What is a Smart Building?

A smart building is a highly customizable set of independent systems such as closed-circuit television, air temperature sensors, illumination controls and key card access points that monitor, communicate and adapt to the changing conditions in and around a physical structure to meet stakeholders’ objectives and goals.

The foundation of a smart building is an internally connected system that has Internet access for the purposes of remote monitoring and management via a building management system, also known as a building automation system or BAS.

Who uses Smart Buildings?

Stakeholders using a smart building include retail tenants, retail shoppers, passengers, students, apartment and office tenants, security personnel, building operators, building management and building owners.

Stakeholder demands can vary, but some examples are high-speed Internet access via Wi-Fi, smart parking spot notifications, app-enabled heating, cooling and lighting controls, occupant count tracking and customized key card access.

A fully developed smart building ecosystem securely collects, analyzes and adapts to multiple data sources including:

  • Asset Maintenance
  • Building Management System
  • Capital Forecasting
  • Cogeneration (Wind, Solar, Geothermal)
  • Digital and Physical Security Systems
  • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  • Metering Data
  • Power Grid Management
  • Utility Billing
  • Utility Programs (Automated Demand Response)