There have been smart phones and
smart cars, but the most recent “smart” technological trend has been smart
buildings. Smart buildings are defined by a recent article from Gemalto as buildings that:
“leverage pervasive wireless
connectivity, sensors and IoT technologies to communicate and analyze data that
is used to control and optimize building management systems.”
The idea is that everything in the
building is monitored from security cameras and light sensors to even air and
water quality. Through IoT technology the data is captured and compiled into
one comprehensive system.
These buildings have gained
popularity due to their many benefits including but not limited to being
environmentally friendly, reduced energy costs, predictive maintenance, and the
improved productivity from the building occupants.
The video below gives a brief
overview of how IoT technology can be used to benefit the building owners,
occupants, and the environment.
Because this is a time when being
environmentally conscious is so important, smart buildings are optimizing on
this trend. On the roofs of many smart buildings are solar panels that provide
energy to supplement the daily operations of the building. In some cases, the
roof is even used to collect water that is then filtered and used in some
facilities.
Smart buildings are able to reduce
energy costs in a number of ways. One main smart building quality that saves
energy is the use of motion sensors to activate lights. By using this, lights
will shut off to conserve energy when occupants are not in the area.
Another
way that smart buildings reduce costs are through predictive maintenance.
Sensors can be attached to pipes and put into HVAC systems that will find
points of deterioration or malfunction and alert the system prior something
actually going wrong or breaking. Another quality of smart buildings is that
they use sensors to provide early leak detection. Through this, the system is
notified immediately when there is a leak so that it can be fixed right away.
Without this technology, leaks can go unnoticed for days or weeks.
As mentioned before, these buildings
also have sensors that monitor air and water quality that will alert the system
if any contaminants are found. These measures ensure that all occupants are
inhaling clean air and drinking clean water, promoting their overall health. It
has been shown that contaminated air can lead to slight fatigue and lower the
overall productivity of employees in a building, especially employees that
already have existing conditions such as asthma.
Historically creating a smart
building has been extremely costly, even taking into consideration the cost
savings these buildings provide. As technology becomes increasingly cheaper,
smart buildings become much more feasible. If a company can afford to make the
initial transition of changing a regular building into a smart building, they
will experience many benefits and cost savings that will surely make the change
worth it.
Articles Referenced:
Questions:
1. Are there any more benefits to smart buildings that I
have not discussed?
2. What could be some potential
downsides to smart buildings?
3. Before reading this article were you
aware of smart buildings? Have you had experience working with or working in a
smart building?
4. There have been smart phones,
homes, buildings, and many other smart things. Where do you see
"smart" IoT technology going in the future? There have been talk
about smart cities, do you think that is possible?
Allie, I really appreciated your article as environmental awareness and technology are two of my favorite topics to read about. You included great explanations with solid research to back it up. The videos were a great addition, as well!
ReplyDeleteI believe you did an excellent job covering all of the aspects of smart buildings. I would say one sector that could have been touched on more was the benefits of security through smart buildings.
A downside to smart buildings is that they take over jobs through automation and AI. This is a common issue arising in our country/world as we are becoming very technologically advanced. Automation and AI are taking over jobs that humans do as of now. For example, buildings have an entire large staff to monitor and maintain buildings functions like HVAC, power, security, etc.; therefore, smart building technology would put all of these people out of work. This leads to the concern that technology is going to affect our economy and job market as computers take over tasks we are used to hiring people to complete.
Yes, I was aware of smart buildings as both of my parents work for builders who create smart buildings and homes. Personally, I have walked through smart buildings and houses, but have not touched the actual technology itself. This is an area that I would enjoy learning more about and working in potentially one day.
I think that IoT technology is nearly limitless as our world is so closely connected with the internet. IoT technology should be used in cities to better efficiency and effectiveness. It could replace the jobs that people do in a more accurate way while also predicting and seeing more trends than the average human would see. Smart IoT technology will definitely keep growing currently as even items such as our refrigerators are connected to it; however, I'm not sure for how long the technology will be used.
I agree that smart technology and AI are replacing human jobs. As technological advancements are continually made and implemented, humans are displaced from many jobs, particularly manual labor positions. Our economy is incrementally transitioning from a manufacturing based economy to a service based economy. At this point, smart buildings still involve a great deal of human interaction. The systems often alert humans to take action or respond to human requests. That being said, with advancements in AI, I wouldn't be surprised if smart buildings become relatively autonomous in the near future. This is something I hadn't previously taken into consideration. Creative destruction is a huge concern in todays society. Thank you so much for bringing this up!
DeleteBefore reading this I hadn't realized smart building were such a big trend, I've worked in offices before that have incorporated the motion sensor lights but seeing this technology applied to an entire building is very interesting. I think it's also interesting to see how even implementing a little technology in the building can save so much in the long term by catching problems earlier.
ReplyDeleteI also like that the buildings can actually be better for the environment than traditional since that is incredibly important to consider. I think more companies, even if they are not using all the smart building technology, should utilize roof space to collect water or as a space for solar panels. Thanks for the interesting read!
Thanks so much! Smart buildings are so common, but I don't feel like people don't always recognize them or realize how much good they can do for the environment. Buildings are often thought of as energy sucking entities that destroy the environment, but there is an opportunity for them to be so much more. I really enjoyed reading your feedback.
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