Hong Kong: 86th Floor, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong 
Phone: +852 3960 6348


Contact Us
Hong Kong: 86th Floor, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong 
Phone: +852 3960 6348


Smart Buildings

Smart Buildings

The market for smart building technologies is expected to grow 34% annually over the next five years, according to a recent report on how interest in smart city development and the Internet of Things, along with their bottom-line potential for companies, is helping to fuel greater automation in the built environment.  By 2021, the total market size for smart building technologies is forecast to reach $24.73 billion.

As technologists, architects, engineers and builders look to increase the number of smart buildings constructed and the number of older buildings retrofitted with automation and control technologies, here are five trends to watch for:

1.  Predictive Maintenance

2.  Convergent Networks

3.  Wireless Retrofits including 5G

4.  Biometric Integration

5.  Self Awareness

A smart building involves the installation and use of advanced and integrated building technology systems. These systems include building automation, life safety, telecommunications , user systems, and facility management systems. Smart buildings recognize and reflect the technological advancements and convergence of building systems, the common elements of the systems and the additional functionality that integrated systems provide. Smart buildings provide actionable information about a building or space within a building to allow the building owner or occupant to manage the building or space.

Smart buildings provide the most cost effective approach to the design and the deployment of building technology systems. The traditional way to design and construct a building is to design, install, and operate each system separately

A smart/intelligent building provides a sustainable, responsive, effective and supportive environment within which individuals and organizations can achieve their objectives.

Technology is fundamental, but is an enabler rather than an end in itself.  Going beyond traditional engineering and architecture solutions, it is vital that a review of the new methodologies and tools for intelligent buildings, smart materials and systems, and to explore the wider context beyond theoretical foundations is required.

Most importantly, linking practical solutions with philosophical or sociological considerations. 

Smart buildings react and respond to the needs of occupants and society, promoting the well-being of those living and working in them and providing value through increasing staff productivity and reducing operational costs.  Smart Buildings reviews require the consideration of cultural changes affecting the way people live and work, the importance of an integrated approach to design and management and the benefits technological developments can bring in developing sustainable buildings that meet users' needs.

Smart Buildings includes

  1. the importance of user-centred design, artificial intelligence and emerging monitoring technologies in the successful implementation of intelligent systems to create an environment capable of continually interacting with occupants to optimise user-engagement and achieve cost-savings
  2. biomimetics - learning lessons from nature to inspire engineering applications and more sustainable architecture
  3. approaches to managing design quality and information for project success and what is needed to ensure the use of BIM delivers its full potential
  4. how an integrated common data network system can minimise disruption and increase efficiency in enabling new services and systems, saving capital and operational costs
  5. intelligent sustainable liveable cities as the basis of a new innovative approach for future contemporary cities which are less stressful and more creative, with better services and opportunities
  6. assessment of other smart buildings to show how intelligent design, construction and technology has been used in practice in new-builds and the refurbishment of a Grade II listed building.

Intelligent Buildings is a practical reference for architecture and construction professionals, building owners and developers involved in procurement, design, management and operation of buildings, as well as students on architecture, engineering, building services, facilities management and other built environment courses.