Andrew Hunter, Technology & Solutions Director at Chubb, explores how merged technologies and greater availability of data are making buildings smarter.

Lighting can be difficult to integrate, no matter the industry, yet it is an essential part of any building. Lighting used to be static and analogue and it did not pass data or communicate with other systems; yet with the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and as technologies evolve, this has created problems for the industry that were not previously considered.

Decarbonising buildings is a huge task, but digital technologies, coupled with collaboration across sectors and stakeholders, can help make the vision of smart, sustainable infrastructure a reality, says Fabio Mercurio of ABB Smart Buildings.

The HVAC sector is undergoing a digital revolution that is set to transform how smart buildings are conceived, designed, and built. Indeed, the signs are already there. Tim Mitchell, Sales Director at Klima-Therm, explains

With building sector emissions posing a major challenge to meeting climate commitments, contractors must consider efficient solutions that both reduce energy demand and keep occupant welfare in mind. Franz Huelle, Head of Technical at REHAU Building Solutions, discusses the potential for smart controls to ensure energy efficiency without compromising the end-user experience.

Faced with a competitive market for tenants, office landlords have turned to smart buildings to give them an edge. In addition to providing landlords with energy saving and operational performance improvements, smart buildings must provide a seamless user experience, which exceeds, or at least matches the home comforts employees enjoy while working remotely. 

Wieland Electric's established gesis® FLEX series is expanded with the new KNX DALI Gateway. It allows direct communication between the two interoperable and well-known systems, KNX and DALI 2.  As a result, it communicates with devices from other manufacturers that are certified in these systems on both sides.

When decision-makers consider smart building technology in buildings one the first aspect that comes to front of mind is that of automatic lighting control. Good lighting is crucial to the successful functioning of any workplace and, also accounts for a large proportion of energy consumption.

The question in the title is rhetorical, but in reality the buildings in which we work, play and even live are getting smarter says Jim White, CTO of IOTech

COVID-19 has caused a complete re-evaluation of how office spaces work. The previously glacial shift towards flexible working and smarter office spaces was suddenly turbo-charged as the “the office of the future” became “the office of now”. 

There’s a significant but underserved segment of the market, characterized by small square footage and low complexity commercial buildings. Collectively, this segment represents up to 40% of commercial energy costs. 

The tool now includes Mechanical & Control section (BMS) section to meet building management needs

Smart buildings have made great strides in the last decade in making building systems more efficient, while simultaneously making occupants safer, healthier, and more productive.  Darren Bindert of Syscomm looks to the future. 

How can building owners develop safer, healthier and smarter building strategies, providing insight into just some of the solutions that can empower them to self-diagnose and identify potential shortcomings and to implement the most appropriate technologies to help mitigate risks both now and in the future? James Allardyce of Chubb examines the options. 

Secure sites need to be operational at all times without the risk of information breaches. Real time monitoring of critical infrastructure using the latest data collection and analysis tools can seem at odds with safety protocols – relying on cloud-based software to store information could leave these organisations open to cyber-attack.

Tom Harmsworth, MD of WeMaintain UK points out what needs to be done first in making ‘London Smarter’

University campuses have always constituted their own micro-societies but by embracing the latest smart technology they can, in effect, evolve into mini smart cities that intelligently manage space occupancy and student/staff safety. 

Chris Penrose, COO, FogHorn explains the benefits of AI-enabled edge computing in a modern building.

Uwe Klatt of Disruptive Technologies looks at the role of Remote Monitoring in the future of Sustainable Buildings Management

Project Haystack is an open source initiative to streamline working with data from the Internet of Things. Scott Muench of J2 Innovations, a founding member of the project, says open frameworks will ‘glue’ systems together so we can make buildings more efficient, sustainable, and better for occupants.

Karl Walker of Beckhoff and Mike Brooman of Vanti discuss where we might be going wrong with smart buildings 

BCIA Launches Schoolz Out competition for young inventors. 

Jon Belfield, President of the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA), reflects on some of the key developments from 2018 and discusses the importance of good specification to ensure long term performance of a BEMS.

Nick Sacke describes the benefits of smart buildings – and the barriers we face in achieving more connected buildings.

Renu Chopra reports on trends in smart building technology and considers the gap between vision and reality.

Alpesh Trivedi believes the HVAC sector is on the cusp of an enormous technological revolution, driven by digitisation. He explains how it will impact on building services.

Karen Fletcher looks at the future of BACnet in the fast-moving world of the internet. Can this familiar protocol keep pace in the new world of smart buildings?

Nick Mellor explains how the humble lift is getting smarter and why this matters to building owners and users.

Iain Gordon explains why, even though proprietary equipment control systems may seem an easy choice for specifiers, taking the open approach is more effective and efficient in the long-run.

UK universities have invested heavily in their building stock. This month’s Round Table, sponsored by Trend Controls, discusses the importance of high quality buildings for this market, and the challenge of operating them efficiently.

Bill Gates is quoted as having said “People don’t know how to want the things we can offer them”. For example, some things we now consider normal were once considered as unnecessary luxuries – early electric lights were switched on/off at the fitting meaning you would bump into furniture as you fumbled for the switch. When it was realised that a switch could be fitted just inside the door, for a time, many people considered this as a needless indulgence.

Imagine being able to harness the sun’s energy during the day for use during the night. With a battery storage system this is exactly what can happen. During the day a roof mounted photovoltaic system can gather electrical energy from the sun then, at night the occupants can draw on the electrical energy stored in the battery.

Smart building technology cannot stand still: it has to be able evolve throughout a building’s lifetime if it is to continue adding value. Commercial tenants may need to set up for a completely new way of working as their business changes. New sustainability and energy efficiency targets may be imposed to manage costs and/ or to manifest corporate social responsibility.

The importance of the distribution transformer should not be misunderstood – the technology plays a significant, but sometimes underestimated, role in the high voltage energy infrastructure of facilities across the country. Distribution transformers are energised 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even when then don’t carry a load they ensure buildings receive the correct electricity supply that is safe for use and fit for requirements.

Installations of renewable energy generation have been declining month on month since February 2016. One of the main reasons behind the decline is due to a lack of understanding and inability to evaluate the feasibility of all renewable options available to a specific building.

Abtec Building Technologies has recently completed a project to install a connected lighting system at a newly constructed brick factory in the East Midlands. Ibstock Brick, an Ibstock PLC company, has built a new factory capable of producing 100 million bricks a year, helping to address the UK’s housing shortage.

Jon Belfield, President of the Building Controls Industry Association explores how connected buildings can help to achieve a substantial reduction in carbon emissions and why innovative methods increase energy efficiency while also reducing running costs.

As housebuilders increasingly look to include ‘smart’ homes in their developments, as well as heating technology such as HIUs, Gary Perry explains why seamless integration is vital to optimise energy efficiencies.

Managing multiple buildings with controls can only be achieved by using the correct hardware, an effective protocol and a collaborative design approach, argues Paul Foulkes.

Jon Belfield, President of the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) explains how joined-up thinking throughout the supply chain enables the connection of building services to a BMS.

Mark Stanton explains the benefits of investing in connected services to create truly intelligent buildings, and what to consider when doing so.

The KNX building control system is over 25 years old, yet for many people it’s still a new idea. Here Iain Gordon explains the concepts behind the technology and considers why it is gradually gaining more ground with controls engineers and clients.

Dave Lapsley considers the connected future and points to new approaches which are making integration for smart buildings much easier.

The internet has affected almost every aspect of our lives. Malcolm Anson investigates how web-based services such as energy management and data analysis are already changing how buildings are controlled and managed for efficiency and comfort.

The commissioning of controls is beset with challenges, and yet with some forward-planning there are benefits for consultants, contractors and end-users. Karen Fletcher explores the issues with some of those at the front line.

Remote BEMS management is a cutting-edge controls option. Matt Peasnall goes behind the scenes to explain the benefits.