BNP Paribas Real Estate and Willow: using AI in a new generation of buildings

As expectations for commercial buildings are constantly evolving, technological innovation is becoming pivotal to address performance, sustainability and occupier comfort challenges. With this ambition in mind, BNP Paribas Real Estate has embarked on a strategic collaboration with start-up Willow and its smart building assistant. Willow Copilot is a solution that empowers managers, owners and tenants to optimise building operations and improve the occupier experience.

This collaboration and the solutions it provides in response to the profound changes in the sector have reinforced BNP Paribas Real Estate's vision of real estate that combines heritage, cutting-edge technology and sustainable performance.

The growing importance of artificial intelligence is opening new opportunities in the field of Property Management. Buildings are generating an increasing amount of data: sensors, technical equipment, energy management systems, maintenance, access, indoor comfort, traffic flows, etc.  Until now, this data took too long to collect and analyse, preventing managers from properly processing it.

Thanks to Willow, BNP Paribas Real Estate has an “assistant” that processes and uses building data efficiently, effectively and in real time, 24/7. 

Our collaboration enables us to better address the top priorities currently facing the property sector:

BNP Paribas Real Estate has chosen METAL 57 as the first site to roll out Willow Copilot, marking the start of this collaboration and the new phase it represents. The choice is all the more fitting as this is the head office of the real estate arm of BNP Paribas, which also houses six other companies in Boulogne-Billancourt. This iconic building, a former Renault factory converted into 37,000 sqm of office space, is an ideal testing ground, thanks in part to its multi-tenant layout.

This initial installation will already help to:

• assess the operational effectiveness of the digital co-pilot,

• optimise data flows between company departments, service providers and occupiers,

• identify the most relevant use cases for the clients of BNP Paribas Real Estate,

• pave the way for ‘conversational buildings’, a concept that the company has now incorporated into its offering.

One of the main advantages of Willow is that it makes buildings “conversational”. By using an intuitive interface and a powerful AI engine, managers can interact directly with their building and leverage their data.

For example, this means that any faulty equipment can be quickly detected and energy consumption can be analysed in close detail, by tenant and by zone.

These new possibilities are significantly changing the way professionals work and making their day-to-day lives easier, while optimising the energy and financial consumption of their premises.

For building managers, this also means that they are better able to manage investors' growing expectations on a daily basis.

 Willow Copilot allows them to:

• improve recurring tasks (exporting reports, monitoring indicators, scheduled checks);

• access key data more efficiently (energy performance, maintenance history, documentation);

• proactively detect and report anomalies before they affect occupiers;

• streamline operational decisions thanks to a consolidated and structured view of the whole building;

• facilitate coordination between stakeholders (property managers, technicians, service providers, tenants).

For tenants, Willow Copilot guarantees more comfortable and sustainable environments with higher-quality management of their requests.

Landlords can be assured of optimised, real-time management of their buildings.

BNP Paribas Real Estate understands that adopting smart tools requires human support, and has therefore rolled out a dedicated change management programme. Property managers, technical teams and support staff have been trained to gradually integrate Willow Copilot into their working practices.

This approach aims to:

• develop a shared smart building culture;

• secure the integration of the solution into business processes;

• help build data and AI skills;

• ensure smooth adoption by all stakeholders.

This collaboration represents a tremendous opportunity for BNP Paribas Real Estate but has also enabled Willow to further develop its technology.

The company took on the operational challenges presented by BNP Paribas Real Estate and, by combining their shared knowledge of the sector, redesigned certain features of its digital twin to fully exploit its potential.

This joint effort has adapted the solution to the needs of a diverse property portfolio, strengthened its capabilities in multi-tenant environments, and maximised the value created for all users.

The success already achieved by the METAL 57 pilot scheme shows BNP Paribas Real Estate's ability to support its clients with smart buildings that incorporate AI for simplified management and greater comfort for occupiers.