Because energy efficiency is not measured in technology, but in decisions
When talking about energy efficiency, the conversation almost always turns to technology. More sensors. More software. More control. At Gandum, the conversation started somewhere else: before technology.
Not because technology doesn't matter, but because it rarely solves a problem that is poorly formulated. Real energy efficiency is not what you add to a building. It's what you avoid having to fix.
The mistake of confusing efficiency with complexity
Most contemporary buildings are energy-efficient because they are constantly correcting their own excesses. Inadequate glazing is compensated for by air conditioning. Poorly oriented volumes are corrected by intelligent systems. Unsuitable materials are balanced by constant consumption. It works.
But it works by force. At Gandum, the question was different: how can the building work in favor of the climate, rather than against it? That question cannot be answered with equipment. It is answered with decisions.
Efficiency starts with design, not the control panel
Long before anyone talked about solar panels, heat pumps, or real-time monitoring, there were simple—and less visible—decisions to be made: building orientation, wall thickness and mass, the relationship between shade and exposure, and volumes designed to reduce heat loss.
None of this appears on a fancy dashboard. But all of this reduces the need for continuous energy intervention. When the foundation is solid, technology ceases to be the protagonist and becomes a support.
Efficient systems do not compensate for bad habits
Another common misconception is to think that an efficient system solves everything, regardless of how it is used. It does not. Even the most efficient system loses its meaning if it is used excessively, without criteria or awareness. Efficiency is not a license for unlimited consumption. It is a margin for better use.
At Gandum, this translated into a clear approach: efficient systems, yes—but designed so they don't need to be constantly working.
Energy efficiency is also about behavior
Efficiency is not just about equipment. It is also about how a place is used. When spaces are comfortable by nature, people fiddle less with the controls. When silence is structural, there is no need to compensate with white noise. When the temperature is stable, there is no constant urge to adjust it. Architecture, use, and energy form a single system. Separating them is a useful abstraction for reports, but unrealistic in everyday life.
Monitoring is not the same as optimizing
Gandum monitors consumption. But monitoring is not an end in itself. Data is only useful when it informs decisions. When it allows us to understand patterns, correct excesses, and confirm that certain choices make sense over time. Energy efficiency here is not a race to reduce numbers at any cost. It is a continuous exercise in consistency between what was designed, what is used, and what is really necessary.
Less visible technology, more structural intelligence
Interestingly, the more structural efficiency is, the less visible it is. There is no talk of complex systems. There are no promises of a “smart building.” There is a building that does not need to be constantly corrected. This is not a lack of technological ambition. It is a choice.
Efficiency as a consequence, not as an isolated goal
At Gandum, energy efficiency has never been treated as an isolated goal. It has always been a consequence of other decisions: coherent architecture, appropriate materials, controlled scale, conscious use.
When these decisions are aligned, efficiency comes almost without being asked. When they are not, no technology can fully solve the problem. Perhaps that is why the most difficult energy efficiency to communicate is also the most robust: that which results from deciding well before turning anything on.
