Accelerated by the pandemic and the climate emergency, technology and digitalization in the property market now take centre stage. Sustainability is the new watchword, and the latest advances encompass the entire market from construction to signing the final title deeds.
In Brazil alone, it’s estimated that there are over 240 start-ups in the construction sector plus numerous others dedicated to improving the management and control of projects. A recent conference held in Fortaleza examined the state of new technology for real estate in Ceará and brought some surprising proposals to the table.
High-tech for high-rises
Organised by the Brazilian Association of Property Developers (ABRAINC), the Forum for Leadership in Innovation and Development (FILI) analysed new technology trends in real estate in Ceará. Two of the most innovative proposals in the buyer’s journey belong to the luxury property sector.
· The Edge – this high-rise in Fortaleza comes with skydrive, the first system in Ceará to use facial recognition, and a lift that allows owners to park their cars in their homes.
· Heliport – the Diagonal high-rise in Fortaleza includes a heliport, designed not just for owners who have helicopters but also for drones.
Sustainability in real estate in Ceará
Environmentally-friendly construction methods are more important than ever before and FILI 2021 included several proposals designed to enhance sustainability in development. For example, one system uses prefabricated panels for outside and interior walls. The same system can also produce prefabricated beams, staircases and tiles, all of which reduce waste and the use of materials.
According to the system’s creators, Rôgga, sustainable construction includes reusing water and recycling materials. As a result, building is cheaper, quicker and more sustainable.
ESG in construction
Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) have also appeared in the Brazilian construction sector and speakers at FIDI 2021 dedicated some time to the concept. ESG evaluates how sustainable a company is and its awareness of social and environmental factors.
According to those present at FILI, ESG is more important than ever in construction and forms an essential part of corporate responsibility. And one of the ways to incorporate ESG is through digitalization.
“The impact of digitalization in the civil construction sector is not in the distant future; it’s a question of survival,” said Guilherme Quandt, Head of Strategy at Sienge. He pointed out that the last three years have been more important than the previous 30 in terms of technological change. “Without digitalization, a company loses out on productivity,” he said.
Digitalization in the buying process
Although buying real estate in Brazil online isn’t as widespread as in other countries, the trend is catching on across the country. According to a survey presented at FILI, around 6% of all purchases of Brazilian real estate are carried out entirely online.
Parts of the process such as signing contracts and mortgage approvals are also highly digitalized. “More than 30% of our clients sign contracts using a digital signature,” said Paulo Duailibe, a representative of Santander bank present at the conference. He expects this figure to rise to 60% in the near future.
(Source: FILI 2021)
