INDUSTRY COMMENT: BCIA A Clean Smart


Future for Buildings


Terry Sharp, President of the Building Controls Industry Associaon (BCIA), takes a look at how emerging technologies, along with the impact of coronavirus, will influence the technology that goes into modern buildings.


continuing to be rolled out there are signs for cautious optimism but there is no doubt that coronavirus has changed the look of the working world.


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It is unlikely that people who have been working from home will all be rushing back to the office on a permanent basis any time soon, and businesses will be reassessing the need and use of their working spaces. Whatever we are using our buildings for in the foreseeable future, however, they will still need to operate effectively and building technology will continue to evolve. It could also affect the trends in the type of technology installed in buildings, with cleanliness and health becoming top priorities, and there have been some interesting reports released recently that shed some light on the direction building technology could be headed.


o, the ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown is in place and we’re all checking the dates for what we can do and who we can see and when we can do it. With vaccines


We have already seen the development of the UK’s first 5G smart factory, with the Worcester Bosch factory using 5G to run real-time machine sensors, allowing them to address problems on the production line before they happen.


We have


already seen the development of the UK’s first 5G smart factory, with the Worcester Bosch factory using 5G to run realme machine sensors, allowing them to address problems on the producon line before they happen.


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According to MarketsandMarkets, the smart buildings market is projected to grow from USD 66.3 billion in 2020 to USD 108.9 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.5 per cent during the forecast period. The major drivers for the smart building include rising adoption of IoT-enabled building management systems, rising awareness of space utilisation, increased industry standards and regulations, and increasing demand for energy efficiency in order to meet net-zero targets. Also set to play a pivotal role is the introduction of 5G technology, which enables quick building data transport, interpretation and efficient actions taken in an economical manner.


Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


Building security systems will also see changes. Last year a US report titled State of the Security Industry, An Integrator’s Perspective, by Security Business magazine, revealed that security integrators have prioritised technology solutions that will help end-users manage health-related concerns as they return to work, including temperature screening, contactless access control, mask detection and occupancy monitoring solutions. Building lobbies and reception areas could therefore look quite different, almost resembling airports, with screening kiosks and check-in stations to assess health and temperature as well as monitoring occupancy levels.


Energy efficiency still remains at the heart of smart building technology. In its 2020 Energy Efficiency Indicator Survey, Johnson Controls found that more than half of organisations plan to increase investment in energy efficiency, renewable energy and smart building technology in 2021. Efficiency and health were the key drivers revealed in the survey with 85 per cent saying that reducing energy costs was a very or extremely important driver of investment and 76 per cent believing that protecting the health and safety of occupants during emergencies was very or extremely important. Indoor air quality, already increasing in importance even in pre-Covid times, was also revealed as one of the most pressing issues for facility managers to address with 79 per cent already or planning to increase air filtration, and three-quarters already or planning to install an air treatment system. With buildings needing to be clean as well as smart and energy efficient the building management systems that integrate the technology will certainly be put to the test, and the market will continue to grow.


www.bcia.co.uk BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER APRIL 2021 9


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