With this short piece, I aim to learn as much as possible about a topic. I have picked four topics (4 separate articles) focused on the growing influence of technology on the real estate sector. The other articles are about Urban Farming, VTOLs, and Urban Parking.
This week’s topic is all about Smart Buildings.
Smart Buildings
Image: The Crystal, London
Smart buildings. Smart Buildings use technology that automate and control building processes including heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting with the main factor making a smart building function being data.
The process is made possible through sensors, building management systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and chips, which are used throughout a building and are enabled through the data. Smart buildings are not necessarily about introducing new technologies into buildings, but rather are about creating an eco-system where all technologies within the building are interconnected. This is how they differ from traditional buildings where the sensors and technology function independently. This allows for detailed analytics and research into the whole building previously not available. Additionally, they require flexibility for new technologies and software to be introduced without causing any significant disruptions.
Making these buildings smart, allows occupants to be more productive in controlled and optimised working environments. Whether that be through optimised lighting, room temperature, air quality, sanitation or movement across a building. Additional benefits include space optimisation, a more agile environment and reduced energy consumption & costs. Further examples include automatically switching lights & air-conditioning off in unused rooms or notifying occupants of a lift malfunction. Smart buildings also allow occupiers to find out which parts of the building are most popular, whether there is enough working space for all occupiers and if there are enough meeting rooms and communal space.
Smart buildings also benefit building maintenance, whether that be detecting a defect within a system or providing owners with a better idea of how much specific areas are used and understanding the building’s wear and tear, cleaning and restocking.
There are some concerns regarding smart buildings. These include the incorrect use of technology, occupiers having a lack of control with the settings being controlled & predetermined by the technology and whether the building will be able to keep up with the advancement of new technologies.
As a whole, smart buildings should serve to reduce costs for owners, make the working environment more pleasant for occupants and improve the building’s sustainability credentials whilst lower carbon emissions.
Whilst smart buildings are certainly a step in the right direction, I can imagine these being used as a marketing tool. So when I next hear someone mention how their building is smart, I will be sure to ask them what makes it smart, how the building has improved since it became smart, and if they have the data to back their claims up.
Couple of examples of Smart Buildings -
The Bullitt Center | Seattle, Washington
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