What does a smart building consultant do?

On many building projects every designer is responsible for their own systems, and nobody is responsible for how those systems work together. That gap is where a smart building consultant works. The consultant helps an owner or developer decide what building technology should achieve, then makes sure that design, procurement, installation and handover actually deliver it.

In practice the work begins by turning business goals into use cases and requirements and defining how systems connect and share data. It continues through specifications, tender documents and the review of what designers and contractors propose, and it ends with a check at handover that the building works as intended. A good consultant neither sells nor installs equipment and stays independent of the suppliers being evaluated. The owner's part is to appoint one early, define the role in writing for each stage, and be clear where the consultant's scope ends and other specialists' begins.

A gap no discipline owns

Building technology now touches almost every discipline: mechanical and electrical services, IT, security, fire, architecture and facilities management. Yet the questions that span them (what data the systems share, and whether the result serves the people who will run the building) belong to no one in particular. The RIBA Smart Building Overlay to the Plan of Work addresses this gap directly. It reports industry feedback that smart building designers are often brought in too late to meet client aspirations, and recommends appointing a smart building specialist at Stage 1, Preparation and Briefing.

The work, stage by stage

The RIBA overlay sets out tasks for a smart building specialist across the Plan of Work stages, and a consultant's contribution typically follows the same sequence.

For an existing building the sequence is shorter but follows the same logic: survey and assessment, a phased plan, specification, supplier selection and oversight of implementation.

What a consultant should not do

Independence is the main reason to appoint a consultant at all, so a consultant should never be paid by, or tied to, the suppliers whose products they recommend. Advice that always seems to lead to the same platform or contractor deserves a second look.

Nor does a smart building consultant replace other professionals. Fire engineers remain responsible for fire strategies and life-safety interfaces, security consultants for threat and risk assessments, and structural engineers for structural matters; privacy and contract law stay with data protection advisers and lawyers. The consultant's task is to coordinate with them, raise the questions that technology creates in their areas, and make sure their decisions are reflected in the technology design.

On design and build projects

When design responsibility passes to a contractor, the RIBA overlay suggests the specialist may take a "review and approve" role, answering technical queries and checking stage submissions against the requirements. That role only works if the requirements were clearly specified before the contract was let. A contractor cannot be held to outcomes nobody wrote down.

Choosing a consultant

The most revealing request is for sample deliverables, such as requirement documents, specifications or test plans with client details removed. Judge whether they are specific enough to contract on. Ask directly how the consultant stays independent of suppliers and whether they receive any commission or referral fees. Check that they understand both operational technology and IT, including cybersecurity for building systems, and ask how they will work with your existing designers and contractors and what they will need from each. Finally, write the deliverables and decision points for each stage into the appointment. A general advisory role is easy to agree and hard to hold anyone to.