The impact of technology on the real estate sector is often associated with digitalisation, artificial intelligence, or the development of PropTech. However, the World Economic Forum’s report [Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2026 identifies several technologies that could directly affect the design, operation, and valuation of real estate assets.
This development is heading in a clear direction: less passive buildings, capable of managing energy, reducing their operational requirements and anticipating their own behaviour.
The building as an energy asset
The ‘everything-to-grid’ concept suggests that buildings, electric vehicles and batteries can not only consume electricity, but also store it, adapt their demand and even feed energy back into the grid. The property would thus move from being a passive consumer to becoming an active element of the energy system.
For the property sector, the implication of this is that the efficiency of a property could increasingly be measured by its capacity to generate, store and manage energy, which would have an impact on its operating costs, its resilience and, potentially, its valuation.
New materials to reduce consumption
Passive radiative cooling materials help to reduce the temperature of certain surfaces by reflecting a large proportion of solar radiation and releasing heat without the need to consume electricity. These can be incorporated into paints, roofing or cladding and help to reduce air-conditioning requirements.
Their appeal to the property sector goes beyond energy savings: part of a recurring operating cost could be shifted to the building’s design and materials themselves.
In Spain, this type of solution can have a particularly significant impact. It is not simply a matter of reducing energy consumption, but of designing buildings with better thermal performance from the outset. “In high-use properties, such as hotels or flex-living spaces, this efficiency could also become a direct factor in competitiveness,” says Francisco Pastor, who holds a PhD in Economics and is the founder of CM Consultores.
Artificial intelligence that anticipates the behaviour of the asset
Artificial intelligence brings about a third change. World models represent a new evolution in AI: systems capable of interpreting information from the physical world and anticipating how a given situation might develop.
In the property sector, these could represent a step beyond BIM and digital twins, enabling the simulation of energy consumption, maintenance, the operation of facilities and occupancy patterns. The aim would no longer be merely to know what is happening in a building, but to anticipate what might happen.
The World Economic Forum’s report on the Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2026 makes one thing clear: the technological transformation of the property sector will not stem exclusively from PropTech.
Energy, new materials and artificial intelligence are beginning to alter the capabilities of the building itself and may ultimately affect key variables in any investment: CAPEX, OPEX, resilience, obsolescence and value. The building of the future will continue to be a space for living, working or production, but it will increasingly cease to be a passive piece of infrastructure. And that difference may also translate into a difference in value.
ABOUT CMC
CMC's main objective is to offer comprehensive management in its two key areas: asset management and property management. This includes the formulation of medium- and long-term strategies for optimizing real estate assets, as well as daily operational management. The latter encompasses revenue control, customer service, and supervision of operating expenses.
In summary, CMC provides specialized investment and financial advisory services for those interested in buying, selling, or investing in properties. Its approach is based on rigorous research and analysis to ensure the economic and financial viability of each project.
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