Technologies and solutions for intelligent buildings

The smart building market is booming, but what is a smart building and why is it important? When you look at the definition of a smart building, you’ll find a lot of information about this emerging technology. Simply put, a smart building, also known as a smart building, is a property that uses automated processes to control operations such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, security, safety, and other environmental systems in response to building occupancy levels or external conditions.

By collecting data from on-site sensors, devices, and IoT (Internet of Things) services, smart building systems can leverage the data to automatically adjust resources based on changing conditions. For example, smart building controls can dim lights in bright, sunny conditions or increase airflow in spaces as occupancy increases.

The ability of smart building solutions to automatically respond to changes helps facility managers use resources, space, and energy more efficiently while maintaining optimal conditions for building occupants.

This article explains what a smart building is, details examples of key components, and the benefits of deploying these technology systems.

Drivers of smart building adoption

A number of factors are driving the growing adoption of IoT smart building solutions. These include:

Rising energy costs—Many businesses large and small are looking to mitigate rising energy costs as budgets continue to be impacted by rate hikes and supply disruptions. Building owners must find ways to use energy more efficiently to better manage costs.

Changing occupancy levels—The adoption of remote and hybrid work is causing occupancy levels in commercial buildings to fluctuate from day to day. Managers are leveraging smart building security technology to minimize resource usage in spaces when they are not occupied.

A Healthy Environment—Occupants of commercial and multi-unit residential buildings expect a safe and healthy environment. Property managers need to ensure that factors such as air quality and temperatures are maintained at optimal levels, and IoT building automation is one way to streamline management.

Extreme Weather—No matter where your business is located, the weather can be unpredictable. Buildings that leverage smart building technology to adapt the internal environment to changing temperatures or extreme weather conditions are able to use energy more efficiently.

Availability of Smart Building Materials—Smart building systems feature a number of different materials and technologies, which are now widely available. Recent advances in artificial intelligence also make it easier to analyze data from building sensors, allowing building technology systems to provide a faster and more accurate response to specific events or triggers.

Open systems — A smart infrastructure integrates a large number of smart building components. Manufacturers are increasingly adopting open standards, making it easier for smart building designers to integrate components into a seamless solution that can be managed from a single dashboard.

Smart building infrastructure elements

Intelligent building management systems integrate a number of important elements:

Smart Building IoT Sensors

Sensors collect internal and external data that are used by smart building systems to make informed decisions about the use of space, energy or resources. Sensors can aggregate data on internal or external temperatures, light levels and room occupancy or air quality. Environmental sensors monitor atmospheric and sensory changes such as carbon monoxide, humidity or particulate pollution levels in the workplace. This helps maintain a healthy working environment and reduce the risk of sickness absence.

Analytics for intelligent building systems

Analytics allow facility managers to monitor sensor data and provide insights to smart building management processors and an IoT building automation system. Artificial intelligence can be used to further improve the speed and accuracy of data analysis. In smart buildings, analytics are useful for identifying abnormal behaviors, as well as long-term trends or changes.

Smart building materials and devices

This refers to the physical hardware and software used in smart buildings. Many different materials, technologies and systems are used to control things like heating, lighting, air quality or ventilation. Smart building management technologies can also be integrated with security and safety systems, such as access control systems or fire alarms to expand the scope of smart management.

Processors and Servers

Smart building controls incorporate processors that automate the changing of smart building elements. Facility managers can program smart building technology to respond to any data-triggered changes or to respond to certain rules. For example, processors controlling lighting in a commercial building can be programmed to operate only during business hours.

Servers that host databases and management software are also key components of smart infrastructure. Smart building systems can be hosted on servers in the building or in the cloud. A cloud-enabled system offers greater flexibility and potential for IoT building automation because facility managers can access and manage the system via mobile devices from any location. However, on-premises servers are more customizable to your business needs.

Smart building networks

IoT connected devices use the internet to transmit data, so a strong network is essential for smart building design and implementation. Reliable, high-speed networks connect all components of an IoT smart building system, allowing sensors to transmit data and processors to send signals that trigger changes in building spaces without interruption or delay.

Common smart building technology and materials

There are many smart building solutions available to businesses today, but not all of them are necessary. The choice depends on the goals of your building and organization. IoT smart building designs for commercial properties should incorporate the devices that have the most impact in terms of improving efficiency, encouraging collaboration, and ensuring a safe and secure workplace. The most common smart building technology that can help managers achieve this goal includes:

• Smart lighting solutions use sensors to turn lights on or off based on occupancy. Lighting controls can be integrated with automated shades or daylight sensors to maximize natural light levels and reduce lighting costs. In a smart commercial building, the smart lighting solution is programmed to minimize unsafe lighting outside of normal business hours. In a multi-unit smart residential building, lighting is adjusted only in public or common areas based on ambient lighting conditions or safety and security requirements. Some multi-unit buildings may also provide smart building IoT solutions for individual units.
• Smart HVAC systems automate the control of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, adjusting temperatures based on occupancy levels, prevailing temperatures and weather forecasts to manage energy consumption and ensure a comfortable environment.
• Smart windows can lighten or darken the room based on sunlight intensity and can help reduce demands on lighting and HVAC systems as well as reduce glare and reflections.
• Meeting room booking systems sync room management systems with employee calendars, internal meeting schedules, and scheduled client visits to give facility managers complete visibility into space availability. Integrating booking systems with smart environmental controls and access control ensures that lighting, air conditioning, and heating systems are only active when a room is occupied and that only those who have booked a space can access the building.
• Office management software is essential for hybrid offices where demand for workspace varies from day to day. Employees can pre-book workspaces for scheduled visits or search for vacant desks if they need to make an unexpected visit. Integrated with smart access control, this IoT building automation allows access only during the days and times of an accepted reservation.
• Preventative maintenance systems use powerful analytics and artificial intelligence on system data to detect abnormal patterns in system performance and issue maintenance alerts. Facility management staff can resolve issues before they cause outages or downtime with the support of smart building software and smart building apps that can help provide additional insight into system performance.

Safety and security in a smart building

While smart building systems improve the building environment, intelligent processes can also be used to enhance safety and security.

Intelligent building automation with access control

Access management in a smart building reduces the risk of unauthorized entry. Authorized users and visitors can present different types of credentials, including mobile and biometric solutions via IoT smart building applications, to access building entrances or security doors in restricted areas. Once access management is integrated with smart building applications for desk and room booking, only employees with an approved booking on file can access the building on the date and time they have booked.

Data from access systems provides valuable insights into historical occupancy levels by leveraging inputs into environmental control systems. This allows facility managers to program environmental controls in spaces with varying occupancy rates, such as meeting rooms, to respond based on occupancy data.

Improving visibility with smart cameras

Smart commercial security video cameras can be integrated with access control and other security devices such as sensors and alarms to provide a 360-degree view of security throughout a building. AI-enabled security cameras can be programmed to respond to unusual activity by capturing video images when they detect movement or abnormal behavior.

Smart sensors can also be integrated into security cameras, including intrusion detection sensors, glass break sensors, or noise sensors. If a window breaks or a door is left open, the sensor is able to activate the camera and alert security personnel of the potential incident so they can investigate.

Securing buildings with automated technology

Security systems also benefit from IoT building automation, which can be used to improve the performance of fire alarms, smoke detectors, or air quality sensors. By integrating them with access control systems, these sensors can activate locking systems or open secure doors in areas at risk of fire or air pollution.

Security sensors can also be programmed to automatically activate other emergency measures, such as notifying local fire departments and law enforcement.

Strengthening cybersecurity measures

Strong security convergence is essential for smart buildings. While physical security is a priority, the use of smart IoT building automation solutions and the connection of more devices to building networks opens up new attack surfaces for hackers to exploit. Both physical security and cybersecurity measures are important for smart building solutions, so it is essential to develop a converged security strategy so that physical security and cybersecurity teams can share information, recognize threats to smart building systems, and respond effectively.

The importance of data for smart building design

Data is one of the most important components of smart infrastructure. It helps identify events in smart building technology systems, such as when a space is occupied, when someone enters a building, or when a sensor is activated by changing conditions. Smart building data is analyzed and can trigger a response, such as turning on lights or air conditioning, activating a security camera, or notifying facility managers.

In addition to enabling smart IoT building controls, data can be used to analyze facility usage or other trends so that accurate capacity or resource planning can be done. Smart building technology data also provides a critical record for evidence in the event of an incident.

Developing a smart building solution and system

Smart building technologies can be integrated as part of new construction, or smart infrastructure can be installed in existing properties. Use this guide to develop a comprehensive smart building plan for your building.

Planning and budgeting

At the planning stage, it is important to share proposals with all stakeholders, including owners, property managers, and occupants, to identify needs and priorities. While there are many smart building products that can make a difference in building energy efficiency and environmental performance, it is critical to identify and prioritize the smart building IoT solutions that can provide the greatest value.

To avoid costly mistakes, it is also helpful to consult with technology and security professionals with experience in smart building design.

Your basic smart building plan should cover:

• Number and location of sensors and IoT devices
• Number and location of access control components and security cameras
• Network and power infrastructure
• Management and control software

In addition to smart device costs, budgets for smart building IoT solutions should include installation, integration, long-term maintenance, and upgrade costs as a basis for calculating lifecycle costs. It is important to define metrics for the planned installation to assess the benefits of the solution and calculate the return on investment.

Smart Building Technology Product Selection

Smart building system components must be interoperable and easy to integrate in order to function as a single system. Therefore, it is essential to choose products and systems that are designed and built to open standards. Smart building devices must also be reliable in order to cause minimal disruption to daily operations.

When choosing which smart building technology systems to invest in, look for solutions that offer long-term flexibility and scalability. By leveraging the data provided by your smart building systems, you can easily change your plans later. Smart building technology is becoming increasingly advanced, so your plans should be flexible from the start to help you future-proof your investment.

Software Selection

Smart building software can be hosted on-premises or hosted in the cloud to manage and operate the system. Cloud-based software offers greater flexibility: it is scalable and can be managed remotely on mobile devices connected to the internet. Cloud hosting also incorporates automatic software updates and maintenance. This allows the facility management team to focus on operating the system and minimizes downtime for maintenance.

Installation and integration

New and existing system components such as lighting, HVAC, access control, and security devices should be installed and integrated with corresponding sensors. Where possible, complementary smart building technologies such as security cameras and motion sensors should also be integrated to improve overall system performance.

Connectivity and power

System components can be connected to intelligent building management controls and powered via dedicated wiring, data networks, or wireless networks. Direct wiring is the most expensive option and lacks the scalability of network connections, but is generally the most reliable.

Data networks support efficient two-way communication between components and controllers and are capable of delivering power using Power over Ethernet technology. Wireless networks provide connectivity, but the network must provide sufficient signal strength throughout the building to maintain consistent and reliable operation.

Analytics and artificial intelligence

Analytics software should be integrated into smart building control systems to interpret sensor data and automatically initiate appropriate actions. Administrators should set rules that control actions—for example, setting time-of-day rules for lighting or HVAC controls in a commercial building. Integrating AI into individual components or the central management system can further improve accuracy by identifying unusual patterns or events that require investigation or action.

Integrated system security

Smart infrastructure relies on the secure flow of data to efficiently manage and operate technology in buildings. It is therefore essential to protect infrastructure and data from cyber and physical attacks that could compromise the system. Implementing an integrated security strategy ensures that physical security and cybersecurity teams are aware of potential threats by sharing security data and aligning protection so that there are no gaps in the security profile.

The Benefits of Intelligent Building Management and Automation

• Better resource utilization – With insights from sensors and IoT devices, building resources are used only when needed. For example, data from smart devices like access control readers and occupancy sensors can help businesses better understand peak times and traffic patterns in the building, helping to optimize schedules for better resource management. Some IoT building technologies and analytics can also help property managers streamline daily operations, such as automatically ordering supplies or scheduling maintenance based on event triggers or custom rules.
• Increased energy efficiency — Smart building technology systems can also improve energy efficiency. Intelligent environmental controls that respond to occupancy levels and changing weather conditions allow businesses to optimize their energy consumption by matching usage to demand. This helps control costs despite rising energy prices and also improves the building’s environmental performance. The Powerhouse Telemark building in Norway is a perfect example. Located in Norway, it is highly energy efficient and carbon negative, using 70% less energy than a conventional building of similar size. Named one of the world’s top ten buildings, this example of a smart building also uses simplified cloud management and mobile-centric smart building applications for efficient and secure access.
• A healthy and safe environment — The high degree of environmental control and intelligent automation of IoT buildings create a pleasant and healthy environment, regardless of the outdoor conditions. Air monitoring also ensures environmental safety, reducing health risks. To improve building safety, smart security sensors automatically notify security teams and emergency services and are able to trigger emergency lockdown plans or automatically unlock doors for evacuation.
• Enhanced security—Smart access control and remote security monitoring systems help prevent unauthorized access to the building and protect occupants and their assets from external threats. Integrating access control systems and security cameras with smart sensors and alarms gives security teams greater visibility and awareness of unusual events and activities so they can respond effectively. Choosing security cameras with artificial intelligence improves performance and efficiency, further enhancing security.
• Greater visibility—Smart building systems provide vast amounts of data on space and resource utilization. This information helps property managers assess system performance and make informed decisions about future capacity building or resource allocation changes.
• Reduced real estate costs—Smart building management can deliver significant cost savings over the long term. Increased energy efficiency reduces direct energy costs, while system data on occupancy and usage helps property managers identify opportunities to reduce space requirements. System performance data forms the basis for automated preventive maintenance programs, reducing long-term maintenance and component replacement costs. Increased automation in IoT buildings reduces the workload on facilities management teams, helping to minimize support costs.

Choosing a smart building solution for your business

Property owners and managers need to consider many different factors when planning a smart building IoT solution or smart building application in collaboration with a smart construction company. The smart building solution should provide a safe and healthy environment for occupants, while reducing costs, improving energy efficiency, and maximizing security.

To ensure you choose a solution that meets your current and future requirements, it is essential to consult with experts on which smart building technologies are right for your business.