The notion of smart building can be defined as “intelligent building”. This means a building whose equipment is managed in an optimized and remote way. These contribute to energy savings, while providing comfort and security. Their action concerns the temperature with the management of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, security with the management of openings and, more generally, all the installations concerned by home automation. With the advent of the internet and constant connectivity, it is now easier to build intelligent buildings, meeting the latest standards and making life easier for users. It is thanks to the IoT (Internet of Things) that all these systems work. A communication network that manifests itself through connected objects, adapted to the general public.
Smart building: what role can IoT and sensors play?
In the case of new buildings, the smart implementation is initiated at the design stage. While transforming an existing building into an intelligent building can quickly become expensive. The use of IoT technologies is a way to reduce costs. Thanks to the various networked devices, it is easy to operate multiple functionalities for comfort, maintenance or security . The smart building concerns both residential and business buildings.
These technologies are more easily found in companies, because the fields of intervention are more numerous. For example, safety can be covered by remotely guided systems, such as fire doors or filling the tanks of sprinkler systems.
Use of IoT in the smart building: use cases
We take advantage of the smart building without even realizing it. IoT technologies are now so well integrated in our daily lives that it has become normal to press a button or look at a screen to get the desired action or information.
Some of the most common uses include:
- security : level sensors, smoke detectors, opening detectors;
- comfort: dimmers, heating or air conditioning, opening controlled by smartphone;
- data: data collection and processing;
- predictive consumption;
- decision support;
- maintenance;
- energy performance guarantee;
- environmental impact.
Whether in homes or businesses, the occupants of these places have the power to control, from a screen or their cell phone, all their connected devices.
The stakes are high for communication network companies, which are required to maintain a permanent and flawless connection. Progress is constant in the digital domain but requires knowing how to handle it. Intelligent building professionals will need to embrace artificial intelligence. Training will need to be conducted to make the most of IoT skills.
It is essential to deploy the full potential of connectable objects to the very actors of smart building. The IoT is committed to responsible consumption. Through the intelligent building, sustainable development emerges with a controlled consumption of electricity, as well as an avoidance of waste of resources.
