Propmodo Technology

Greetings,

The legal challenges for CoStar seem to keep piling up. A new antitrust class action was filed against the CoStar Group, alleging the firm has used its dominant position in commercial real estate data and listings to suppress competition and overcharge brokers. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Virginia on behalf of brokers and other industry participants, claims CoStar controls roughly 80% of the market and maintained that dominance by restricting how customers can share their own listing data, locking firms into long-term agreements, and blocking competitors through technical and contractual tactics. The complaint argues these practices effectively forced brokers to rely on CoStar’s platforms, like LoopNet, at inflated prices while limiting alternative platforms from gaining traction. Plaintiffs are seeking damages and changes to CoStar’s business practices, framing the case as a pivotal challenge to how commercial real estate data is controlled and monetized across the industry.

This week we’re looking at how one of the lesser talked about technologies might be one of the easiest win when it comes to lowering buildings’ energy consumption. Buildings consume a massive share of global energy largely because HVAC systems must constantly respond to temperature swings in low-thermal-mass structures. A new approach is emerging that shifts some of that burden back into the building itself. Phase-change materials, originally developed by NASA to regulate extreme temperature fluctuations in spacesuits, are now being embedded into standard drop ceiling tiles to passively absorb and release heat throughout the day. These tiles effectively add thermal mass to lightweight buildings, melting to absorb excess heat when temperatures rise and solidifying to release it when they fall, smoothing out peaks without additional energy use or complex controls. Because they can be installed as easily as conventional ceiling tiles, the technology offers a rare combination of scalability and low disruption, making it viable for retrofitting large portions of aging office stock.

Let’s go!

🚘 Autono-maybe
Autonomous vehicle hype is following a familiar script, promising transformation while repeating past mistakes, as cities like New York grow wary of adopting technology that may not deliver.

📉 Private retreat
Flexible workspace software firm essensys is going private under founder Mark Furness, as falling revenue, weaker profits, and a strategic reset bring the PropTech company back into private hands.

🛗 Shaft craft
Hyundai Elevator says it has commercialized the world’s first modular high-rise residential elevator system, cutting installation time sharply and showing how prefabrication could reshape tower construction.

Propmodo Technology is edited by Franco Faraudo with contributions from readers like you and the Propmodo team.

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