We spend roughly 90% of our lives indoors. If the spaces we inhabit don’t make us healthier, clearer, calmer, and more connected, can we really call them smart? At Smart Building Conference 5.0 (SBC 5.0) in Kuala Lumpur, Jawad AlTamimi introduced The Human Algorithm, a framework that shifts the conversation from counting sensors and dashboards to evaluating human outcomes inside buildings.
What is “The Human Algorithm”?
The Human Algorithm is a human-outcomes framework that pairs operational signals (air quality, thermal comfort, noise behaviour, service response times) with lived-experience inputs (ability to focus, sense of calm, belonging). The goal is practical and clear: help owners and FM teams see whether people are doing better inside the building, not only whether the building is digitally capable.
The Six Human KPIs (clear, practical anchors)
1) Health & Vitality: Conditions that keep people physically well and energized (e.g., IAQ within targets, acoustics managed, and circadian, supportive lighting aligned to the day).
2) Cognitive Performance: Environments that enable focus and creative flow (e.g., reliable quiet/focus zones, daylight where tasks actually happen, intuitive wayfinding).
3) Emotional Well-Being: Lower stress and better restoration (e.g., noise peak control, small refuge nooks, biophilic cues, clearer safety signaling).
4) Social Connection: Everyday touchpoints that build belonging (e.g., welcoming lobbies, shared kitchens, rooftop or garden spaces, micro-events).
5) Engagement & Satisfaction: Pride in place and responsive services (e.g., transparent SLAs, visible progress on fixes, helpful, not noisy, building apps).
6) Resilience & Equity: Safety, accessibility, and fairness (e.g., thermal equity across zones so comfort and clarity don’t depend on where someone sits).
How teams can start: pair one measured metric and a brief pulse question for each KPI to create a shared baseline, then expand over time
How Can We Apply The Human Algorithm?
The conference session emphasized a light, repeatable cadence rather than a heavy program. First, establish a shared baseline by pairing an operational metric (for example, % of time CO₂ remains below a chosen threshold, or median service resolution time) with a short occupant pulse for each KPI (“Could you focus today?”, “Did you feel restored after breaks?”, “Did shared spaces help you connect?”). Next, deliver visible quick wins within a single quarter, align lighting schedules to circadian support, dampen known noise hotspots, carve out a small refuge corner per floor, and publish response/resolution times so progress is transparent. Finally, maintain momentum with a quarterly “human outcomes” snapshot that leaders and occupants can see at a glance, helping improvements stick as part of everyday FM culture.
How it complements today’s programs (IQ + EQ)
• SmartScore focus on digital infrastructure, user functionality, and innovation (building IQ).
The Human Algorithm adds the lived-outcomes layer (building EQ) those systems should enable.
• WELL / Fitwel anchor health.
The Human Algorithm keeps health in view and extends to focus, emotion, connection, engagement, and equity—the daily realities of productive, humane spaces.
• SDGs emphasize measurable benefit to people.
The Human Algorithm translates intent into outcomes occupants can actually feel.
SBC 5.0 context
Sessions across SBC 5.0 provided a multi-angle backdrop: SmartScore methods for rating digital capability and user functionality (Chris Choy); human-centric lighting with circadian rhythm support (Sam Ho); IoT-driven efficiency with the reminder that human experience and ingenuity are decisive (Donato Cantalupo); service robotics oriented toward safety and experience (Dr. Hanafiah Yussof); and green data centers connecting asset choices to urban resilience (Austin Chandrasekaran). Together, these threads reinforced the hierarchy at the heart of the framework: technology is a means; human thriving is the end.
From Assets to Cities
Adopted across a portfolio, the framework can surface patterns—walkable choices, equitable comfort, faster recoveries from disruptions, and social spaces that genuinely work—linking asset performance to city-level quality of life.
About the Speaker
Jawad AlTamimi, is Head of Property & Facility Management Consultancy (MENA) at JLL, founder of the Built Environment Institute, and The Regional Director of IFMA’s FM Consultants Council for Middle East and West Asia. He introduced The Human Algorithm at Smart Building Conference 5.0 in Kuala Lumpur, September 2025.