Episode 289: Technology Changing Traditional Concepts of Industrial Real Estate

As technological innovation results in more efficient supply chain distribution, changes are also occurring in traditional concepts of industrial real estate and where it should be located, says Steve Weikal, lecturer, researcher, and the CRE Tech lead in the MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab.

“Certainly what the industry thinks of as industrial real estate, or warehouse distribution real estate, has changed and will continue to change,” Weikal said on the REIT Report podcast.

“If we are able to use technology to provide distribution more efficiently, more effectively, and in smaller spaces, which is very often the case, can we now do that in structures and in buildings that we hadn't considered before?” Weikal said.

The proliferation of specialized data has enabled the industry to determine “the kinds of buildings that we need, the shapes, the sizes, and especially where they need to be located in order to make the global distribution system more efficient,” Weikal noted.