2016 Trends for Intelligent Buildings

January 19, 2016

Buildings are important to us; we spend a large portion of our lives inside buildings. The Royal Institute of British
Architects has stated that we spend an average of 20 hours each day inside commercial or residential buildings.
As the planets population continues to expand beyond the current seven-and-a-half billion people, so will the
buildings in which we live and work. They will naturally become more numerous but also denser (people per area)
as land value increases. Estimates for the total number of buildings in the world vary, but a rough estimate is that
there is at least one billion buildings across the world. Whichever way we slice and dice the data, it is clear that
buildings, particularly the buildings in which we work, are a vital part of our lives.
Last year we highlighted trends pertaining to the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors networks, Category
6A and fiber technologies. We have seen these all become more topical this past year, especially in buildings.
Here is a summary of what I believe are some of the key trends influencing intelligent buildings as we move
forward into 2016.
With the global number of active mobile connections (GSMA Intelligence) now exceeding the number of people
in the world, and with the vast majority of mobile connections originating or terminating within a building, it is
indisputable that people expect to be able to perform much of their normal business via cellular or Wi-Fi based
wireless connections. This need is driving network design to cover:

Using Wi-Fi technology and supporting network infrastructure based on the latest standards (IEEE
standard 802.11ac [wave 2])

Deploying dedicated in-building wireless technology through distributed antenna systems or small cell
solutions to optimize cellular coverage across the workplace
Connectivity in buildings should be thought of in the same way as any basic utility like water and gas; this means
designing the connectivity network at the same time as the building itself is being designed.
The Need for Energy Efficient Low Voltage Power in Buildings
Power loads in commercial buildings are increasing; much of this is due to the proliferation of active field devices
such as, wireless access points and in-building wireless antennas; Internet protocol (IP) network
cameras and VoIP phones; LED light and environmental controllers. Understanding how we power these devices
efficiently and effectively in a building is a growing challenge. Traditionally the power supplied to buildings has
been alternating current (AC) power which is then stepped down or converted to direct current (DC) using
inefficient transformers/rectifiers in order to power devices inside buildings. However, with governments now
demanding that carbon dioxide emissions associated with buildings be minimized, attention has turned to
improving the efficiency of low voltage power distribution network inside buildings.
In most instances, active devices in buildings are IP-enabled devices driven by the need for convergence. For
these devices, power can be provided via low (or extra low) voltage DC. For decades, Ethernet cabling deployed
for data network connectivity in buildings also provides DC power. This approach has the benefit of being
standards-based. IEEE Power over Ethernet (PoE) 802.3af and IEEE Power over Ethernet Plus (PoEP) 802.3at
are the current standards. An IEEE taskforce is now discussing the next evolution of the PoE standard (IEEE
802.3bt) with a stated aim of 49W minimum power levels and a likely maximum of 100W. Power over HDBase-T

(POH) is another approach developed by an alliance of consumer electronics manufacturers that offers a
maximum power level of 100W. As DC power levels increase more and more, different IP devices will emerge,
driving the need for even more efficient low voltage DC power in buildings.
Environments that Improve the Employee or Tenant Experience
The office is no longer only a place to go to work between the hours of nine to five, but also a venue where
employees collaborate, create and connect anytime. Businesses understand that in a globally competitive world
they will attract employees and tenants by offering a best in class work space that positively influences
health/wellness and productivity. To improve an environment we need to understand its current state; this means
being able to measure environmental, space and energy metrics. Embedding increasingly sophisticated sensor
technology into the fabric of a building enables this data to be instantly collected, processed and acted upon. This
approach offers:

Capability to automatically manage space relating to desk sharing (hot desking) or conference rooms in
a user friendly and optimized way

Management of ambient room/building conditions, including light level, temperature and humidity, for
more comfortable and productive working environments

Ability to help minimize a buildings carbon footprint by optimizing energy consumption in real; thereby
improving not only operating costs but also corporate social responsibility indices or green credentials.
Integrated Workplace Management Systems and other software platforms will feed off this type of data to help
create a superior workplace.
Integrating Devices on a Common Network Infrastructure
The IoT is a tangible phenomenon. If you look around any commercial building, you will notice hundreds, if not
thousands, of connected devices. The reduction in costs, sensor miniaturization plus advances in device
connectivity capability has enabled a massive network of interconnected devices. However, as the IoT concept
mushrooms, so do its challenges.
Going back just a few years, a commercial building had multiple, proprietary sub systems for its various
management systems. The dominance of IP networking and associated global standards (like IEEE 802.3)
across almost all aspects of technology has allowed all building management systems and associated devices to
be interconnected through common wired or wireless infrastructure.
There is a myriad of connected devices, but are they communicating? The lack of a generally accepted protocol
for device-to-device communication leads to inefficiencies. This communication failure means that buildings are
dumber than they should be. Interoperability standards are progressing with the All Seen Alliance and the
Industrial Internet Consortium being two of the larger groups working on this.
Devices that speak the same language and utilize the same network infrastructure can aggregate and process
real time data about their immediate environment in a highly efficient way.
As we move further into 2016, I am convinced that buildings are more important to us than ever before, affecting
not only our professional lives but also much of what we do personally. Organizations will start tackling the
challenge of not just gathering the data, but making better use of the data to make better decisions to improve the
efficiencies of the building and the people living or working in it.