Imagining the future of FM

Andrew Hulbert of Pareto FM, and the new Chair of IWFM found inspiration in the ideas from future FM leaders undertaking the Capstone Innovation programme

What will facilities management look like in 2050 and beyond? What kind of environments will we work in? Will AI, sustainability, and wellbeing reshape the workplace entirely? These are the questions that over 75 first-year students from Breda University of Applied Sciences explored during their Capstone innovation programme, and I had the privilege of seeing their answers firsthand.

As one of the judges, and with Pareto FM proudly sponsoring the event, I joined an international panel of industry professionals and academics to evaluate the forward-thinking concepts developed by 18 student teams. The Capstone programme, which asks students to apply their knowledge and skills to a real-world problem, marks the conclusion of the students’ foundational study phase and integrates subjects like workplace design, business ethics, data science, property management, marketing, and design thinking.

The brief was ambitious: develop an innovation that could influence, enhance, or disrupt the FM industry of the future. Students had full creative freedom. Realism, feasibility and cost were not constraints. The only requirement was relevance to FM and a clearly defined purpose.

The project lasted three weeks:

• Week 1 – focused on research. Students explored global megatrends such as the climate crisis, aging populations, cybersecurity, overpopulation, and workforce wellbeing, combining them with FM-specific developments to identify innovation gaps.
• Week 2 – encouraged ideation and creativity. Using techniques like brainwriting and “worst idea” generation, students created over 100 ideas per team before narrowing them down to three to five for ethical and AI-focused critique.
• Week 3 – brought everything together in the form of refined, high-fidelity prototypes showcased at the Innovation Market 2025.

The results were bold, imaginative, and truly inspiring. Here are the 18 innovations presented:

• 1. Hybrid Work Innovation – A brain chip that immerses users in a personalised virtual workspace tailored to hybrid working needs.
• 2. Symbot – A friendly robotic assistant to help with daily FM tasks, memory support, and social connection.
• 3. LUNAI – A bracelet enhancing women’s health, mood, and productivity through sensory regulation and stigma reduction.
• 4. Mental Health Buddy – A digital companion that detects stress, sets boundaries, and supports mental recovery and balance.
• 5. NovaMentix – A drone-powered maintenance system using AI to detect faults and teleport parts for instant repair.
• 6. AI Assistant Earplug – A wearable that tracks brainwaves to support mental state, meeting performance, and collaboration.
• 7. The Office of the Future – An adaptive workspace with self-driving furniture and holographic, mood-sensitive walls.
• 8. You Are The Power – A system that turns human movement into wireless energy to charge electronic devices.
• 9. SerenAir – A personal, expandable bubble that adjusts air, light, and sound for optimal focus and comfort.
• 10. Refabrica – A machine that transforms e-waste into new tech, capturing CO2 and promoting circular FM solutions.
• 11. Vita Space – An AI that rearranges buildings at night to meet the changing needs of users by morning.
• 12. PARC Cube – A virtual reality device that transports users into alternate environments for meetings or mindfulness.
• 13. Self-Maintaining Building – A structure equipped with AI and robotics to self-repair, monitor systems, and optimise operations.
• 14. Hydro Drain – Turbines in drainage systems that generate renewable power for office buildings.
• 15. MINDMATE – Bio-adhesive chips that process environmental data to boost memory and filter distractions.
• 16. BioSync – A system that analyses breathing and activity to auto-adjust the workspace for peak efficiency.
• 17. Office Brain Chip – A headband enabling users to enter virtual environments and conduct focused, neuro-optimised meetings.
• 18. Focus Hub – A booth with a wearable chip that cancels external and internal distractions for deep work.

AND THE WINNER IS TEAM 3: LUNAI

The judges unanimously selected Team 3’s LUNAI as the winning innovation of the 2025 Capstone programme. LUNAI is a smart bracelet designed to monitor women’s health, particularly during menstruation. It then adapts the work environment to support comfort, mood, and productivity. It also plays a role in reducing stigma around period-related challenges in the workplace.

The judges were deeply impressed by the team’s thoughtful approach to inclusivity and wellbeing, two themes becoming increasingly vital in the future of FM. LUNAI combined user empathy, design thinking, and innovative use of technology in a way that was both forward-looking and grounded in real-world challenges. It offered a compelling vision of how FM can support not just buildings but the people within them.