In this episode, I speak with Bert Van Hoof, CEO of Willow, about how AI is starting to reshape the built world in ways that go far beyond smart dashboards and efficiency reports. Bert brings decades of experience from the front lines of digital infrastructure, including his time at Microsoft, where he helped create Azure Digital Twins and Smart Places.
Today at Willow, he is focused on a much bigger idea, using AI to help buildings, campuses, hospitals, airports, and other complex environments operate with greater intelligence, lower waste, and better outcomes for the people who rely on them every day.
One of the most interesting parts of our conversation is how Bert explains the shift from passive building software to active management systems. For years, many digital twin and smart building tools were good at showing what had already happened. But operators do not need another screen full of charts.
They need systems that can connect live data, static records, spatial context, and operational history to help them make better decisions in real time. That is where Willow comes in, creating a digital foundation where AI can reason across everything from HVAC and air quality to occupancy, refrigeration, maintenance history, and even energy usage patterns.
We also unpack why this matters right now. Energy costs remain under pressure, sustainability goals are getting harder to ignore, and many organizations are still stuck with fragmented systems that do not talk to each other.
Bert shares how AI can help move building teams from reactive maintenance to predictive performance, spotting issues earlier, cutting downtime, reducing waste, and extending the life of expensive assets.
He also explains why the future of building operations will depend on a stronger data foundation, operational AI copilots, and systems that can support an aging workforce while making these roles more appealing to the next generation.
What stood out for me was how practical this all became once we moved past the buzzwords. This was not a conversation about futuristic hype. It was about real examples, from occupancy-based HVAC control in offices and campuses to leak detection in schools, vaccine refrigeration monitoring, and hospital environments where downtime can carry enormous consequences.
Bert makes a strong case that buildings are no longer just static structures. They are living operational environments filled with signals, systems, and opportunities that have been hiding in plain sight.
We also touch on the wider picture, including what Bert learned from smart cities and energy grid modernization, and how those lessons now apply to commercial real estate, airports, research labs, and higher education campuses.
There is a real sense that the physical world is entering a new chapter, one where AI starts to bridge the gap between digital intelligence and real-world action.
If you have ever wondered what AI looks like when it leaves the screen and starts improving the places where people work, heal, travel, learn, and live, this episode will give you plenty to think about. As always, I would love to know what you think, are buildings finally ready to become truly responsive, and what opportunities or risks do you see ahead?