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Smart Glass Is Better Than Dumb Glass, So Why Isn't It In More Buildings?

Facade Technology

Author

Franco Faraudo
September 10, 2025

Propmodo Technology

By Franco Faraudo · September 10, 2025

Greetings,

This week a report from CBRE brought into focus just how impactful AI has been on local real estate markets. The research, conducted mostly on LinkedIn, showed that the pool of tech workers with AI skills grew by more than 50% from mid-2024 to mid-2025. The talent is concentrated most in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, Seattle, Toronto and Washington, D.C. The top three account for 35% of the national total.

This inflow of this high skill, high salary work force is already having an impact on the office, residential, and even retail real estate markets in those cities. For as much hand wringing that has been done over the loss of jobs to AI, this report shows that there is an upside, at least for the workers and the cities that are able to adopt the skills needed to harness this new transformative technology.

This week we’re looking at facade technology. For decades smart glass has been more promise than practice, offering dynamic tinting to cut glare and reduce heat. Now advances in chemistry, manufacturing, and building codes are pushing it closer to mainstream use. Airports, tech campuses, and stadiums are already experimenting with glass that adapts to the sun, and future versions could even generate power.

Let’s go!

Facade Technology

For more than a century, glass has defined skylines and shaped how we experience buildings, but smart glass could change everything. By automatically adjusting tint, it promises to cut glare, lower energy use, and improve comfort while turning glazing from a static surface into a responsive building system that may finally be ready for widespread adoption.

Bytes

🇦🇪 Middle east investment
The UAE-based listing portal Property Finder has sold a minority stake in its business to Permera and Blackstone for $525 million.

🛋️ Faux furniture
Zillow has added a new virtual staging feature to its platform that allows digital furniture to be easily added to any listing photo.

📦 DTC heat
A new HVAC supplier has been able to significantly cut the cost of heat pumps by using proprietary hardware and software and a direct-to-consumer sales channel.

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

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