Some time ago, I began photographing the occupants of a neighboring building through the windows.

CNN: 'Neighbors': Both anonymous and intimate

The fire quickly took hold as the stairwell acted like a chimney, forcing many of the occupants to jump from the building or climb down drainpipes.

BBC: Jamie Kyne and Jan Wilson

Crews had to fight flames on the tail of the plane, search a smoke-filled building for occupants, and attend to car drivers trapped by falling rubble.

BBC: firefighter generic

The occupants of the house were not injured and were able to remain in the house after it was assessed by building inspectors, police said.

BBC: Leyland police chase crash driver dies

This convergence of information and communications technology and physical infrastructure in the built environment is providing building owners and occupants with actionable information about a building or space that allows them manage that building or space more effectively.

FORBES: Green Building Sparks Battle for the Built Environment

But some building experts say that many of those towers are sheathed in a highly flammable material that puts occupants at risk.

BBC: 'Towering inferno' fears for Gulf's high-rise blocks