Project teams are finding innovative ways to implement smart building technology. New partnerships are one avenue, says Matthew Toner, CBRE’s Managing Director of Smart Buildings and IoT, describing CBRE’s acquisition of Johnson Controls’ Global Workplace Solutions unit. “We’re innovating in proprietary solutions when a client needs a certain product that is not available on the market,” he says.
Edge Technologies has entered into alliances with the International WELL Building Institute and wellness-focused real estate developer Delos. These collaborations, says Executive Managing Director Jan-Hein Lakeman, will help analyze data from its latest smart projects in new ways while giving those organizations access to important post-occupancy information at scale. Edge has identified 13 U.S. cities as targets for new development.
The first of those, designed in collaboration with Perkins+Will, repositions a suburban New Jersey office park into a “connected campus” and headquarters for consumer goods maker Unilever. The building’s 15,000 installed sensors measure temperature, illumination, carbon dioxide, and humidity—a suite of smart tech solutions credited with cutting energy bills by 50% since startup in 2018.
In Denver, WSP’s new innovation center employs digital twin modeling programs to monitor building performance live in the virtual world. The eventual goal: Adjustments made in the VR model will push back into the actual operational model. “This is a great benefit,” notes WSP SVP Herbert Els. “We are looking at continual commissioning and engagement with clients, long after occupancy.”
This idea of “living labs” has also taken hold at HKS Architects, where Tommy Zakrzewski, PhD, Director of Integrative Energy Engineering, uses similar digital twin-modeling concepts to understand how well the firm’s new Chicago office operates, a tool that HKS can apply to client projects.
“Tied to a LEED energy-compliance model, we’ve been able to monitor trends and correct building or workspace performance through a front-end dashboard,” says Zakrzewski. “This kind of system is key for observing positive and negative facility performance and exploring new ideas.”
Working with Clark Construction and Safdie Rabines Architects, HKS is employing these ideas to create a new connected community at the University of California, San Diego’s new North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood (see HKS rendering above). A 10-acre interdisciplinary environment blending academic, residential, commercial, and cultural programming, the project seeks to optimize the performance of six different buildings, showcasing “how architecture, engineering, and sustainability come together in a holistic way,” says Zakrzewski.
Related Stories
AEC Tech Innovation | May 12, 2023
Meet Diverge, Hensel Phelps' new ConTech investment company
Thai Nguyen, Director of Innovation with Hensel Phelps, discusses the construction giant's new startup investment platform, Diverge.
University Buildings | May 5, 2023
New health sciences center at St. John’s University will feature geothermal heating, cooling
The recently topped off St. Vincent Health Sciences Center at St. John’s University in New York City will feature impressive green features including geothermal heating and cooling along with an array of rooftop solar panels. The geothermal field consists of 66 wells drilled 499 feet below ground which will help to heat and cool the 70,000 sf structure.
Mass Timber | May 3, 2023
Gensler-designed mid-rise will be Houston’s first mass timber commercial office building
A Houston project plans to achieve two firsts: the city’s first mass timber commercial office project, and the state of Texas’s first commercial office building targeting net zero energy operational carbon upon completion next year. Framework @ Block 10 is owned and managed by Hicks Ventures, a Houston-based development company.
AEC Tech | May 1, 2023
Utilizing computer vision, AI technology for visual jobsite tasks
Burns & McDonnell breaks down three ways computer vision can effectively assist workers on the job site, from project progress to safety measures.
Design Innovation Report | Apr 27, 2023
BD+C's 2023 Design Innovation Report
Building Design+Construction’s Design Innovation Report presents projects, spaces, and initiatives—and the AEC professionals behind them—that push the boundaries of building design. This year, we feature four novel projects and one building science innovation.
Design Innovation Report | Apr 19, 2023
HDR uses artificial intelligence tools to help design a vital health clinic in India
Architects from HDR worked pro bono with iKure, a technology-centric healthcare provider, to build a healthcare clinic in rural India.
3D Printing | Apr 11, 2023
University of Michigan’s DART Laboratory unveils Shell Wall—a concrete wall that’s lightweight and freeform 3D printed
The University of Michigan’s DART Laboratory has unveiled a new product called Shell Wall—which the organization describes as the first lightweight, freeform 3D printed and structurally reinforced concrete wall. The innovative product leverages DART Laboratory’s research and development on the use of 3D-printing technology to build structures that require less concrete.
Contractors | Apr 10, 2023
What makes prefabrication work? Factors every construction project should consider
There are many factors requiring careful consideration when determining whether a project is a good fit for prefabrication. JE Dunn’s Brian Burkett breaks down the most important considerations.
Smart Buildings | Apr 7, 2023
Carnegie Mellon University's research on advanced building sensors provokes heated controversy
A research project to test next-generation building sensors at Carnegie Mellon University provoked intense debate over the privacy implications of widespread deployment of the devices in a new 90,000-sf building. The light-switch-size devices, capable of measuring 12 types of data including motion and sound, were mounted in more than 300 locations throughout the building.
Cladding and Facade Systems | Apr 5, 2023
Façade innovation: University of Stuttgart tests a ‘saturated building skin’ for lessening heat islands
HydroSKIN is a façade made with textiles that stores rainwater and uses it later to cool hot building exteriors. The façade innovation consists of an external, multilayered 3D textile that acts as a water collector and evaporator.
