A guide to Smart Buildings solutions: Applications and benefits
Smart interconnectivity is increasingly important in architectural spaces. Developers with a keen eye for innovation have recognized the enormous potential of the Internet of Things (IoT); a trend that has gained traction in commercial, domestic, and industrial areas alike, following the rise of smart devices. This move towards digitalization in commercial buildings has been driven by an array of factors. So the functionality and purpose of smart building solutions are naturally diverse.
What is a smart building solution?
Smart Buildings solutions make use of IoT interconnectivity to optimize the performance of various systems by collecting and processing critical information. Such data allows property managers to derive critical insights into how key resources like energy and space are utilized at different times. Certain processes (heating, lighting, security, etc.) can then be automated through the interconnection of core systems.
Smart Buildings examples
- Offices: We have equipped the Terabee offices with integrated people counters to help us optimize our available space according to accurate footfall data, thus maximizing the ROI of our physical office space thanks to this smart building solution.
- Retail: Husense, a Dutch business offering Smart Buildings solutions, worked with Terabee to develop a discrete, GDPR-compliant occupancy monitoring system to ensure social distancing and employee/customer comfort in-store.
- Sports venues: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the UK is among the most technologically sophisticated sports venues in the world, with footfall counters monitoring activity at concession stands to automatically manage queues in real-time.
- Museums: People counting in art galleries and museums has moved beyond ticket tracking with smart building solutions enabling managers to identify popular hotspots and to maximize retail opportunities.
Smart Buildings solutions – A brief word on IoT
IoT is essentially focussing on connecting appliances to the web. Smart Building solutions are thus characterized by wholly- or partially-integrated systems that share critical information with centralized data processing units. The functional components that gather the data necessary for Smart Building platforms to automate energy, security, or usability functions are sensors.
Three benefits of Smart Building solutions
Reinvent public and office environments
Businesses looking to reinvent their environments to improve various KPIs can also deploy Smart Building solutions to enact key infrastructure changes. They can be used to improve the comfort, experience, and safety of users in both public and office environments. Infrastructure value can be increased by making data-driven decisions. Real estate expenditure can also be reduced by making changes based on insights into premise usage.
Optimize the use of resources and energy
Smart Building solutions focussed on the optimization of resources and energy can help companies improve the long-term performance of their properties. Collected data may indicate a need for changes in design infrastructure to better suit the way the building is currently used. An added benefit of this is that space optimization can have tangible environmental benefits, encouraging a switch to greener infrastructures that promote more sustainable business models.
User safety management
Security is another key benefit of smart building solutions. People counters can help you control access to forbidden areas, comply with safety regulations, and to optimize a host of operational costs.
Smart Building solutions from Terabee
Are you interested in developing smart building solutions? At Terabee, we specialize in the development of compact sensing arrays based on high-performance infrared ToF technology. Explore our product range to read about how our innovative sensors have been deployed in people counting, IoT applications, and more. Or contact a member of the team today with any questions.
