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Dive brief:
- The New York City Department of Buildings, along with an investment group called the Partnership Fund for New York City, has launched the Buildings Tech Lab for building technology innovations.
- The objective of the public-private initiative, announced on July 8is to find, evaluate and test innovative technology solutions that help the DOB manage construction in the city. The costs of running the BTL, which are primarily staff costs, will be paid by the NYC Partnership Foundation, which is the nonprofit arm of the Partnership Fund for NYC, Nick Bader, a media representative for the Partnership Fund, told Construction Dive.
- The BTL is holding a competition until September 20 to request these solutions for key priority areas identified by the agency, according to the release. These include how to manage internal processes to expedite permitting, building inspections, code reviews and enforcement initiatives and how the agency can better use data to automate operations and increase staff capacity.
Diving knowledge:
Early- and growth-stage technology companies that are accepted into the program will participate in an eight-week “proof of concept” phase, according to the release. During this time, the DOB will work with each startup to test and provide guidance on its proposition, product capabilities and value proposition.
“New York is one of the largest and most innovative cities in the world; we need to harness the intelligence of our technology and business sectors to maintain our infrastructure in a time of rapid climate change and aging buildings,” said Meera Joshi, the city’s deputy mayor for operations, in the statement
The lab is the latest demonstration of the Partnership Fund’s “Tech in the Public Interest” strategy, which aims to invest in companies and programs that foster new technologies and combat urban challenges. According to the release, the BTL will employ the Partnership Fund innovation labs model, which was pioneered in 2010 with the FinTech Innovation Lab in the city.
Along with the BTL, the city also debuted the Transit Tech Lab with the Metropolitan Transit Authority in 2018, according to the release. Then, in 2023, the Fund partnered with the New York Department of Environmental Protection to create the Environmental Tech Lab.
The city has also established the “NYC Smart City Trial Program”, which allows city agencies to work with the private sector on technology pilots that will operate mainly in public spaces. Examples include drone inspection technology, an air pollution vacuum, and sensors on public streets.
