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Table of Contents
The synergistic relationship of sustainability and smart building is unmistakable. Creating the smartest of smart buildings has been in the works for quite some time, so maybe it’s time to add a new label, “Smart Certified,” to the list of existing leading labels such as “health/wellness” and “green/sustainable.” At the pace smart technologies are advancing and the rate the cost of implementing them drops, including these features in new construction projects is very feasible.
Key Takeaways
- Position your products to align with smart building specifications now, before certification standards are fully established and competition increases.
- Understand that smart buildings combine connectivity, interoperability, and sustainability — so the more your products support these features, the more specifiable they become.
- Watch developing frameworks like the EU's Smart Readiness Indicator and TIA's Smart Buildings Program so you can anticipate how buildings will be evaluated and spec'd in the near future.
- Think of smart certification the way you think about LEED and Energy Star — products that align with recognized standards get specified more often, so positioning yours early gives you a real advantage.
- Use the growing demand for smart, sustainable commercial buildings as a conversation starter with developers and design teams to get your products in front of the right people sooner.
Smart Buildings are in Demand
Just as people seek smart homes as a must-have amenity, the same holds true for commercial buildings. The reason they are so marketable? They are ecologically aware by reducing the carbon footprint, are resource efficient, resilient, and productivity-centric.
Smart Buildings + Sustainability
The synergy is organic – smart buildings help promote sustainability and vice versa; combined, they increase the efficiencies that they each generate separately. Combining specialized designs (green buildings) with sensing, intelligence, and data results in dynamic, fully connected and inter-operable processes, systems, operations and management that translate into increased property values, cost savings, and eco-friendly services.
Stamp of Approval
Much like LEED and Energy Star, products became much more sought-after with these stamps of approval. Smart certification for buildings could equally benefit from this type of recognition. The global effort to reduce a company’s carbon footprint through the reduction in energy costs, reduced carbon emissions and more effective building maintenance systems is gaining momentum. Creating a means to an end, LEED and Energy Star’s success resulted from a common goal—improvement.
Defining a Smart Building
The EU is developing a Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) for buildings. The first part of the study concluded in August 2018. Its purpose was to study the scope and characteristics of such an indicator. In December 2018, the second part was launched and will refine the technical and calculation inputs needed to finalize the definition of the SRI.
One of the most impressive launches in 2017 was the Telecommunications Industry Association’s (TIA) Smart Buildings Program. TIA provides a framework for assessing the three largest components defining a smart building: communication, connectivity, and interoperability.
By unifying the smart building ecosystems under a common infrastructure, TIA is currently spearheading the project for defining the Levels Assessment Protocols that will identify a building as a “smart building”. Obtaining a smart certification stamp of approval would add another layer of recognition to these efforts.
At PlanHub we make every effort to stay current on what’s trending in construction and to provide you the necessary tools to help grow your construction and contracting work. For more information, contact us today.
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