Digital Building Intelligence for Existing Property Development

Starting Situation and Objectives

A family office manages a family’s assets and acts accordingly: over the long term, prudently, and with the aim of increasing value rather than merely preserving it. For the Hopp Family Office, this means acquiring existing properties, revitalizing them, and successfully re-letting them. The properties are located throughout Germany, belong to different companies, and differ greatly in age, size, and technology.

aedifion was commissioned to use its AI-based cloud platform to create complete transparency over the operation of these buildings, detect technical malfunctions early, and improve operations wherever this makes economic sense. One requirement stood above all others: tenant comfort takes priority. Every measure is implemented step by step and without noticeable restrictions for users.

Key Facts

• Properties: 7
• Total area: 61 470 m²
• Building type: Office, mixed use
• Owners: Hopp Family Office & Dietmar Hopp Foundation

Special Features in the Family Office

• Many companies, one goal: The family office, foundation, asset management, and property management work on different properties. aedifion consolidates the data of all buildings on one platform and serves as the single, consistent point of contact for all parties.
• No on-site facility management: In several properties, a caretaker looks after the building technology, and there is no in-house facility management. aedifion takes over monitoring, automatically reports malfunctions by email, and translates findings into concrete tasks for caretakers and specialist contractors.
• Buildings without a building management system: Some existing buildings have no BMS and no display of measured values. aedifion retrofits them with sensors. In these properties, the aedifion platform is therefore the only source of operational data.
• Buildings in transition: Renovation, tenant changes, and modernization are part of the business model. aedifion accompanies buildings through these phases, detects malfunctions, and supports the planning of new technology.
• Comfort before cost: Satisfied tenants safeguard property value, and lower utility costs are passed on to tenants. aedifion therefore implements optimizations in small, verifiable steps.

Added Value

68 424 € implemented energy cost savings since project start

284 508 kWh annual energy savings*

104 of 147 recommended measures implemented (71 %)

* Values based on annual projections from aedifion analytics.

Project Process

1. Connection and Data Foundation

The aedifion cloud platform was securely connected to each building’s technical systems (TGA) in a manufacturer-independent, plug-and-play manner. The connection spans very different systems, from WAGO and Siemens to Saia and SysCom, and extends to buildings without any building management system. Sensors were retrofitted where needed. All systems are structured as a digital twin on the platform.

2. AI-Supported Analysis and Operational Optimization

AI-based analyses uncover malfunctions and savings potential. During regular service appointments, experienced aedifion engineers implement the recommended actions during ongoing operations, together with property management, caretakers, and specialist contractors. In total, 15 AI-based control apps also automatically adjust operations to weather and usage.

Across the portfolio, everything was implemented that makes buildings more efficient, economical, and reliable in operation. This includes intelligent night setbacks, adjusted heating curves and control logic, and consistent AI algorithms that respond to weather data. Inefficiencies are identified, operating processes are optimized autonomously, and unneeded systems are switched off as required.

3. Support for New Construction and Further Development

The new Greensite office location in Mannheim, with geothermal energy, a heat pump, and concrete core activation, has been connected since commissioning. The first optimization round started in October 2026. For existing buildings, aedifion provides vendor-neutral advice on investment decisions, for example on replacing outdated heating controls or on the use and sizing of heat pumps.

Outlook

The rollout continues. With the Greensite new build and further properties that will be connected after renovation and modernization, the portfolio is growing on the aedifion platform. Additional levers are already on the table, including dynamic electricity tariffs with intelligent electricity cost optimization through aedifion.dynamics, and a review of district heating connection capacity. Another step is making operational data available to the AI systems of asset management company 7280 via the open AI connection standard MCP (Model Context Protocol). This enables the continued use and automated processing of building and operational data in the AI systems that are already part of everyday work.

Conclusion

The collaboration with the Hopp Family Office shows what matters for family offices: trust, consistency, and a partner who reduces complexity rather than creating new complexity. aedifion brings transparency to an established, diverse portfolio and helps ensure compliance with applicable regulations across the entire portfolio. Problems become visible before tenants notice them, and operations are improved where it pays off. In this way, digital operational optimization supports the family office’s core goal: making buildings more valuable.

Customer Feedback

“Our portfolio is diverse and constantly in motion. aedifion keeps an overview across all companies, works with great calm and consistency, and is a partner for our teams whom we enjoy talking to. That is exactly what we need to develop our properties step by step.”

Jens Heist | Managing Director | Hopp Family Office