The term “smart building” is one we hear a lot in the Facility Management industry. A ‘smart’ building makes use of technology through a combination of sensors, connectivity, and IoT devices to create a potentially better, more efficient workplace; one that is conducive to customization, flexibility, and sustainability.
The best examples of intelligent buildings deliver resource efficiency, improved economics, and a more efficient working environment for its occupants. And by leveraging smart technologies like cloud computing, building owners or Facility Managers can turn a standard building into one that’s more intuitive, self-restoring, and sustainable; and some of these buildings have really taken it to the next level. Here are five examples of smart buildings that we love.
Glumac (Los Angeles)
Glumac's LA Office. Photo source.
Glumac's Los Angeles office (on the 23rd floor of the Aon Center in downtown) places occupant comfort and productivity at the forefront. It’s actually the first Net Zero Tenant Improvement Living Building Challenge registered project in the US, and was recently recognized with an Innovative Workplace Award.
The building is equipped with a heat recovery retrofit, which recycles and redistributes the existing air and cuts back on energy costs. Glumac's office makes use of natural daylight with plenty of large windows and an open-plan design, which fosters a collaborative and ultra-connected workspace. Each occupant is able to control their own micro-environment with a smart app, which is pretty groundbreaking and really places an emphasis on occupant comfort.
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DPR Construction (San Francisco)
DPR Construction’s San Francisco office is the first commercial office in the city to receive Net Zero Energy Building certification. DPR will continue making improvements to the building, with the goal of obtaining net positive energy production.
Complete with a rooftop solar thermal water heating system; intelligent, electrochromic windows; ultra-energy efficient ceiling fans; and a living horticulture wine bar, it's hard to narrow down all the great features of this building. One of the most impressive, however, is that the building is equipped with the first-ever-deployed LEED dynamic plaque in Northern California.
DPR Construction San Francisco office. Photo source.
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Capital Tower (Singapore)
Capital Tower in Singapore. Photo source.
This was one of the first smart buildings ever constructed. It has a fully integrated intelligent building management system (IBMS) that aims to please its occupants in every aspect: there are high speed elevators that display live news and stock market updates, and a state-of-the-art car park guidance system that helps to increase parking efficiency.
From low emissivity glass windows to variable air volume boxes for optimal indoor air quality, Capital Tower's designers have managed to enhance occupant experience while still maintaining an efficient, sustainable, and eco-friendly property.
The Edge (Amsterdam)
There’s no surprise here – Bloomberg called The Edge “The Smartest Building in the World,” and it has definitely earned its title. The Edge perfectly encapsulates the very essence of a true smart building in every way: it performs solely in accordance with its occupants’ needs.
Employees don’t have assigned desks or parking spaces at The Edge. Instead, the building uses number plate recognition to allocate them a parking space when they arrive; and, because it’s connected to their individual profiles and calendars, it assigns them an appropriate workspace based on their schedule and tasks for that day. The actual building reacts to people as they move around it, adjusting the microclimate to their individual preferences. And if that wasn't enough, its occupants have use of a state-of-the-art gym inside, which recycles their energy expenditure into running and powering the building.
The Edge building, Amsterdam. Photo credit: © Ronald Tilleman
The Bullitt Center (Seattle)
The Bullitt Foundation, an urban ecology nonprofit organization, set out to accelerate the pace of change in the building industry by constructing the "greenest commercial building in the world." While most buildings are developed with a 40-year life span in mind, the Bullitt Center was designed to have a 250-year lifespan.
The Bullitt Center, Seattle. Photo source.
The Center's features include a pretty incredible laundry list: net zero energy, net zero water, net zero carbon, composting toilets, toxic-free materials, and high- performance windows. While the world's only six-story composting toilet system is impressive, even more impressive is the building’s 575 solar panels – proving that it is possible to go net zero energy via solar, even in Seattle!
To learn more about smart technology and how SmartCSM is part of the ‘smart’ revolution, visit our other blogs or watch our free demo.
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