next-gen connectivity into the complex itself. The ‘smart’ infrastructure facilitates the use of wearable technology such as fitbits, as well as Uber’s newest experiments in flying vehicles. The implementation of the 5G infrastructure is also the groundwork for future innovative amenities.
Paramount Miami Worldcenter Skyport
Self-driving cars and passenger drones may still be prepping to get airborne but many developers are already joining the accelerating trend and preparing for the future to come.
Developer Daniel Kodsi is planning to do just that by setting up a landing pad for flying cars and sky taxis at the top of Paramount Miami Worldcenter.
As advertised by the developer’s official website, Paramount Miami already boasts “the largest amenity deck in the U.S., spanning 90 feet above downtown Miami.” At over 75% sold, it looks like the developer has put their finger on the pulse of buyer intent.
With commercial drone activity anticipated to rise, Paramount Miami has captured attention with its desire to cater to that technological advance. The Skyport will handle potential traffic of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft and, upon completion, should be the first of its kind in Miami.
Check out this video showcasing Kodsi’s idea.
Automated Parking Solutions by Westfalia and Stanley Robotics
What’s more frustrating than being stuck in an endless traffic jam? Struggling to find a parking spot comes pretty high on the list of drivers’ nightmares.
Operating out of York, PA, Westfalia Technologies has been successfully manufacturing automated parking solutions for developments all around the world. Westfalia’s tech allows drivers to park cars in a designated spot and let the automated system transfer it to a secure garage where it’ll be safely stacked with other vehicles and quickly retrieved when needed.
Westfalia’s portfolio includes a number of international projects like the garage at 500 Walnut, a condo tower in Philadelphia, PA, as well as an impressive 1,053-space automated parkade for Conrad Hotel & Office Tower in Dubai, the second largest in the world.
Another promising player in the parking industry is Stanley Robotics, a company that manufactures robot valets. The company’s system is an automated solution designed to optimize parking space and help drivers find a spot without spending precious time driving in circles.
Stanly Robotics provides autonomous platforms that drive up to a vehicle and carry it to an unoccupied parking spot. Thanks to this solution, the parking space is used more efficiently since cars can essentially be parked very close to each other. The robot valets are 100% electric and can work both inside and outside.
The system is already fully-operational and partially handles traffic at Lyon Saint-Exupéry and Paris-Charles De Gaulle airports in France. The company is also expanding to other markets and currently testing its technology at London Gatwick.
As population density in urban areas increases, successful trials open many possibilities of introducing the system to residential developments in the future.
London Veriports by Skyports
If passenger drones are still some distance away, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) hauling cargo across cities are very much a viable scenario.
That’s why London-based Skyports has been acquiring the city’s rooftops to convert them into “vertiports”, landing pads and charging stations for drones. The company is also working on drone delivery services for medical, e-commerce and logistics sectors.
Duncan Walker, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Skyports, said in an interview with Unmanned Airspace that in order to fully launch with their platform, they still need ”standardisation of approach to communications and traffic management.” He predicts that to happen within the next three years.
According to Skyport’s website, they’re “the first to market in securing, designing, building and owning passenger and cargo vertiports in the world’s major cities.” The company is also actively working on introducing vertiports in other major cities, including Los Angeles and Singapore.
Conclusion
Technology solutions such as automated parking, vertiports and solar energy are all intended to create smarter steadings that will make the lives of buyers infinitely more efficient.
As developers are tentatively implementing new technologies to future-proof their projects and bring in some positive publicity, we’re witnessing the construction and real estate industries shift towards a brighter and definitely more interesting future.
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This blog was written with Dawid Bednarski, freelance copywriter and blogger at OctoScribe. When he’s not writing about tech, he’s enjoying the simplicity of analog photography and daring bike trips with his wife.
