BentallGreenOak (BGO) announced plans to debut a data-driven, science-based technology platform developed by RWDI to be deployed across BGO’s Canadian real estate portfolio in 2022. The technology, called ParticleOne, draws on critical data sets at the property level, combined with external data from local and regional health care authorities to inform building owners, managers and occupants of heightened risk levels for the transmission of COVID-19. ParticleOne employs proprietary algorithms to assess risk levels, providing predictive insights that serve as one of the first early warning systems in the world designed and developed for commercial real estate application.
Both firms launched a seven-building pilot phase in 2021 in Canadian office, residential and industrial settings, backed by resources from an innovation lab established by BGO to invest in ESG initiatives and property technology demonstration projects. Following the successful trial of the pilot projects, BGO and RWDI are eyeing an aggressive expansion of the technology’s application across BGO’s Canadian portfolio with the potential to scale to the rest of BGO’s global footprint.
“Our strategy to bring RWDI’s new data-enabled, viral mitigation technology to our properties is the culmination of years of firm-level investment in data science and enablement, and an intentional culture shift across the firm to embrace the value of data to make BGO ready for the future today,” said Christina Iacoucci, managing partner and chief investment officer, BentallGreenOak. “We are committed to empowering our properties with RWDI’s ParticleOne technology platform to make better-informed and refined operational decisions in a world where COVID-19 and the potential for other infectious disease events are now embedded elements in the ongoing management of our assets.”
“Virus-risk management is the new expectation for buildings and indoor spaces,” said Michael J. Soligo, CEO of both RWDI and ParticleOne. “Always an early adopter of new technology and innovative solutions, BGO was a natural partner to first pilot ParticleOne during its beta development and now apply its accurate forecasting to restore and maintain occupancy and operations across its diverse portfolio of properties. Leaders like BGO who apply science-based solutions are well-positioned to respond and stay ahead of new and emerging viral threats.”
With an agreement reached to scale ParticleOne’s solutions exclusively within the commercial real estate sector over the next 12 months, RWDI and BGO will explore further enhancements to the platform, including evaluation of a direct-to-tenant engagement interface, continued refinements of the system’s algorithms and the testing of new environmental sensors.
