
Ep. 394: "You Need Intelligence First" – Smart Buildings, AI, and the Future of Workplace Technology with Melissa Marsh of PLASTARC
From Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology by Eptura™
March 24, 2026 · 32 min
About this episode
Melissa Marsh discusses the importance of digitizing real estate assets and the integration of AI in enhancing workplace experiences.
Melissa Marsh is Founder & Executive Director at PLASTARC where she is a passionate practitioner of workplace strategy and a leader in change management services delivering social research and people analytics for the built environment. Mike Petrusky asks Melissa why she believes organizations need to focus on digitizing their real estate assets, ensuring system interoperability, and bridging the gap between people and building data to truly realize the benefits of AI and IoT. They explore how the post-pandemic world has fundamentally changed how cities and offices are occupied, leading to less predictable and more variable patterns of use, which necessitates new strategies for space management. Melissa says smart buildings are increasingly defined by their ability to connect digital and physical assets, so the transition to smart workplaces requires an investment in data systems and a clear understanding of desired outcomes before layering on AI tools. The true potential of AI in our workplace environments lies not just in automation, but in enhancing the workplace experience by integrating HR data, building systems, and personalized services, so Mike and Melissa offer practical…
People in this episode
Host: Mike Petrusky
Guest: Melissa Marsh
Topics covered
- smart buildings
- AI
- workplace technology
- employee experience
- data systems
- space management
Keywords
- smart buildings
- AI
- IoT
- workplace strategy
- data systems
- employee experience
- change management
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: PLASTARC, Eptura
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