Last week SSRIA hosted a session with two of our members, Siemens and Ledcor, to discuss smart building technology and its role in reducing carbon in our built environment. (Access the recording here)
We have all been exposed to smart technology and this concept of smart buildings although what became clear in the planning discussions we had leading up to this session was that everyone has a different understanding of what smart buildings really are. This is not very surprising when you think about it because digital twinning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are all concepts that really start to stretch the limits of the imagination. While there are physical and visible elements of smart buildings, the majority of the work is taking place in these untouchable places we know as clouds and in a language known only by those with the specific training. Yet smart technology, smart building, and even smart city concepts need to be understood for the AEC industry to make informed decisions in a world of many flashy, shiny new tools. I certainly hope that this webinar starts to provide that added clarity however it will be an area that we continue the discuss and provide resources on.
If you need more nudging to go listen to the session, I thought I would share a few of the key points that really stood out for me during this session.
There is a smart building spectrum. This may seem like an obvious statement but if we start with this idea that there are varying degrees of smart buildings, just as there are varying degrees of high-performing buildings, perhaps we can start to create a common understanding of smart buildings.
Siemens described this as a Smart Building Evolution and indicated that many of our commercial and institutional buildings have some level of automation and integration however there are still significant opportunities to increase the intelligence of our buildings with technology now available on the market. And as with everything technology related, there will be continuous evolution.
A smart buildings main output is data but the management and analysis of that data is where the opportunity lies for energy savings. Smart technology has even been shown to improve the efficiency of buildings which are already considered to be high performing buildings based on this access to data. Since the amount of data is so abundant however, it is beyond human capacity to efficiently manage and make real-time decisions. This is where machine learning and artificial intelligence come in to support with making those real-time adjustments as the systems react to how the building is being used. Which ties directly into the next key point.
Smart buildings are more responsive to the human activity in buildings. Traditionally, buildings largely operated independently from their occupants. If you have worked in an office tower you have likely experienced some level of discomfort as the HVAC system tried to catch up to the heating or cooling requirements of Alberta’s crazy temperature swings. But smart buildings can now use all the data available to them, including weather data, to adapt to the needs of the occupants. This goes beyond weather however since a smart building can respond based on where people are in the building, what they are doing, and when they are doing it. In the presentation, Wade Reda also highlights how temperature is actually a subjective measurement for people as we all experience temperature differently. Responsiveness to the activities occurring in our buildings is now more valuable than ever, from both an energy savings and health perspective, as we adapt to our post-pandemic world.
Energy efficiency is not what is driving the uptake of smart buildings, it is the improvement to the occupants’ experience that is the impetus for the integration of smart technology. However, the opportunity for energy reductions, which Siemens indicates can be up to 25%, can provide the necessary business case. This was specifically interesting to me as the invisible nature of energy efficiency has always presented a conundrum of how to “sell” it to the masses. Renewable energy was always considered to be “sexy” which accelerated the adoption rate, however those trying to drive the adoption of energy efficient measures have always struggled with the right message to use to create that demand. Smart technology could be part of the answer as it focuses on the experience owners and occupants can have which becomes the pull for adoption with energy savings and reduced GHG being a hidden bonus. While we probably shouldn’t need to trick building owners into saving energy, it could be a solution to the mass-adoption dilemma.
The workforce will need to adapt but it will be a positive change. Some may fear that smart technology is replacing jobs but it is only modifying the roles of building system technicians and building operators. As Mark so aptly described it in the Q&A portion of the presentation “they still have leaky valves to deal with but also need to understand when there is a bad firewall connection”. This role transition may also create additional opportunities for greater diversity in the industry as there won’t be a reliance on just maintenance trades which are typically male dominated, but rather a more diverse skillset that can be filled by women and other underrepresented groups.
Morgan McDonald ended the session with a good dose of reality from the contractors perspective and some important considerations for those assessing smart technology for their buildings and those developing it. All of his points are so important so be sure to listen through to the end of the recording, but the one I wanted to highlight was that there will be a natural conservativeness in the market when it comes to adopting new technology. This is true for all “new” solutions that are being developed everyday and one of the main reasons SSRIA exists. Some may say that the building industry is reticent to change, or perhaps you can position it as the industry is efficiently delivering based on long standing knowledge and expertise they have developed. To overcome this approach, SSRIA is funding projects that demonstrate innovative low carbon solutions for the built environment, including some smart technology solutions. Through these demonstration projects we can validate new products, processes and technology to accelerate their adoption and deliver what could have otherwise been overlooked carbon reductions.
As noted, smart buildings are evolving as will our discussions about this topic and all other related to low carbon innovation for the built environment. Please send us your feedback or even questions that you would like answered in a future technology webinar.
Smart, Sustainable & Resilient: Leveraging Smart Buildings to Drive GHG Reductions
Pamela Goertzen
SSRIA, Executive Director
pam@ssria.ca