FM software provider Service Works Global (SWG) has released a white paper that details seven steps for creating a smart building.
Entitled Art of the Possible: IoT, Smart Buildings and Digital Twins is available to download free from the company’s website.
Smart buildings centralise data from many different inputs and building systems, including the likes of lighting, HVAC, and security. The aim of a smart building is to create a system that enables assets to use fewer resources, require less maintenance visits and simultaneously deliver their service more efficiently.
The paper dispels the assumption that numerous technology systems are required to have a smart building or a digital twin, or that it needs to be a costly endeavour. By following seven key steps, organisations can make incremental progress at a pace and cost that works for them. The seven steps recommended are:
Selecting the right software
Digitising
BIM handover
Integrating BIM and CAFM
Real-time data
An ecosystem of technology
Digital twin creation
The paper concludes that smart buildings are accessible and can drive desirable outcomes for any organisation seeking to optimise the performance of its built assets. No matter the budget or scale of the project, the type of building, or the industry it operates in, smart building technology can be integrated and deliver numerous benefits.
Group chief executive officer Gary Watkins said: “A smart building is not something to be afraid of, or something that is unattainable for businesses. By working with the right provider, you can be guided through these steps to determine what your building needs and develop the right smart building infrastructure for you, instead of diving in headfirst and investing in a lot of technology that won’t serve your needs. We have worked through these steps with clients across various industries to help them create smart buildings, and have enabled them to develop a productive and efficient building management system. Smart buildings really are the art of the possible.”
