Smart building, the intelligent building that offers more efficient use and energy consumption

Smart building and intelligent building transformation are based on Internet of things solutions. Thanks to the IoT, a building can be connected with an approach based on savings and cost optimization. Connected structures become real service platforms with multiple use cases.

Initially, connected equipment takes on the task of capturing a vast amount of data relating to occupants: temperature, CO2, presence, pressure, noise level, door opening – the possibilities remain numerous. In a second phase, this wide range of data is enriched with third-party information, exogenous to the infrastructure, such as weather, humidity, traffic, etc. Finally, once coupled, all this data is analyzed and enhanced, notably with a view to reducing energy consumption. This is one of the characteristics of intelligent buildings.

The primary aim is to think or rethink the building in terms of its activities, with a view to Building as a Service.

This concept consists in thinking of the building differently, i.e. no longer in terms of the structure, but rather in terms of present and future uses. Everything must be designed to meet the needs of the occupants and make their lives as easy as possible. The service offers will therefore be directly integrated and designed for the building to improve the comfort and well-being of the occupants.

Thanks to digital technologies, and more particularly the Internet of Things, buildings are now becoming true service platforms, for the benefit of both users and operators.

In this sector, innovation was often focused on construction methods. Today, with the generalization of the connected world and the digitalization of practices, needs are changing and structures are responding to these changes with innovative solutions.

With the aim of reducing costs, providing better conditions of occupancy (at work, for example) and preserving the environment, intelligent infrastructures and intelligent buildings by definition represent the future, and the Internet of Things is one of the players driving change.

• Optimization of energy resources used through better monitoring and management
• Enhanced security with powerful alarm systems and real-time monitoring
• Preventive maintenance to anticipate breakdowns and identify malfunctions

It is important not to focus only on the technology because if it is true that data are real gold mines creating value, we must not neglect the social and human value.
It is important to ensure that Smart Buildings are understood in relation to other smart city objects such as infrastructure, telecoms networks, decentralised electricity networks also known as smart grids and mobility services.

As a component of the Smart City, intelligent buildings help optimize urban spaces and develop services that are closer to the expectations of consumers and citizens.

Finally, all the systems and sensors must be able to communicate with each other and be controlled remotely, centrally from a single interface to facilitate decision-making.

• Thinking about the well-being of occupants

At work: making employees’ daily lives easier by connecting office buildings is a typical example. The connected building allows multiple use cases such as temperature control, lighting or shutters adjustment according to external actors such as the environment, the weather or the preferences of each person. With the help of IoT solutions, all parameters can be adjusted and customized.

In the shell, all components can be connected. For example, waste garbage cans can be equipped with sensors to facilitate collection, while providing users with a clearer picture of the volumes of waste they produce. In the same way, connected toilets help to optimize the number of interventions by maintenance workers and improve the level of hygiene by allowing the reporting of an incident for example.

• Think safety

Thanks to the Internet of Things, all access points to a building can be equipped with sensors to detect the opening or closing of doors and windows, depending on the time of day or night.

A classic use case involves the installation of intelligent cameras capable of recognizing abnormal behavior and thus preventing intrusions and aggression by setting alerts, for example.

Security also refers to the securing of data flows between communicating systems.

• Think real time

Until now, digital signage systems have limited the distribution of information to that which was available, stored and established in advance. Connected systems can now transmit information remotely and in real time to dedicated interfaces.

• Think energy management

Smart building necessarily means efficient management of energy resources: heating, cooling, lighting, CO2… Implementing IoT solutions within buildings enables smart use of resources. For example by adapting the settings according to the frequentation, according to time slots, according to the days of the week…

Thanks to the IoT, it is possible to connect directly to the meters, to collect detailed data on energy consumption that will allow the detection of anomalies or energy-hungry devices.