With technology rapidly changing, developers today are grappling with how to deliver relevant new construction product years from now. It is a consistent concern for developers, and finding a solution isn't easy. Jonathan Genton, the founding principal and CEO of Genton Property Group, says that he tries to defer tech decisions until close to delivery—and then he always looks to implement the most cutting edge technology and make it as adaptable as possible for future iterations.

“I am designing buggy whips today,” Genton, who is currently under construction on the Four Seasons Residences in West Los Angeles, tells GlobeSt.com in jest. “Every single day, I try to defer any decision on smart home or smart technology that I can. It changes from the point of entitlement to the point of building permit. So, we try to defer that as long as humanly possible, and when we do make the decision, we try to talk to everyone we can and try to make it as adaptable as possible.”

Technology is changing so rapidly that even imagining future advancement, however, can be difficult. One constant: the smart phone. Most technology today revolves around and is controlled by smart phones. “The things that are here today weren't here six years ago,” says Genton. “The smart phone and apps are the infrastructure from which everything is operating today, but technology is moving so rapidly that no matter what you do today, it will be wrong in five years.”

It is important to note that this technology is applicable to all age groups and demographics. Whether your target is millennials or baby boomers, technology plays a central role. “People get hung up a lot on attributing it to a certain client, like a millennial. The truth is that is transcends any age group,” adds Genton. “It doesn't stop and the entire market is consuming these things.”

Although technology is going to be integrated into new construction more and more, today, technology is still playing a small role in individual units. “We haven't seen the true impact yet. Our technology footprint is pretty minor,” says Genton. “It is transit based, T1 based and fiber based. I can only imagine what it will bring in the future. Right now, we are working with Four Seasons to create full function chatting for room service. It really merges anything that you want into how you talk today, chatting.”

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