Let’s explore this below….
Smart Buildings and Intelligent Buildings
Smart Buildings and Intelligent Buildings generally refer to building systems that are more integrated and go beyond that of the
HVAC systems, these include security, meeting rooms, space planning, lighting, IoT, lifts, access control and the list goes on. Most of these systems are independent, but as the industry evolves they are becoming more interoperable and more integrated with each other.
The net impact of this is the ability to have a ‘cause and effect’ between these systems. An example of this is where an employee decides to go into the office on a Saturday morning to work, the employee swipes their access control card, the lift comes to the ground floor, the lighting is lit to get the employee to their desk and the HVAC system is enabled for that employee's zone, when they leave the reverse is true. Without the interoperability between these systems this cannot be achieved. The terminology Smart and Intelligent buildings, are generally applied to new buildings, but can also apply to existing portfolios of buildings too.
Optimised Buildings
Optimised Buildings are generally referred to in the context of existing buildings. It is the ability to make buildings more efficient in the way that they operate. This could be energy, carbon, reactive works, planned maintenance, life cycle costs, etc….
The ability to optimise a building can reduce its long term operating costs significantly for the occupier, landlord and/or developer.
