Turning Building Data Into Operational Intelligence with Etrit Demaj

Author

Charlie Cichetti
September 17, 2026

QUICK TAKE

Sustainability targets are easy to announce. Making buildings actually perform against them?

That’s where things get complicated. Etrit Demaj makes the case that the next phase of green building will be powered by real-time operational data, interoperable building systems, and AI — not another static report.

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🌱BREAKING GROUND ON BETTER BUILDING

In this episode, Etrit Demaj challenges Green Building professionals to move sustainability from reporting into operations:

[Key Insight #1] Sustainability needs real-time building data — not another static report

  • What's outdated: Owners and sustainability teams can set ambitious ESG and decarbonization targets without having a clear, real-time picture of how individual buildings are actually operating. Fragmented systems and inaccessible data make closing that gap difficult.

  • The innovation: Build an operational data layer that connects building systems and makes their information usable across the organization. Etrit argues that sustainability professionals need to move beyond simply producing reports and learn to work with real building data.

  • Impact: Better operational visibility gives teams the ability to track actual outcomes, connect sustainability initiatives to building performance, and demonstrate ROI instead of relying on disconnected reporting exercises.

[Key Insight #2] Interoperability is the foundation for smarter — and more sustainable — buildings

  • What's outdated: Every existing building is different. Some properties contain sophisticated building systems, while others may have only one or two systems worth integrating. That makes portfolio-wide smart-building strategies difficult to scale.

  • The innovation: Kode Labs is building what Etrit describes as an operating system that makes difficult systems easier to integrate in an open way, with additional solutions and applications layered on top. The goal is to meet each building where it is instead of requiring every asset to start from the same technology baseline.

  • Impact: A flexible integration strategy can make it easier to deploy technology across diverse portfolios rather than repeatedly treating every building as an isolated project. It also creates the data foundation needed for future AI and automation applications.

[Key Insight #3] The next sustainability leader may look a lot more like an engineer + data strategist

  • What's outdated: Sustainability has sometimes become disconnected from the day-to-day operation of buildings. Reporting targets alone don’t tell teams how equipment is performing or what operational changes will produce measurable results.

  • The innovation: Etrit sees sustainability becoming increasingly operational. Professionals who understand data, technology, engineering, and measurable ROI will be positioned to connect sustainability goals directly to building performance.

  • Impact: Combining sustainability strategy with engineering and operational intelligence can help organizations identify real interventions, validate results, and build a stronger business case for decarbonization investments.

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✅ CONNECT AND CONTINUE

🌿 Access full episode resources: Green Building Matters Podcast 

📄 Read the transcript: HERE

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