As more and more people turn their homes into smart homes, the development of “smart buildings,” in which entire buildings and commercial facilities are made smart, is progressing all over the world. However, there are many people who do not know what kind of system supports smart buildings and what kind of merits they have. Therefore, in this article, we will thoroughly explain the system and benefits of smart buildings.
What is a smart building?
A “smart building” is a building in which IoT sensors are installed in each facility and equipment, and each of them is mutually linked for optimal management. “IoT (Internet of Things)” is a technology that equips objects with functions to connect to the Internet. Through this IoT network, building managers can manage lighting and air conditioning, collect behavior data of people working in the office, and manage labor.
In addition to IoT, smart buildings often use cutting-edge ICT technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence) and autonomous robots.
Smart building management system “BEMS”
BEMS (Building Energy Management) is a system that integrates the data acquired and transmitted by ICT sensors and optimizes building energy management. BEMS is a system that can visualize, control, and predict all energy consumption conditions in smart buildings.
This gives building managers an accurate understanding of their building’s energy usage and the information they need to control or improve the situation. In other words, highly controlled smart buildings can implement energy sharing where and as much as needed, helping to reduce costs and protect the environment.
Advantages of smart buildings
The main advantages of smart buildings are:
can collect data
In smart buildings, by operating IoT sensors at full capacity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it is possible to automatically collect detailed data that until now had only been grasped intuitively and that had to be visually confirmed by humans. You can visualize the utilization rate and operation status of facilities. For example, it will be possible to visually grasp the “oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration in the building” and “the availability of shared spaces such as toilets”.
meet employee needs
Smart buildings can also be expected to meet the various needs of employees. For example, based on the collected data, it is useful when considering the efficient operation of office space by visualizing the seats with low utilization rates in the building. In addition, smart facilities, such as the ability to automatically adjust room temperature and lighting brightness, will greatly contribute to creating a comfortable working environment for employees.
lead to cost savings
The smart building of the office can also be expected to reduce costs. The IoT sensor can optimize energy management within the building by adjusting the illuminance after reflecting the natural light entering the room. This avoids unnecessary energy consumption and saves costs.
Work efficiency can be expected
Smart buildings can also be expected to improve operational efficiency. For example, if you can use face recognition to record employees’ arrival and departure times, you can save yourself the trouble of using a time recorder or manually entering data into the attendance system.
Also, if you can visualize who is working where in the office, you can smoothly meet and have a meeting with the target person without bothering to check emails or walk around the office looking for them. In this way, by visualizing information in the office through IoT management, employees’ stress related to information transmission can be reduced and they can spend their time comfortably.
What are the systems used in smart buildings?
In smart buildings, various systems are used to improve the convenience and efficiency of facility use and management. Below are some representative examples.
contactless switch
A non-contact switch, as the name suggests, is a switch that reacts when your hand approaches it. For example, you can switch ON/OFF of lighting and air conditioning all at once, or send the usage status of the room to the server.
Equipment operation with smartphone
In smart buildings, it is also possible to operate the equipment using a smartphone. For example, the convenience of employees can be expected to improve as they can operate lighting and air conditioning, call elevators, etc. through smartphones.
Toilet availability display
Since smart buildings can visualize the usage status of facilities, it is also possible to display the availability of “which toilets can be used”. You can check the availability of toilets in real time from your smartphone or tablet, so you don’t have to waste your time saying, “I left my seat during work and couldn’t use the toilet because it was full.”
Manage oxygen concentration
By utilizing IoT sensors, it is also possible to manage the oxygen concentration in the building. When the appropriate value is exceeded, the air conditioning is automatically operated to ventilate, so the comfort and safety of the work environment can be maintained.
Conference room reservation and status management
In a smart building, it is possible to reserve conference rooms and manage usage and reservation status on the system. Conference room usage data is saved and accumulated on the system, so if there is a problem, it will be useful when increasing the number of conference rooms or reviewing the usage rules of the conference room.
Examples of smart buildings
As the use of ICT advances worldwide, the number of smart buildings continues to grow. Below, we introduce two smart buildings as typical examples.
Shibuya Solasta | A smart building where you can feel the four seasons
“Shibuya Solasta” is a smart building completed in 2019 by Tokyu Land Corporation. In order to contribute to the improvement of comfort and convenience for tenant companies and employees, the building has introduced an IoT service developed jointly by MyCity Co., Ltd. and Tokyu Land Corporation.
This IoT service can be connected not only from PCs but also from smartphones, and in addition to being able to control air conditioning, etc., it is possible to check the congestion status of various common spaces in the building, and to grasp the location information of each person. . In addition, plants are installed in various places in the building, including the rooftop garden, and it is also characterized by being calculated so that users can spend a comfortable time.
In this way, Shibuya Solasta aims to improve the work efficiency and productivity of its employees and activate communication by making it a smart building.
The Edge/Netherlands｜Managed by IoT from schedule to indoor environment
“The Edge” is a smart office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, owned by consulting firm Deloitte. By making full use of IoT, the building is able to provide an individually optimized work environment for each employee, to the extent that the coffee maker records everyone’s taste preferences.
The Edge system can be accessed with a smartphone, and charging spaces are installed in various places in the free address system office. And employees can find their colleagues’ whereabouts and operate air conditioning and lighting through a smartphone app.
The Edge is also known for being an eco-friendly building. In addition to installing solar panels to generate solar power, The Edge actively uses renewable energy, such as using rainwater for toilet water. In fact, UK rating agency BREEAM has rated The Edge as “the world’s greenest building”, giving it the highest ever sustainability score of 98.4%.
summary
A smart building is a state-of-the-art building that collects and visualizes various information inside the building using IoT sensors to improve the efficiency and comfort of building managers and users. By managing energy with systems such as BEMS, you can save energy and help reduce costs. As the use of ICT advances, the number of smart buildings is expected to increase further in the future.
