Silos instead of a platform
HVAC system, access control, fire alarms, energy meters, cleaning tickets — usually each in its own tool, often without a clean data bridge. A unified view of the building only emerges through aggregation.
Industry · Facility Management
Software for Facility Management and Smart Buildings
Facility management in 2026 is no longer just caretaking: it's data management. The EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD recast) has required Building Automation and Control Systems for large non-residential buildings since 2024. GEFMA 444 and 445 are the certification standards for CAFM software in Germany. Apps for building operators sit between IoT sensing, energy reporting, and service workflow.
Industry context
The EPBD recast (Directive (EU) 2024/1275) entered into force on 28 May 2024 and must be transposed into national law by 29 May 2026. Among other things it requires the phased deployment of Building Automation and Control Systems (BACS): by end 2024 for non-residential buildings with HVAC output > 290 kW; by 2029 for > 70 kW. The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) is optional today but is set to become mandatory via a Commission delegated act by 30 June 2027 for non-residential buildings > 290 kW.
The German Facility Management Association (GEFMA) with approximately 1,000 members across DACH is the industry's technical standards body. GEFMA 444:2023-07 has 18 criteria catalogues — including a new IoT data-management catalogue. GEFMA 445:2023-07 extends the certification to specialised FM software modules (e.g. energy or workplace management).
Typical challenges
BACS obligation without a roadmap
EPBD requires BACS by 2029 for buildings with HVAC > 70 kW — many owners have neither inventory nor plan for how to implement this. Software that captures the data baseline and prioritises is in demand.
ESG reporting via spreadsheets
Energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, water use — ESG-relevant metrics are often manually compiled. A platform that aggregates data directly from building systems saves person-days per quarter.
Regulatory framework
EPBD Recast (Directive (EU) 2024/1275)
Recast of the EU buildings directive. Requires phased introduction of BACS minimum requirements, the Smart Readiness Indicator (optional, later mandatory for large non-residential buildings), and a path to a zero-emission building stock by 2050.
Applicability: In force since 28 May 2024 · Transposition by 29 May 2026
- Energy Performance of Buildings Directive — European Commission
- Directive (EU) 2024/1275 — EUR-Lex
BACS-Pflichten nach EPBD
Non-residential buildings must install BACS once HVAC nominal output exceeds certain thresholds: by end of 2024 for > 290 kW, by 2029 for > 70 kW.
Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI)
Rates a building's capacity to use smart technologies. The Commission shall submit a report by 30 June 2026 and adopt a delegated act by 30 June 2027 making the SRI mandatory for non-residential buildings with HVAC > 290 kW.
- Smart Readiness Indicator — European Commission
GEFMA 444:2023-07 (CAFM-Zertifizierung)
German certification guideline for Computer-Aided Facility Management software. 18 criteria catalogues — space, maintenance, energy, workplace management among others — including a new IoT data-management catalogue. Certificates are valid for 2 years.
CSRD / EU-Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung
The CSRD (Directive (EU) 2022/2464) requires detailed ESG reporting from large companies — including building performance. FM software is often the primary data source.
Architecture pattern for B2B apps
Building edge
BACnet/IP · KNX · Modbus · MQTT bridge · edge gateway
Data ingestion from heterogeneous building systems — BACnet is the standard for North American and increasingly German HVAC systems, KNX dominates Europe for smart-building functions.
CAFM backend
Typed API layer (e.g. NestJS, Go) · PostgreSQL · GEFMA-compliant data structures
A data model supporting space, maintenance, energy, and contract management simultaneously — aligned with GEFMA 444 criteria. Language and framework follow data volume and team.
Energy & ESG layer
Time-series DB (e.g. TimescaleDB, InfluxDB) for consumption metrics · CSRD export · CSV/XBRL reports
Time-series storage for energy consumption, automated aggregation for CSRD-compliant ESG reporting. Postgres + TimescaleDB as default; we reach for Influx or ClickHouse where data rates demand it.
Service & mobile app
Cross-platform app (e.g. Flutter) for technicians · web portal for administration · QR-code scanning · photo capture
Service technicians scan QR codes on assets in the field, document with photos and notes; administration sees live status on a web dashboard. Web frontend with a mature TS framework (e.g. Next.js, Astro) — the concrete pick follows the dashboard complexity.
How we pick the stack
The concrete stack is decided per project — driven by data volume, compliance, existing systems, and team skills. This table lists the capabilities we cover and two to three tools we have shipped in production for each.
| Capability | How we deliver it |
|---|---|
| Offline-capable service app for on-site assets | One codebase for technicians' iOS and Android devices, with native camera and QR-code integration. Offline-capable for parking decks and plant rooms. Typical pick: Flutter with native bridges where hardware proximity demands it. |
| Typed CAFM backend | Structured API layer with clear module separation and performant WebSocket layer for live building-system status. Language picked by load and team — shipped in TypeScript (NestJS, Fastify), Go, and Rust. |
| Hybrid relational + time-series storage | Master data (buildings, assets, contracts) and consumption time series typically in one database (Postgres + TimescaleDB) — simplifying backup, recovery, and ESG reporting. We add InfluxDB or ClickHouse where write volumes demand it. |
| Open-source stacks for building protocols | Open-source libraries for BACnet/IP, KNX, and Modbus (e.g. node-bacnet, knxd) enable direct integration of building systems without a commercial middleware licensing model — vendor-neutral and maintainable long-term. |
| EU-hosted infrastructure | Data protection advantage for employee and tenant data, and helps meet GEFMA 444 requirements on data provenance. We have shipped on Hetzner, DigitalOcean (Frankfurt), AWS Frankfurt, and on-prem Kubernetes among others — the choice follows data sovereignty and in-house SRE skills. |
Sources
- Directive (EU) 2024/1275 (EPBD recast) — EUR-Lex
- Smart Readiness Indicator — European Commission
- GEFMA — German Facility Management Association — GEFMA
- CSRD (Directive (EU) 2022/2464) — EUR-Lex
As of: 2026-04-30
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