What is a Smart Building? Definition & Examples
Wednesday, 30th November 2022
Everything seems to be ‘smart’ in today’s world. Our phones, TVs, energy meters and even our vacuum cleaners seem to involve some kind of ‘smart tech’. In our view, that’s a good thing—because smart technology usually means increased efficiency and better performance.
But what about our buildings, where we spend 90% of our time. Can they be made smart too?
The answer is yes. With the right technology, buildings can improve their efficiency, safeguard employee wellbeing, and care for the planet. It’s a win-win for everyone.
At Infogrid, we believe absolutely any building—no matter its age, size, or location—can and should be made smarter. And we have the tools, experience and expertise to make that happen.
Read on to find out more about smart buildings and how they can work for you.
What is a smart building?
Think about the parts of the buildings we work in everyday. HVAC, lighting, hygiene, and security—they all need to be controlled manually. As anyone who’s ever worked in a stuffy office will tell you, manual control just doesn’t cut it.
There’s a far better way to run your building.
When it comes to facilities management, smart buildings shine. Using automated sensors, smart buildings continuously monitor things like temperature, humidity, and light levels, and then adjust them throughout the day as needed. The result? More comfortable, more efficient, more sustainable spaces for us to work in (and fewer things on your to-do list).
Given the choice many employees now have to work from home, making the office as comfortable as possible should be a top priority. We found that 44% of employees would go into their physical workplace more often if their employer made changes to make their environment more pleasant.
Smart buildings are the way to do that. But at Infogrid, we’ve gone further. Our building systems are not only smart—they’re intelligent.
Both smart and intelligent buildings use automated sensors to gather relevant information. However, intelligent buildings integrate data on lots of different factors—for example, heating, ventilation and occupancy—to generate holistic, actionable building insights.
We can’t overstate the difference a truly intelligent building can make. For example, a smart building might give you information on levels of ventilation, and automate systems for optimal performance. But an intelligent building can integrate that data on ventilation with data on occupancy, humidity, and temperature—to give you contextualised insights on things that really matter, like air quality and even viral risk.
In short, an intelligent building ensures your building is totally optimised for your workforce, in all areas and at all times.
What are the benefits and outcomes of a smart building?
Here at Infogrid, we’ve worked with a diverse range of clients to make their buildings smarter. The advantages have gone well beyond increased efficiency.
Take a look at just some of the ways your business could benefit:
Substantial savings. Sure, smart buildings require an initial investment, but the payoffs are substantial. For example, retailers can achieve a 15-30% saving in energy costs with building automation, including a potential 40% reduction in lighting costs and a 2-3% reduction in maintenance costs, according to a whitepaper produced by Schneider Electric.
A drastically lower carbon footprint. To meet net zero by 2050, as is required to meet the conditions of the Paris Agreement, we need to substantially lower our carbon emissions—and quickly.
Building operations account for a staggering 30% of the UK’s carbon emissions. Getting on board with building intelligence now is key to dramatically boosting your green credentials.
A competitive edge. Investing in smart building technology might seem like a luxury. But, in reality, it’s something you should be implementing right now. In 2020, 85% of investors considered ESG credentials. And, according to our research, 41% of UK employees say they’d be more likely to apply to work at a company that proposed or adopted a net-zero strategy.
Increased employee productivity. An intelligent building is also a healthy building. Automated climate control, occupancy tracking, and predictive maintenance optimise working conditions.
Unsurprisingly, this has material impacts on employee wellbeing and productivity. For example, studies have demonstrated a connection between poor ventilation and productivity.
Stay ahead of regulation. Driving efficiencies and looking after your employee’s wellbeing is the name of the game when it comes to ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance criteria). The time to act is now—mandatory ESG regulation is already in force for many countries around the world and, for many others, it’s just around the corner.
Given the obvious benefits, it’s not surprising that many businesses are making their buildings smarter.
How is the trend for smart buildings developing?
The market for smart buildings is exploding. According to research, it’s set to balloon from $72.6 billion in 2021 to $121.6 billion in 2026.
And, unsurprisingly, it’s a rapidly evolving market. Using a range of interviews with owners and users of smart buildings, Deloitte diagnosed some key trends that look set to dominate the smart building market in the near future:
Accurate and reliable data for ESG. At the moment, different ESG certifications vary on the exact data they require. However, no matter which certification you choose, you’re going to need detailed, accurate and reliable data on your building’s metrics.
At Infogrid, we’ve built our smart building systems with ESG in mind, so you can be sure that you’ve got all the data you need, easily accessible through our online dashboard and stored to our secure cloud.
Adaptable and flexible infrastructure. Creating a smart building requires a flexible, transparent and adaptable infrastructure, so different technologies can talk to one another seamlessly. That’s why, here at Infogrid, we’ve built a data dashboard that can talk to many different kinds of sensors.
Systems that promote employee wellbeing. Employees are demanding more from their workspaces—including data on occupancy, air quality and hygiene. This is especially true now our workforce has more choice on where to work than ever before.
That’s why our smart system doesn’t just collect data—it provides real-time, actionable insights on all key parameters that you can share effortlessly and transparently with your whole workforce.
But what does an intelligent building look like, and how does it work?
3 examples of smart buildings
Smarter buildings sound great in theory, but what do they look like in reality?
You’ve probably already seen examples in the media. But we want to be clear here: you don’t have to be a brand new skyscraper to be smart. With the right technology, any building can fit the bill.
Here are three famous examples to give you an idea of the sorts of things smart buildings can do.
The Burj Khalifa, Dubai. Standing at 828 metres tall, this majestic building dominates the world’s skyline. But did you know that it’s smart too? Using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, this building uses real-time data to continuously monitor performance, which means facilities managers can take a predictive approach to maintenance.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Smart building technology isn’t just for offices. This impressively high-tech stadium has an integrated network that links up turnstiles, sales points, CCTV, and office computers. The network monitors activity in different parts of the stadium and each area is equipped with screens that show relevant information that can be easily updated.
The Edge, Amsterdam. This glassy structure is often dubbed the smartest building in the world. Workers at The Edge use a connected app which remembers all their relevant details—from where they parked, to their meeting schedule and even preferences for climate control. Then, using an integrated network of IoT technology, the app finds a workspace to suit you and adjusts the environment accordingly.
Inspired? You can make your own building smart too. In the next section, we’ll give you our key tips on getting started.
How do you build a smart building?
Here’s a quick rundown on how to get started using Infogrid’s smart building systems:
Collect crucial data on all your building’s KPIs using our best-in-class, automated IoT sensors. Designed to collect data on everything from air quality, hygiene, and occupancy, our sensors can be installed in seconds and are zero maintenance. We know that every workplace is unique, so our sensors can be scaled to fit any size of site.
Generate holistic, actionable insights using the power of AI. Our proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) platform crunches all the raw data from our sensors and transforms it into useful, relevant insights. And, thanks to our intuitive dashboard, you can access those insights side by side, 24/7 and from anywhere in the world.
Reap the rewards of building intelligence. When it comes to smart buildings, you can expect a substantial return on your investment. The numbers speak for themselves. We helped a retail company save 800 tonnes of CO2 per year, a facilities management company 81% of labour time on compliance, and a supermarket $1.6 million a year on energy costs for their HVAC system alone.
Why not get started today? Sign up for our demo, here.