SCIENCE FICTION MEETS MARKET REALITY: ANDERS SÖRMAN-NILSSON ON THE FUTURE OF PROPERTY
Global futurist Anders Sörman-Nilsson says AI, climate change and shifting demographics are rewriting the rules of real estate.
3 min
“Today’s luxury is tomorrow’s expectation.”
It was one of Anders Sörman-Nilsson’s throwaway lines – but the kind that sticks. The Swedish-Australian futurist wasn’t talking about marble benchtops or rooftop pools. He meant robots in the home, AI personal assistants and cities so climate-resilient they could add decades to your life.
For Sörman-Nilsson, science fiction is no longer something you watch. It’s the world you live in, and if you’re in property, you’d better be designing for it now.
Take transport. In Los Angeles recently, he rode in a Waymo self-driving car and “never felt safer”. No human driver, no small talk, no risk of road rage. Just seamless, sensor-driven efficiency. Or healthcare. His GP now uses an AI medical scribe to complete reports and referrals, saving hours of paperwork. For patients, it means more time with the doctor and medical instructions translated into plain English.
These examples aren’t novelties. They’re signals. “AI is taking the robot out of the human,” he told the audience.
“It’s letting us do less of the menial and the mundane, and more of the meaningful and the human.”
Speaking to more than 100 property and investment leaders at the inaugural Kanebridge Quarterly Property Summit in Sydney, Sörman-Nilsson set out a future that is as exhilarating as it is confronting.
The night opened with a data-rich address from expert economist Dr Andrew Wilson, who set the economic scene for the year ahead.
His forecast: a robust housing market through 2025, underpinned by falling interest rates, inflation easing back to the RBA’s target, and a still-strong labour market.
From there, the conversation shifted from the short-term economic outlook to the long-term forces reshaping the industry, as futurist Sörman-Nilsson took the stage.
Over the course of an hour, Sörman-Nilsson unpacked the three significant forces reshaping real estate: AI, demographics and design, and why ignoring them could be fatal for investors, developers and cities alike.
One of his sharpest warnings was about climate change and the emergence of “climate oases” – the select cities and regions that will remain liveable and attractive as others become too hot, flood-prone or costly to protect.
“In Australia, Hobart, Launceston, and Canberra are among the most climate-resilient,” he said.
“People are already moving there for cooler temperatures and security. That’s not a trend you want to ignore if you’re thinking about where value will hold.”
Demographics, too, are shifting in ways the property market can’t afford to overlook. By 2035, Sörman-Nilsson predicts that 40 per cent of households could be single-person households. Fewer children, more solo living and longer lifespans will require housing models that prioritise community, flexibility and wellness over sheer size.
“If you want to live in Sydney in the future,” he quipped, “you might never know your grandkids because they’ll have to move somewhere they can actually afford.”
The implications for design are profound. He points to “Blue Zone” principles – the habits and environments linked to long, healthy lives – as a template for next-generation developments.
Think walkable neighbourhoods, green spaces, social connection and accessible services.
“Singapore has become the first urban Blue Zone by design,” he said. “If they can do in 20 years what took Okinawa hundreds, there’s no excuse for our cities not to aim higher.”
For all the provocation, there was consensus in the room. Panellist Darren Younger, CEO of Assetora, said the opportunity for property to integrate technology at the foundational level has never been greater.
“Technology isn’t just an add-on anymore. It’s becoming the foundation for how we design, transact and manage property,” he said. “From fractional ownership to AI-driven maintenance systems, the innovations are here; we just need to deploy them.”
Want more? Read the full story in the spring issue of Kanebridge Quarterly, here.
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3 min
Listing of the Day
Location: Downtown Brooklyn, New York
Price: $16.75 million
Boasting 360-degree panoramic views across New York City, this new 92nd-floor penthouse is the highest residence in Brooklyn.
The full-floor apartment stands atop the new Brooklyn Tower, which encompasses 143 condos and 398 rentals in the heart of downtown Brooklyn, said Katie Sachsenmaier, senior sales director, Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group.
The condos begin on the 53rd floor, and the penthouses begin on the 88th floor. This one, Penthouse 92, is the only full-floor penthouse.
“The building is coming into its own now,” she said. “It feels very busy when you step into the lobby.”
Developed by Silverstein Properties, the building at 85 Fleet Street rises from the historic Dime Savings Bank building, according to a news release.
It was designed by SHoP Architects with interiors curated by Gachot Studios, and it is the borough’s only super tall skyscraper.
Penthouse 92 features custom interiors by Brooklyn-based Susan Clark of design firm Radnor, Sachsenmaier said. “Her selections have made it really beautiful. It feels very warm and inviting.”
Architectural details include 12-foot ceilings, European white oak floors in a custom honey stain, mahogany millwork, bronze detailing and floor-to-ceiling windows.
The eat-in kitchen features Absolute Black stone countertops, an island with seating, oil-rubbed bronze Waterworks fixtures and integrated Miele appliances, according to the listing.
The primary en suite bathroom showcases large-format Honed Breccia Capraia marble. There is also a separate laundry room as well as a wet bar and a butler’s pantry.
The views are spectacular, Sachsenmaier said. “If you’re standing in the living room, you take in the Statue of Liberty and all the way up through Midtown. On a clear day, you can see the planes take off at LaGuardia (Airport).”
Photo: Sean Hemmerle
Moving around the apartment, you see south over the harbor and then north and east over the whole city, she said.
From the front door, “you’re immediately greeted with the expansive living room and the view,” she said. “It’s really the first thing you see.”
The primary suite features a dressing room, multiple walk-in closets, two bathrooms (one with a cedar sauna) and southwest-facing windows, Sachsenmaier said. “You get those really beautiful harbour views.
The amenities will be ready by the end of summer, she said. A Life Time club will occupy the entire sixth and seventh floors, and an outdoor pool deck wraps around the dome of the bank building.
Stats
The 5,891-square-foot home has four bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one partial bathroom.
Amenities
Residents will have access to over 100,000 square feet of exclusive indoor and outdoor leisure spaces.
Fitness company Life Time will manage an array of amenities that include a 75-foot indoor lap pool, outdoor pools, a poolside lounge and atrium, a billiards room, a library lounge, a conference room, a theatre with a wet bar, a children’s playground and playroom and limited off-site parking.
The Sky Park offers an open-air loggia with a basketball court, foosball, a playground and a dog run.
Photo: Gabriel Saunders
Neighbourhood Notes
Downtown Brooklyn is at the centre of a number of neighbourhoods, including Fort Greene, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and Brooklyn Heights. The tower has access to 13 subway lines, 11 commuter trains, the city’s ferry network and 22 Citi Bike stations.
“You can walk to Fort Greene Park in less than 10 minutes,” and Dekalb Market Hall, which has a Trader Joe’s, a Target and a food hall, is “right next door,” Sachsenmaier said.
Agent: Katie Sachsenmaier, senior sales director, Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group
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