What are the features and benefits of Smart Building?

The era of the smart building has arrived. Today, thanks to advances in technology, a building can not only provide all the services the occupants need, but also do it as efficiently as possible, minimizing costs and increasing energy savings over the life of the building. It’s a balance that will be key to business in the future.

What is a smart building?


A smart building is a building that uses technology to use resources efficiently and economically, while creating a safe and comfortable environment for occupants. Intelligent buildings can use a wide range of existing technologies and are designed or retrofitted to integrate future technological developments. Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, building management systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality are some of the mechanisms and robotics that can be used in a smart building to control and optimize its performance.

The benefits of smart building analytics?


Smart buildings generate a lot of valuable data about how they are used. Analyzing this data can give you insight into usage patterns and trends, allowing you to make informed decisions to optimize building performance, providing the following benefits:

  • Increased productivity.
    Providing a space that promotes good indoor air quality, physical comfort, safety, sanitation, lighting, efficient processes, and space that employees need at an optimal level will allow them to perform well. Therefore, identifying and understanding how people use and move around your building is integral to improving the physical layout toward optimizing frequently used space while minimizing waste. Increasing the size of a cramped, high-traffic area can be a practical example of this.
  • Reduced energy consumption.
    Smart buildings can improve energy efficiency and, in turn, reduce energy costs. By connecting IoT sensors that track occupancy to your building management system, you can automatically turn off lights or HVAC systems in unoccupied rooms or spaces to reduce unnecessary energy consumption that these aspects emit.
  • Lower operating costs.
    Building overhead is a significant expense for any building owner/user. However, while they are a necessary expense for a business, the level of cost is often wasteful because it is not applied wisely. By identifying patterns of underutilization, you can reduce the footprint of a property to reduce costs.

There are many benefits to implementing smart systems in a building, from cost-effectiveness to making the structure more environmentally friendly. Today, smart buildings are relatively new, but given the wide range of benefits they offer, they will soon become the norm.

How can you make your building smart with data?


The key to successfully turning your building into a smart and efficient space is understanding that only accurate and reliable data can help. At the heart of smart building systems is the data that determines how a facility is used. Once you have this information, you can determine where improvements can be made, either by integrating with other smart technologies and building systems that provide automation or by facilitating strategic decisions. The IDboxRT Operational Intelligence solution can help you monitor different types of usage data in real time.

Want to get started or learn more about how your building is being used? Request a Demo and talk to our experts.