The Role of AI Technology in Smart Cities
Growing city populations make urban innovation more vital than ever. Learn how smart cities use AI to improve the quality of life for their citizens.
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
The smart building market has seen exponential growth in recent years. Let's examine how smart building technology can innovate every aspect of life.
The market for smart building technology has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2022, there were an estimated 45 million global smart buildings; by 2026, that number is predicted to reach 115 million, an increase of more than 150 percent. With the integration of smart technologies—including artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and machine learning (ML)—smart buildings can achieve unrivaled levels of sustainability, efficiency, security, and comfort compared to traditional structures. Let’s explore the applications of smart building technology to discover how it can transform personal and professional lives.
What is a smart building?
Smart buildings use intelligent technology systems to automate and optimize the management of resources and maintain a safe, comfortable working or living environment. The main goals of smart building technology are to increase efficiency, conserve energy, and reduce costs.
This is accomplished through various interconnected technologies, including machine learning and artificial intelligence, virtual and artificial reality, building information modeling (BIM), and the Internet of Things (IoT). Together, these technologies' data gathering and analysis, building-wide communication, and decision-making capabilities allow building managers to monitor everything from heating and cooling systems to air quality and beyond.
The applications of smart building technology are endless. Offices, data centers, hospitals, schools, life science facilities, and more all use this tech to address health and safety, productivity, physical security, and energy usage concerns. The smart solutions presented by this technology ensure that these buildings remain safe and comfortable for all occupants.
Benefits of Smart Building Technology
Smart building technology is advantageous for building owners to preserve resources and reduce costs for those who live and work in these buildings, as smart buildings are created to adapt to the schedules and needs of their occupants. Here are some of the top benefits of smart building technology:
Machine learning and AI technology enable around-the-clock monitoring and smart access control systems that help keep occupants safe by preventing unauthorized entry to the building. This technology can also aid security teams by increasing their awareness of irregular activity, allowing them to respond to potential threats more quickly and effectively. In the case of an emergency, smart building control systems can even initiate a lockdown procedure and contact local authorities autonomously.
Besides external threats, smart building technology can also protect from fires, cyberattacks, and environmental concerns like air quality. This ensures that physical security and cybersecurity are always attended to, providing safety and peace of mind.
Smart building technology improves efficiency by adjusting energy output to fluctuating energy demands. The amount of energy output required at any given moment depends on multiple factors, including occupancy levels and weather conditions, so technology like smart heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and lighting systems help optimize energy expenditure, resulting in diminished costs.
Smart building technology can also lead to significant savings, which is especially crucial as energy costs continue to rise. Firstly, AI and ML help drive down costs by boosting energy savings. This technology learns the preferences and schedules of occupants; then, it combines that data with its knowledge of changing temperatures and natural lighting to reduce energy expenditures by electrical and HVAC systems. Additionally, monitoring the performance of building infrastructure with sensors and predictive algorithms can identify system failures before they become severe, keeping your building maintenance costs low. Collecting usage and occupancy data can also reduce expenditures by highlighting opportunities to downsize space requirements.
Many buildings today use fossil fuels for energy rather than a greener power source, making them extremely inefficient and environmentally unfriendly. Fossil fuels contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, which can impact not just the individual building but the city as a whole. Therefore, using smart technology to decrease your use of resources like water and electricity also decreases the amount of fossil fuels burned, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Even if a building wasn’t initially fitted with smart technology, smart technology could be added later to create a more intelligent, sustainable structure. Ideally, neighboring buildings will also be equipped with smart technology to communicate with each other and maximize effects.
One of the greatest features of smart building technology is its ability to connect all the systems employed throughout the building to one central hub or control center. With building automation infrastructure, you can view the data and access the controls for security, lighting, HVAC, and other systems in one convenient place. This centralized control center is called a building management system (BMS) which helps you keep tabs on water pressure and humidity to adjust when necessary for improved comfort, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
Examples of Smart Building Technology
Now that we’ve explored the benefits of smart building technology, let’s review how these benefits are created through smart technology solutions. Here are some of the most common kinds of technology used in smart buildings:
Smart HVAC systems are essential for maintaining occupants’ comfort. These systems use IoT-equipped sensors to collect and send data to a cloud server, where it’s then analyzed and stored. Using this data, you can adjust your HVAC system settings from a remote controller or smartphone app. Smart HVAC systems ensure your energy system is optimized and will promptly send you alerts when maintenance is necessary to reduce repair and energy costs.
Smart lighting control systems use sensors to control lights based on occupancy. This can be done through motion sensors that detect when someone enters a room or a programmed schedule that identifies when and where a building is in use. Smart lighting systems can also measure natural light and adjust indoor lighting based on outdoor brightness. In residential buildings, the smart lighting system can be programmed to adjust only the lighting in common areas, or individual units can be equipped with smart lighting solutions. These systems provide insight into lighting usage, allow users flexibility and control, and increase money and energy savings.
Preventative maintenance systems, or asset management systems, use AI and IoT to identify abnormalities in asset performance based on previously collected data on the asset’s typical energy consumption. Then, they can anticipate when maintenance will be needed to ensure all management systems and appliances continue running smoothly. These systems can even approve work orders with little human intervention required. Through data analytics and predictive programming, preventative maintenance systems can recognize and resolve issues in record time to prevent high repair costs and amplify efficiency.
Office management software, such as meeting room booking systems and desk management software, is vital to maintaining an efficient workspace. Meeting room booking systems provide an overview of available office space based on employee meeting schedules and client visits to ensure spaces are used to their fullest and meeting rooms aren’t double-booked. By integrating meeting room booking systems with HVAC, lighting, and security systems, you can ensure energy is only expended while the room is in use and all meeting participants can access the room at the requisite time.
Desk management software helps hybrid companies assess demand for in-person workspaces daily. Employees can also search for open desks and book workspaces ahead of time. Combined with an access control system, desk management software helps ensure unscheduled guests cannot access the building.
Smart buildings are becoming more prevalent across the country—and the world—as this technology continues to demonstrate its economic, environmental, and organizational value. As energy costs rise and hybrid work environments become more common, companies must find ways to conserve resources, reduce costs, and manage space. Smart building technology is an innovative solution for these concerns, making it a vital addition to residential and commercial structures.
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Smart City Works is a non-profit focused on solving urban challenges through technology and innovation that fosters greater economic development. We harness the power of digital technology to create smart, sustainable, and resilient communities.
Contact us today to learn more about how Smart City Works can help you innovate your organization, business, or community.
Resources:
7 Smart Building Technologies To Help You Better Manage Your Facilities
Intelligent & Smart Building System: Technologies & Examples
Smart Building Technology: Concept, Areas of Application
Smart HVAC: How IoT Technologies Transform HVAC Systems
The Benefits of Smart Lighting for Commercial Properties
What is a Smart Building? Technology Solutions & Examples
Why Smart Buildings Are A Smarter Choice