3D printing has picked up the pace in the housing market, especially with inflation rising. Builders can print houses faster building with more earth friendly resources and fewer staff. Let’s explore the latest updates with 3D homes in the affordable and single-family housing markets. The University of Maine unveiled the first 100% bio-based 3D printed home made entirely with bio-based materials. It features 3D-printed floors, walls, and roofs of wood fibers and bio-resins. The house is fully recyclable and highly insulated with 100% wood insulation and customizable R-values. “Our state is facing the perfect storm of a housing crisis and labor shortage, but the University of Maine is stepping up once again to show that we can address these serious challenges with trademark Maine ingenuity,” said Gov. Janet Mills. “With its innovative BioHome3D, UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center is thinking creatively about how we can tackle our housing shortage, strengthen our forest products industry, and deliver people a safe place to live so they can contribute to our economy. While there is still more to be done, today’s development is a positive step forward — one that I was proud to support through my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan and my budget.” The technology is designed to address labor shortages and supply chain issues that are driving high costs and constricting the supply of affordable housing. Due to automated manufacturing and off-site production, less time is required for on-site building and fitting up the home. Printing using abundant, renewable, locally sourced wood fiber feedstock reduces dependence on a constrained supply chain.  These materials support the revitalization of local forest product industries and are more resilient to global supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. Using advanced manufacturing processes and materials, future low-income homes can be...

5G, the next generation mobile network, launched in 2020, following in the footsteps of a steady progression of voice capability, call and text encryption, data transmission, video calling, mobile internet. 1G started it all in 1981, 2G came 11 years later, and 3G and 4G made their entries in 2001 and 2012, respectively. 5G figures to impact everything from entertainment and healthcare to farming and robotic factory workers, meeting an ever-growing need for high data rates for virtual, augmented and mixed reality. So is 6G the inevitable next step in this evolution? On one hand, 5G, which promises significantly faster data rates, higher connection density and lower latency, among other things, hasn’t even been fully deployed. But “in the next 10 years, we can expect massive changes and new technologies coming into our lives which will require more and more connectivity at higher speeds as we transfer more and more data,” says Dr. Shaghik Atakaramians, a senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales Sydney’s School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications. She continues, “We can imagine completely autonomous systems; or multi-sensory extended reality which integrates the five traditional human senses with the digital world; or real-time remote telesurgery; or complete virtual shopping malls.” ‘Always on a 6G path’ That means, New York City-based technology information consultant Lifewire says, that “technology always pushes forward and standards take a long time to mature, so we’ve always been on a path to a 6G world. We’ve managed to go from 1G to 5G in such a relatively short amount of time, so 6G is just the natural progression towards faster and better wireless connectivity.” Once developed, 6G most likely will involve using ultrahigh frequencies (millimeter waves) of the radio spectrum. It might eventually approach the upper limits...

Some materials, like air and water, are easily seen and felt and keenly noticed in their absence. Other substances are just as ubiquitous but more hidden and easily taken for granted – until they’re scarce. Take computer chips, for example, the processing and memory units that are the engines for everything from personal computers, smartphones and washing machines to electric toothbrushes, refrigerators and cars. “I imagine there are more than 100 billion chips in daily use around the world,” notes Matteo Rinaldi, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University. One trillion chips were fabricated globally in 2020 alone, according to the European Union.  But lately the process of producing more chips to meet ever-growing demand and new technologies has hit multiple snags. Demand for chips exceeded supply even before the pandemic, and when much of the world economy shut down during the pandemic, so did factories, holding up delivery of the supplies needed for chip manufacturing. With the pandemic came an explosive surge in demand for devices and their components, with home-bound people using more tablets, phones and other electronics than ever before, far exceeding what manufacturers could provide. Port closures and labor shortages produced shipping bottlenecks. Companies like Nissan, General Motors and Apple subsequently noted the negative impact of chip shortages on their manufacturing and sales performance, while Ford Motor Company reported a loss of $3.1 billion over the three months preceding April 2022. Car maker Audi and its parent company Volkswagen stripped Invidia tire pressure display, wireless charging pads and other chip-reliant features from certain models. Hoarding amplified the disruption. Similar to nervous grocery store shoppers, manufacturers stockpiled computer chips during the pandemic, preempting the “just in time” manufacturing model favored by companies that order parts as close to...

The 17 rare earth element (REE) metals comprise the building blocks of much of the technology we depend on daily. These elements, which aren’t actually rare but are sparsely concentrated in minerals, include the exotically named dysprosium, neodymium, lanthanum, praseodymium and terbium. Encompassing properties that make devices lighter, faster and smarter, REEs “let smartphones glow and ring and buzz, make fridges cold, lightbulbs bright and TVs vibrant,” in the words of Casper (Wyo.) Star Tribune reporter Nicole Pollack. They’re also present in the screens on smart phones, computers and flat panel TVs, the motors of computer drives, defense systems, hybrid and electric car batteries, new-generation light bulbs and much more. With greater investments in clean energy, demand for REEs could increase six-fold by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency. An electric car, for example, needs six times the mineral inputs of a conventional vehicle and a wind plant requires nine times more minerals than a gas-fired plant.  A major problem with these elements is that mining, separating and refining them both requires and produces large amounts of toxic materials. Up to 95% of this work is done in China, by some estimates. Harvard International Review reports that for every ton of REEs produced, the mining process yields more than 28 pounds of dust, up to 423,000 cubic feet of waste gas, 2,649 cubic feet of wastewater and 1 ton of radioactive residue. Recycling, partnerships could ease supply strains The environmental implications of REE harvesting have prompted experts to seek alternate ways to meet ever-growing demand. Recycling REEs from discarded electronics rather than mining is one option, using new processes that enable extraction with minimal use or creation of pollutants. Harvard researchers are working on extracting REEs using bacteria rather than toxic chemicals, while...

Smart home technology is expanding rapidly. Renters want smart home amenities for security and convenience. Property managers are interested in its easy and productive operational management. Smart home technology is also used for risk mitigation and real-time insights to improve buildings’ sustainability as well as property managers’ understanding of their properties’ processes. RentCafe Home IQ is Yardi’s smart apartment solution for the multifamily industry. It allows for increased revenue opportunity and resident retention by offering advanced technology features and experiences. Home IQ deploys and manages a fleet of connected devices without installing custom or third-party software, making it easy to add convenience, streamline operations and manage risk. With new technology comes fresh considerations and questions. Here to help is Vice President Greg Smith. He’s been with Yardi more than 20 years and has been instrumental in the development of Home IQ. Below he shares a little insight into the smart home market, why we made Home IQ and how it compares to other products for multifamily. What is the current state of the smart home market? Smith: Smart home is hopping! And it’s not just for the techies out there. We’ve seen that renters are beginning to look for it and, in some asset classes, expect it. The good news is that smart home tech has as many (or more) benefits for the property owner and operator as it does the resident. Why is Yardi getting involved? Smith: Smart home tech is a natural expansion for Yardi. It’s easy to think of smart home as just a resident function, but the reality is that it can be a huge efficiency gain for the owners and operators. Yardi is always working on solutions to help our clients improve asset revenue and decrease risk, and smart...

Smart home technology is our new reality. We’ve gone from remotely controlled lightbulbs to a whole universe of interconnected home goods that can be controlled from a phone. Smart home automation saves time and increases efficiency, improving resource management and security for both property management teams and residents. Renters in many markets are seeking out smart apartments, often willing to pay more for units with the right smart home tech. While smart home technology may seem like a simple appliance upgrade, it often offers data resources that have the potential to transform your business. Property managers use smart home tech to mitigate risk and get real-time insights that can ultimately streamline processes and improve sustainability at their communities.  We asked over 16,000 renters about smart home technology and their preferences in a survey on RentCafe.com. Although the technology is still relatively new, a full 48% of respondents said that smart home technology was somewhat to very important to them. Here is what we found. What today’s renters are looking for Many renters are beginning to consider smart home technology a necessity more than a luxury. Some features that are more important to them than others — including smart thermostats, automated lighting features, alarm/security systems and smart locks. While many of these features are for renters’ convenience, it is also for their security and safety. In our smart home survey, we asked respondents which features they desired most, allowing them to choose more than one option. Of the 16,590 responses, 35% wanted security cameras, 22% wanted digital thermostats, 18% wanted keyless access locks, 15% wanted motion or leak sensors and 10% wanted wireless lighting control. Worth noting, according to a 2021 study by Assurant, 47% of prospective renters say that smart home technology increases their...

With many workers staying at home during the pandemic, commercial buildings emptied but the obligation to maintain security for buildings, technology, hardware and data remained. Now that many of those employees are on the verge of returning to work, managers of residential as well as commercial properties are bolstering traditional physical security – the protection of outer and inner perimeters and interiors with guards, fences, locks, video surveillance, fire detection and more – with new capabilities. Seventy-five percent of respondents to a recent survey of U.S. physical security and facility management professionals said the pandemic increased the importance of physical security in their organizations. Propmodo, which covers the global property industry, notes, “The expectations about safety and security have changed [after the pandemic] and security teams and the buildings they manage need to be prepared to meet these new higher standards.” Enhanced systems for evolving needs As a result, many property owners seeking to mitigate risk are embracing a notion of security that combines traditional physical security elements with access control technologies that have evolved, as Georgia-based real estate investment advisement firm Think Realty says, “to support a digital environment for tenants and property managers.” Advanced access systems encompass door entry, video surveillance and intrusion detectors, and real-time monitoring of entrants and the property. Many such systems are cloud-based, enabling remote management and scalability. Many employ voice, retinal, and facial recognition, thermal imaging and artificial intelligence. Engaging a technology platform capable of seamlessly physical and data security operations with other Internet of Things building infrastructure elements gives security and facility managers “the opportunity to create an environment that is not only safe and secure, but promotes productivity, collaboration and success,” Propmodo says. Commercial and residential property owners most likely will adopt other new practices...

Habitat for Humanity is leading the way on innovative housing solutions. The Tempe branch is exploring 3D-printed ranch-style homes to address a growing need for housing. The flagship structure demonstrates the efficiency and beauty of combining conventional and 3D printer construction. It takes a village to print a 3D house The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house was designed by Scottsdale-based Candelaria Designs and printed by PERI group of Germany using a Build On Demand (BOD2) printer. More than 20 sponsors provided funding. The house contains 1,738 square feet of living space and a total of 2,433 square feet for the project, reports the nonprofit. Of the total square footage, 70-80% of the house will be 3D printed. The BOD2 works alongside construction crews and volunteers. It uses the gantry principle, which allows it to move in any position within the structure, printing inner and outer walls in thin layers. As it prints, human workers can continue their electrical, plumbing and other tasks. Humans will also install the ceilings. Construction is scheduled for completion in October 2021. Explore Habitat for Humanity’s earth-friendly passivehaus design. For now, the BOD2 house at 677 W. 19th St. will be one-of-a-kind. The 15 adjacent homes will be traditional builds on four city lots. Habitat for Humanity has made it clear that more 3D-printed homes are of interest. The project is a direct response to an acute affordable housing crisis in the area, reports the nonprofit. About 20% of renters are considered extremely low income. Of them, 75% of households are severely cost burdened. The phrase is used by the National Low Income Housing Coalition to describe renters spending more than 30% of their income on housing. The state would need more than 136,000 affordable units to safely house extremely low-income renters. Scalable, affordable...

Yardi has been named for the sixth time to the Forbes Cloud 100, the definitive list of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world. Yardi was a member of the inaugural Cloud 100 in 2016, landed at No. 34 for 2020, and is No. 50 this year. “We’re honored that Forbes has recognized Yardi once more for our industry-leading cloud solutions,” said Jay Shobe, senior vice president of cloud services at Yardi. “To consistently rank among these prestigious companies reflects the efforts of our employees and the tremendous support of our clients worldwide.” The evaluation process involved four factors: market leadership (35%), estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), people and culture (15%). The Forbes Cloud 100 judge panel, which includes 34 major public cloud company CEOs, was responsible for selecting and ranking the top 100 companies globally. “The companies of the Cloud 100 list represent the best and brightest emerging companies in the cloud sector,” said Alex Konrad, senior editor at Forbes. “Every year, it gets more difficult to make this list — meaning even more elite company for those who do. Congratulations to each of the 2021 Cloud 100 honorees and to our 20 Rising Stars up-and-comers poised to join their ranks.” “The private cloud ecosystem continues to see historic rates of digital transformation,” said Byron Deeter, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. “Private cloud valuations are getting bigger as the market’s appetite for cloud continues to grow. These founders represent the absolute best in cloud computing today, and they appear likely to follow in the footsteps of our esteemed Cloud 100 alumni. Congratulations to these cloud leaders!” The Forbes 2021 Cloud 100 is published online at forbes.com/cloud100 and will appear in the September 2021 issue of Forbes magazine. About Bessemer Venture...

What’s the formula for promoting a tech-friendly culture in an organization? We asked four leaders in Canadian real estate for their insights as part of the Yardi Canada “Canadian Trailblazers” series. Olivier Rocheleau, corporate controller for Groupe Petra, identifies showcasing upper management’s willingness to innovate, recruiting support within the company and instilling strong change management skills as the principal elements. “Everything starts with upper management understanding the need and benefits of technology, not just its cost. Business will see a decline in profitability and lose valued employees who are tired of working with outdated tools, if changes are not made during these times,” he says. At the same time, he notes, employees are usually the best sources of insight into the shortcomings of the current tech situation and processes. Sandeep Manak, CFO for Wesgroup Properties, concurs. “Get the president or chairman to use new tech” as the first adopters and to lead by example, he advises. Sarah Segal, director of real estate for Informa Connect, manager of the Canadian Real Estate Forums, considers formulating a strong vision for the future, nurturing cultural evolution and displaying a willingness to go the extra mile as the principal ingredients of successful tech adoption. “A team that sees potential in a pivot, expansion or improvement will dig in to see it happen,” she says. Creativity is another key attribute, she adds, with ingraining out-of-the-box thinkers in the company culture and openness to new ideas being among the top elements necessary to forge an environment that encourages constructive change to thrive. Michael Brooks, CEO of REALPAC, notes that the pandemic accelerated the adoption of technology, from new and pre-existing in the market. This includes videoconferencing platforms, messaging apps, digital contracts, paperless banking, shared creation and management of documents and...

Did document management get lost in the shuffle as you shifted to a paperless office or remote work environment? Your team may now struggle to track down files and keep versions organized as they send copies back and forth. Fortunately, it’s never too late to achieve the level of organization, accessibility and security that you need. Paperless made easy Paperless documentation is an industry standard. Yet without the right technology, managing electronic documents can be even more challenging than paper files. Users face a series of challenges related to organization, access, storage, searchability, security and integration. Yardi Document Management for SharePoint integrates with Voyager property management software and Microsoft 365 to eliminate paperless documentation challenges. Centralized storage Centralized document storage can take place on local servers and in the Cloud. The latter permits secure access to documents for staff in office, in remote work environments and on the go. Work together from anywhere Improve collaboration without redundancy or version control issues. When combined with the power of SharePoint, interconnected document management software empowers users to collaborate. With Cloud syncing, each team member stays up-to-date with the latest developments. Document management also integrates with Microsoft 365 and other Yardi applications to improve accessibility to and security of your documents. Secure and accessible Managing permissions and end-user access can be a pain point for organizations. Skip the hassle of creating new profiles and credentials within your document management system with Voyager integration. SharePoint permissions will reflect your security settings in Voyager. As a result, users can access files quickly and securely with no VPN required. Intuitive organization Folder structures and hierarchy make organization simple. You can track version history of documents as well as individual contributions from users over time. Such tracking makes it easy to...

Fintech emerged in the 21st century and the term was applied to the technology employed at the back-end systems of established financial institutions. These days, it includes multiple industries including education, retail banking, fundraising and the nonprofit realm, among others. Additionally, it includes the development and use of cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, and describes various financial activities including money transfers, depositing a check with your smartphone, applying for credit, raising money for a business startup and many other, generally without human assistance. The use of technology has increased significantly in the past years, but especially last year as the need for touchless interactions grew. As of now, businesses rely on technology for payment processing, e-commerce transactions and accounting. Contactless payments are now the norm. According to a report by KPMG, financial institutions have invested more than $27 billion in digital innovation and fintech since 2015. Tech giants such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple started with digital payments and moved on to more serious business. In 2019, Apple launched its credit card with Goldman Sachs which eliminates processing fee and also provides a layer of privacy and security. Last year, Google launched a checking account product in partnership with Citigroup, which will be available through the Google Pay app. As part of stepping up its fintech game, Amazon offers mature financial services across payments and lending to 100 million Prime customers, and in India the company offers Amazon Pay credit card with ICICI Bank. Earlier this year, Walmart announced that is launching its own fintech startup in a joint venture with Ribbit Capital. This partnership combines Walmart’s retail knowledge with Ribbit’s fintech expertise with the end goal of providing tech-driven financial experiences for customers and associates. The retail mogul already offers some financial products such...

Adaptability bolsters the longevity of any organization. Yardi commercial market experts have observed that many urban and suburban office owners are transitioning to more flexible site models. The smoothest transitions occur when they are supported by integrated technology. Brian Sutherland, vice president of commercial sales at Yardi notes, “We will continue to see a lot more flexibility in the future of office. There is increasing demand for flexible workspace. Clients seek asset management and construction products as their urban and suburban offices convert into more versatile, mixed-use spaces.” Office spaces embrace the transition to more flexible workspaces Among office spaces, suburban sites have remained steady during the pandemic. Though they were not as vulnerable as their urban neighbors, many suburban office owners are exploring flexible spaces to adapt to tenant demand. As many tenants implemented remote work policies for employees, the daily demand for office space declined. Months later and moving forward, many tenants have announced hybrid office models that permit occupants to share socially distanced workspaces on a staggered schedule. Common areas are expanding to accommodate healthy and flexible work conditions. Some urban offices are taking the shift to adaptable spaces even farther. “To leverage current conditions, owners transform office assets into mixed-use facilities including traditional offices, flexible workspaces, retail and even multifamily,” reports Robert Teel, vice president of global solutions at Yardi. Technology tools to support the transition to flexible workspaces The transition to more accommodating spaces has resulted in an increased demand for technology. Solutions for construction management provide visibility into projects and cost management as owners transform buildings to meet the changing needs of the market. Short-term leasing and space management solutions help owners drive revenue in any space while promoting occupant safety. Vendor management, vendor compliance and procurement systems...

Senior living community operators spent much of 2020 working to stabilize their operating environments. Technology has played a major role in that adaptation. “The need to have technology access in senior living has jumped up a level, and it will stay there,” Laurie Orlov, founder of Aging in Place Technology Watch, told Senior Housing News. Zoom meetings, virtual tours, video chats and other capabilities that maximize safe interaction are “likely to continue long after the coronavirus has been contained,” adds a blog article posted by Life Care Services, a Des Moines, Iowa-based senior housing community operator. Eighty percent of respondents to a Senior Housing News survey in August reported increasing their tech spending this year to address the COVID-19 pandemic; 68% said their companies implemented telehealth since the beginning of the crisis. Looking ahead, 87% of survey participants expected their organizations to increase their technology budgets in 2021 for resident monitoring, contact tracing, telehealth, virtual activities for residents, virtual tours for prospects and other operations. “And that’s just the beginning,” Life Care Services says. New applications coming over the horizon “will make life easier, safer and more engaging for residents,” including motion and voice controls that eliminate the need to press buttons or grab handles, virtual reality systems for more immersive community tours, wearable smart technology and even robotic pets for memory care residents. Other areas that senior living operators are targeting for expanded investment include resident safety and emergency call systems, air purification and other infection control measures, wellness programs, and sales and marketing. Access to technology will also become a larger factor in families’ evaluation of senior living options going forward. “If you go into a community … and there’s no Wi-Fi in the room, people will not put up with that,”...

Isolation is necessary to keep senior living community members healthy during the pandemic – and a challenge to their well-being in other ways. As HealthTech magazine put it, “Important safety measures to keep high-risk people isolated during the pandemic hold a particular disadvantage for older adults in assisted living.” While the absence of sustained interaction can’t be completely mitigated as COVID-19 runs its course, a number of collaboration tools give senior living community residents vital mental and physical stimulation plus social engagement with the outside world. “Advances in technology for senior living are more focused on improving quality of life, providing data that enhances housing and developing personal devices that give seniors more control over their environment,” according to Craig Fukushima, managing partner for The Fox Group LLC, a health care consulting firm in Upland, Calif. Many of the technology tools leveraged by older adults are familiar to the non-senior population: smartphones, tablets, videoconferencing, telehealth. HealthTech reports that residents at Connecticut-based Maplewood Senior Living, for example, use iPads for video chats, virtual cocktail hours and birthday parties. A Thrive Senior Living community in Germantown, Md., added Alexa-enabled voice control and smart speaker devices. And Seattle-area operator Merrill Gardens outfitted seven of its communities with devices that support video calls with family and activities such as virtual card games and trivia contests. Video games are another way to keep seniors active. Fitness trackers can help them count steps, compete in competitions and create workout routines. Other apps offer quizzes, puzzles and other stimulating activities. The gap between tech-savvy younger generations and their elders is narrower than some people might think. An AARP survey published in January 2020 revealed that 51% of older Americans bought a smartphone, smart television, wearable device or other tech product in...

Like property and investment management technology, satellite imagery capabilities and applications are constantly evolving. The Balance Sheet revisits a topic we first explored in 2017. How can satellite imagery help improve business performance? The benefits can start with simple counting, as when Swiss investor UBS Investment Research started using space-based data to determine the population of Walmart parking lots about 10 years ago. The retail giant’s quarterly sales could be estimated from the number of cars entering and leaving the lots over periods of time. UBS thus was “one of the first financial institutions to leverage satellite imagery to gain useful investment insights,” notes Valerie Hernandez, writing in banking, finance and world affairs analysis publication International Banker in June 2020. Other satellite imagery providers now count attendance at McDonald’s, Costco, Starbucks, Whole Foods and other retailers. In the decade following UBS’s breakthrough, satellite technology evolved from a passive eye-in-the-sky to a predictor of corporate profits and a key analysis tool for the investment community. Data collected encompasses everything from solar-panel installations, sawmills’ lumber inventories, the number of cars produced at an auto plant and the mining of metals – all key metrics of business performance. In fact, Hernandez says, “whether it’s counting cars in a retailer’s parking lot as a measure of sales activity, tracking ships across the seas, monitoring crops or scanning the activity at oil rigs, refineries and ports, satellite imagery is proving incredibly useful as a way to measure levels of industrial activity that may not necessarily be possible to determine at ground level.” UC Berkeley law professor Frank Partnoy, writing in The Atlantic, recounts the derailment of a train carrying iron ore in Australia in November 2018: “Iron-ore prices soared on the news that the supply of a resource used...

Apple’s newest iPad Air features a 10.9-inch liquid retina display and five finishes including silver, space gray, rose gold, green and sky blue. The device includes 3.8 million pixels, full lamination, P3 wide color support with a resolution of 2360×1640 at 246 pixels per inch, True Tone and an anti-reflective coating. Given the fact that many users now have a mask on their face much of the time, making Face ID complicated, the new iPad Air includes the throwback Touch ID sensor. The sensor is integrated into the top button and allows you to unlock iPad Air, log in to apps or use Apple Pay. iPad Air shares the same magic keyboard as the iPad Pro, as the difference between them is very small—11 inches for the iPad Pro. Apple’s most advanced chip iPad Air includes Apple’s most advanced chip, A14 Bionic packed with 11.8 billion transistors for a better performance and power efficiency. The A15 Bionic handles even the most demanding apps such as editing 4K videos, play immersive games, create works of art and so on. Using five-nanometer process technology, the latest A-series chip includes a six-core design for 40 percent boost in CPU performance and a new four-core graphics architecture for a 30 percent improvement in graphics. Environmentally Friendly Part of Apple’s plan to become carbon neutral by 2030, the new iPad Air uses a 100 percent recycled aluminum enclosure and 100 percent recycled tin for the solder on its main logic board. Additionally, the new speakers in the device use magnets with 100 percent recycled rare earth elements so the device remains free of harmful substances, is highly energy efficient and uses wood fiber packaging that is recycled. New bits and pieces The Air moves to USB-C like the iPad...