In the taxonomy of enterprise real estate, the professional sports arena is an outlier. It is a facility that must oscillate between a dormant shell and a high-density, high-risk metropolis in a matter of hours. For the enterprise tech buyer, it represents the ultimate stress test for digital transformation. If a system can maintain equilibrium in an NBA arena, managing the volatile variables of crowd safety, climate load, and network density, it can certainly handle a smart building corporate headquarters.
This premise lies at the heart of the recently announced strategic partnership between Hornets Sports & Entertainment (HSE) of the Charlotte Hornets and Honeywell. While on the surface this appears to be a standard sponsorship deal, a closer look reveals a sophisticated case study in the convergence of IT and operational technology (OT).
“Our partnership with HSE transcends technology – it’s about fostering a welcoming environment where fans can connect and truly enjoy the game in smarter, more efficient spaces,” said Juan Picon, President, Americas, Honeywell Building Automation.
“We look forward to collaborating with the Charlotte Hornets to pioneer the future of smart venues in the years to come. By connecting the Hornets’ facilities through an integrated digital ecosystem, the HSE team will gain real-time insights that enable them to enhance operations for players and staff while also elevating the overall experience for fans and the local community.”
The project tasks Honeywell with retrofitting the Spectrum Center, the Hornets’ existing home arena, while simultaneously outfitting the Novant Health Performance Center, a mixed-use practice facility currently under development. For the CIO, this mirrors the complex reality of the modern enterprise, presenting the challenge of managing legacy “brownfield” infrastructure while integrating state-of-the-art systems into “greenfield” expansions.
Deconstructing the Cognitive Stack in Smart Buildings
The core of this transformation is the move away from the siloed operations that plague many large campuses. Typically, security, HVAC, and access control exist as disparate fiefdoms, resulting in data latency and “dashboard fatigue” for operators. The Hornets are dismantling these silos by deploying a unified digital ecosystem.
At the center of this architecture is the Enterprise Buildings Integrator, a platform that acts as a “single pane of glass.” This allows facility managers to aggregate data streams, viewing security incidents and energy spikes on the same interface, thereby reducing the “swivel-chair” effect that often hampers rapid decision-making.
This integration extends to the physical edge of the network through the LenelS2 OnGuard platform. By unifying access control across both the arena and the training facility, HSE is creating a frictionless security environment. In a campus context, whether it’s a stadium or a tech park, knowing exactly who is where, in real-time, is the baseline for modern physical security.
The goal is to move beyond simple monitoring to active incident management, thereby reducing the operational friction associated with relocating staff, talent, and VIPs across different high-security zones.
From Cost Center to Strategic Asset
Beyond security, the partnership highlights how AI is reshaping the financial profile of facilities management. Using Honeywell Forge, an AI-driven performance management platform, the facilities will shift from reactive to predictive energy management. The system is designed to modulate building controls based on real-time occupancy and climate conditions.
For the CFO, this is a critical evolution. It effectively converts utilities from a fixed, passive cost into a variable one that responds to demand, directly impacting the bottom line while meeting increasingly stringent ESG targets.
This strategic approach to infrastructure is further evident in the deployment of the XLS4000 smart fire detection system at the new Performance Center. The system features self-testing functionality, a detail that might seem minor until viewed through an operational lens.
By automating compliance checks, the organization reduces the need for manual maintenance and minimizes downtime. It validates the concept that modern building automation is not just about keeping the lights on, but about ensuring operational resilience and protecting the organization’s most valuable capital assets.
The Employee Experience Proxy Within Smart Buildings
Perhaps the most intriguing angle for the tech buyer is how this technology serves the “employee,” which in this case happens to be an elite athlete. In the corporate world, we discuss the “frictionless office” as a tool to attract talent back to the desk. In the NBA, the “office” is the training court, and the talent is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. By automating lighting, air quality, and climate to create what HSE terms an “elite training environment,” they are treating the building as an active participant in employee performance.
As Picon noted, the goal is to foster an environment where people can connect in “smarter, more efficient spaces.” Translating this to the enterprise sector offers a provocative thought experiment. If precise environmental control can marginally improve an athlete’s physical performance, the ROI of similar controls on the cognitive performance of software engineers or financial analysts could be substantial.
The Charlotte Hornets have realized that a “dumb” building is a competitive liability. In the post-hybrid world, the corporate headquarters must work just as hard as the people inside it to justify the commute.
This post originally appeared on Service Management - Enterprise - Channel News - UC Today.