Networking of man and machine
Christian Schlicht has a PhD in industrial engineering and worked in the property and management sector for 20 years. His areas of expertise include the development and implementation of digital strategies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) in corporate real estate and facility management. After starting his career at screw manufacturer Würth, he joined project developer ECE. In 2022, he founded Beyond Tech GmbH, which uses data to assess the potential of properties. He also holds a professorship for sustainable property management at HSF – Fresenius University of Applied Sciences. We spoke to him about artificial intelligence in the building sector and how the analysis of data can be used to develop sustainable concepts in the areas of energy, water and air.
Alexander Russ: Artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked a great hype in recent years and seems to be turning our world upside down. The next ISH, which will take place in Frankfurt am Main from 17 to 21 March 2025, will also focus on this topic.
Dr Christian Schlicht: Everyone talks about AI, but most people don't know what it actually is. Ultimately, artificial intelligence can help with analysing large volumes of data, although conventional data management can already get you quite far. It's all about bringing together the data, information and tools we have in such a way that they make clear sense. This means that we use AI to try to better understand and utilise the wealth of data we collect. It's like cooking: If we have different ingredients, we have to combine them correctly to create a delicious dish. And just like cooking, it's important that we also use our own knowledge and experience to achieve the best results. This allows us to use the information more skilfully and make the right decisions. Despite all the AI hype, we need hybrid intelligence, i.e. a combination of artificial and human intelligence that is able to put the data obtained into a meaningful context and critically scrutinise the results.
How did you come into contact with the topic of AI?
Dr Christian Schlicht: After starting in the construction department at Würth, I moved to the expansion department after two years. There I was responsible for setting up new sales branches. In this context, I was also responsible for the introduction of the SAP business software for Würth's property division. That was the first time that I dealt intensively with the topic of data and processes. I then moved to the ECE Group in 2015, a project developer with many shopping centres in its portfolio. There, I was also heavily involved in the company-wide implementation of SAP. Among other things, this involved improving the coordination of planning, construction and operation and managing the ECE Group's properties holistically. As part of this, we created a digital twin for a shopping centre, for example, and worked with the first AI applications.
What does this look like in the building sector? What can AI do there?
Dr Christian Schlicht: As part of my work at Beyond Tech GmbH, we advised a client on the nationwide identification of residential properties from the 1950s and 60s. In this context, we were able to use AI to determine the building typology with the help of satellite images and other data sources. As a result, we were able to determine the redensification potential, the ownership structure, the number of residents, the roof pitch, the size and number of residential units, the energy consumption and the climatic conditions, among other things. Artificial intelligence is perfect for this because it can quickly analyse large volumes of data according to a specific search pattern.
How can the knowledge generated be utilised?
Dr Christian Schlicht: The overall view that this makes possible has the advantage, for example, that a planned refurbishment can be carried out in series – such as in the form of a large-scale refurbishment roadmap or municipal heat planning, which is not just a piecemeal approach but a single entity. However, the AI needs appropriately structured data to be able to recognise the right patterns. So I need to know in advance exactly what result I actually want to achieve. Otherwise the whole thing won't work. It always gets exciting when you look at the parameters that affect a building from different angles. I need a broad spectrum of data for this. In this case, the complexity of the task requires the use of correspondingly complex data volumes.
What about data protection when using artificial intelligence?
Dr Christian Schlicht: I am asked this question time and again and I can only say that in the healthcare sector, patient data – probably the most sensitive group of data imaginable - is used in compliance with the GDPR without any problems. This means that the handling of this data fulfils the EU's ‘General Data Protection Regulation’ for the protection of personal data. In the property sector, we mostly work with property-related data. This data does not have the granularity to draw conclusions about personal information. To give you an example: I can determine how many people in a building generate a certain amount of electricity, but I cannot deduce the behaviour of an individual person.
I would like to talk about specific building planning and the areas of energy, water and air. What added value can artificial intelligence create here?
Dr Christian Schlicht: Measuring, counting and weighing are the keywords here. For example, AI can make suggestions about user behaviour and thus provide scenarios that serve as the basis for optimal building control. After all, we spend 90 per cent of our time in enclosed spaces. One example would be the occupancy density in an office building throughout the day. These scenarios can be used to save energy and create a better indoor climate, which means that people enjoy spending time there.
ISH has developed various solution areas for its event structure. These include topics such as water-bearing systems and heat generation. What can artificial intelligence achieve in these solution areas?
Dr Christian Schlicht: The water-bearing systems can be used to deduce a great deal about what is happening in the respective property. For example, you can use water analyses to determine the health status of the users. Of course, these analyses do not have the necessary granularity to identify individual people. But they do allow conclusions to be drawn about measures to improve hygiene. This was an issue that became very much in focus during the coronavirus pandemic. When it comes to heat generation, we often have the problem that we are doing the right things in the wrong place. If I were to produce the energy where I really need it, then there would be no need to lay any complex routes from northern to southern Germany. To do this, however, I have to analyse exactly what primary energy demand I have locally and use this to develop future scenarios for a sensible infrastructure.
Can you give some examples?
Dr Christian Schlicht: There is no point in examining a warehouse for its potential to be fitted with a photovoltaic system if the grid operator cannot provide the necessary grid capacity. Analysing different data helps us to take a holistic view of such projects. This allows us to derive the necessary steps so that a project can be implemented in a meaningful way. Another example would be sector coupling, which enables intelligent, energy-related networking of properties. This would make it possible, for example, to divert excess heat from one building to a neighbouring building. In this way, synergies can be created from which both properties benefit because less cooling is required and the surplus heat is utilised sensibly.
Other topics at the ISH include the manufacture of high-quality components and the development of efficient installation solutions. Can artificial intelligence make a contribution in these areas?
Dr Christian Schlicht: In future, we will construct fewer and fewer new buildings and instead work almost exclusively with existing buildings. That's why it will be increasingly important to make the property as transparent as possible by documenting exactly what has been installed there. This will make subsequent refurbishments and conversions easier. Artificial intelligence can use image recognition, for example, to help record the existing building and provide information on the technical status of the building.
You mentioned at the beginning that the aim is to place the available information and tools in a meaningful overall context. What can the ISH achieve in this respect, transferred to the areas of energy, water and air?
Dr Christian Schlicht: A holistic approach also concerns the exchange between manufacturers, who need to offer solutions that are compatible with other products - especially when it comes to the intelligent networking of devices and systems. The ISH is a good platform for this. In addition, with the ‘Building Future Conference’, it offers an event that brings together various protagonists – be they representatives from politics, the property and housing industry or energy suppliers and architects. Only by networking together can we develop meaningful solutions. This applies to both AI and people.
