Integrating smart-building design features into a new construction project can significantly increase the energy efficiency of the building while also providing enhanced occupant comfort.

Summary:

Smart buildings take advantage of information exchange to provide a flexible, productive, and cost-effective environment for building occupants.There is a high demand for smart buildings in the marketplace, with a majority of office tenants citing features available through smart buildings infrastructure as important features for their office spaces. Total life-cycle costs for smart buildings are generally lower than costs for conventional buildings due to large energy and churn cost savings to building tenants, as well as lower vacancies, increased lease income,and lower tenant improvement costs for building owners.

Information exchange in smart buildings occurs through a highbandwidth cabling infrastructure that connects with all components of the telecom; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC); lighting; fire, life and safety (FL&S); and security systems.A Building Automation System (BAS) with microprocessor-based controls in each building zone transfers information through this cabling system, providing the sensory functions, signal processing, and control responses that lead to smart-building operation. Building automation systems that include a “smart metering” component for electricity and other utilities further increases the energy management capabilities available with smart buildings, giving facilities managers the information necessary to make better decisions that can reduce overall energy use and costs.

To minimize the cost impact of providing smart-building capabilities, they should be incorporated into the design of new facilities from the beginning—retrofitting these systems into an existing building is far more expensive and disruptive than simply getting it right the first time. Starting early affords greater opportunities to integrate and consolidate different building system functions into fewer independent systems, which can reduce overall complexity.