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Operationalising net zero is proving far harder in practice than the targets imply. The Office Asset Management Tribe at CREAM UK 2026 turned a sceptical eye on the gap between ambition and delivery, with participants doubting the feasibility of 2030 targets and pointing to 2050 as more realistic. The obstacles are as much structural and human as technical - misaligned incentives, contentious data ownership, and a persistent skills gap. The clear message: technology alone will not deliver net zero without aligned incentives, trustworthy data, and people equipped to operate the systems.
Tribe Host: Jeff Emesibe (aedifion)
Co-Hosts: Andrew Mercer (L&G), Shreya Sheth (Patrizia) and George Jerram (Brightbay)
A Sceptical View on Net-Zero Feasibility
The Tribe was openly sceptical about the feasibility of meeting 2030 net-zero targets, with a clear sense that 2050 is the more realistic horizon. The major barriers are well understood but stubborn: high retrofitting costs, infrastructure limitations such as grid capacity constraints, and a challenging macroeconomic environment that makes funding the transition harder. The realism was not defeatism - rather an argument for setting honest expectations and focusing effort where it can actually deliver.
Structural Blockers: Incentives, Data and AI Washing
Structural blockers featured heavily. A fundamental misalignment of incentives between asset owners, property managers and facility managers often pushes the industry towards reactive rather than proactive maintenance. Data ownership remains contentious: contracts frequently create vendor lock-in by distinguishing between raw data, which the client owns, and contextualised data, which the vendor owns - a distinction that complicates asset transitions. The Tribe also cautioned against "AI washing," advising that simple analytics or machine learning should be prioritised over complex AI solutions unless the complexity is genuinely warranted.
The Human Element and Governance
The human element ran through the discussion. Technology adoption is frequently stalled by weak change management and a critical skills gap among on-site staff. Successful implementation depends on a human-in-the-loop governance model, particularly because AI-driven automation carries liability risks that ultimately rest with the asset owner. In response, firms are increasingly developing internal academies to upskill their people, recognising that technology is only ever as effective as those operating it.
Biggest Opportunity: People and Governance as the Route to Value
The strongest opportunity lies in treating people and governance as the route to unlocking technology's value, rather than chasing the technology itself. Firms investing in change management, internal academies and a clear human-in-the-loop model are better placed to adopt performance tools that actually deliver - and to do so without taking on unmanaged liability. Prioritising proportionate analytics over complex, poorly understood AI, and resolving data ownership at the contracting stage, allows owners to build durable operational capability. The advantage accrues to those who pair the right tools with aligned incentives and a workforce equipped to use them.
Biggest Challenge: Misaligned Incentives and Structural Constraints
The principal challenge is the misalignment of incentives between asset owners, property managers and facility managers, which repeatedly tips the industry into reactive maintenance and slows the path to net zero. Layered onto this are high retrofitting costs, grid capacity constraints, contractual vendor lock-in over data, and a skills gap that stalls adoption even where the will exists. Together these factors explain the Tribe's scepticism about near-term targets: the technical solutions may be available, but the structural and human conditions needed to operationalise them at pace are not yet in place.
CREAM UK took place on 23 June 2026 at Fulham Pier, London.
Find out more about the event at space-plus.org/cream-uk
