The United Nations projects that by 2020 there will be over 53 urban areas in the United States with more than a million residents each, up from 41 in 2010, and just 12 in 1950.
This trend is happening against the backdrop of climate change, diminishing natural resources and the increasing demands of a digital society. Such complex challenges are straining the physical and technical infrastructure needed to support the growing urban populations.
In response, some American municipalities are launching smart city programs. They are looking at where people spend most of their waking and all of their sleeping hours — the buildings in which they work and live.
The Need For Smart Buildings
In the past, as long as a building was safe, secure and could be adequately heated and cooled, it was seen as
doing its job. But that is no longer the case. In the future, buildings must hold down energy costs, counter the threat of terrorism and proliferation of gun violence, and support the productivity of their occupants. To do so, buildings must become smarter.
This means that buildings must be green, safe and productive. Being green requires that they be economical to operate with clean energy sources. To be safe, occupant security and quality of life must be top priorities. To be productive, buildings must support two megatrends of the digital age: connectivity and big data analytics, focused inward to assure efficient building operation.
Honeywell developed the Honeywell Smart Building Score to provide a framework for the quick, comprehensive and easy assessment of any building. Based on defined parameters of capability, coverage and uptime, the framework scores 15 elements in each building by their green, safe and productive outcomes. A building’s final score is an average of these outcomes. It can be applied effectively to buildings in the United States, as well as those in countries around the globe.
To validate the tool and assess building smartness, Honeywell applied the framework to nearly 500 buildings across seven key cities. The metrics receiving the top three scores in the assessment of these buildings were fire-detection systems (safety), efficient appliances and fixtures (green), and remote access/wired infrastructures (productivity).
Among other key takeaways from the research:
- Public buildings scored higher than private buildings.
- Safety was perceived as the most critical indicator of a smart building.
- Airports, government offices and hospitals were found to be the smartest buildings, whereas high-rise residences and private offices were the least.
- Building managers believe their buildings were smarter than the scores indicated, suggesting a disconnect between perception and reality.
Given its development and validation, the Honeywell Smart Building Score appears well suited to help guide smart building strategies. It may be especially helpful as governments and policymakers face critical decisions about how cities will evolve. Users, owners and developers can use the framework when making purchase and leasehold decisions, and its use may contribute to decisions regarding industry-specific strategies for smart buildings.
Armed with the Honeywell Smart Building Score, industry associations, consultants, architects and service providers could create the benchmarks, drive education, and demonstrate the economic argument for — and benefits of — smart buildings.
As economic and social changes continue to move the goalposts for the cities of tomorrow, the drive to meet new demands will produce increasingly complex buildings. By furthering discussions on data, analytics and action, the Honeywell Smart Building Score promotes the design and construction of smart buildings when and where they are needed most in the United States and around the world.
Want to learn more about smart buildings? Check out Put Your Buildings To Work: A Smart Approach To Better Business Outcomes.
The HoneywellVoice Team shares insights and expertise about innovative smart building technologies that are making the world cleaner, more sustainable, secure, energy efficient and productive.
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