The Future BMS

Do you think the BMS (Building Management System) – as we know it - will still exist in new buildings five years from now?

This was the poll question last week for the community of the built environment professionals on my LinkedIn, (check out the poll here)

Keywords of the question are : *As we Know it* + * In new buildings*

Poll results

So, Let me give you a few poll stats and facts first as a first step, then we will talk about the Future BMS;??

The total votes were 321;
 
Yes: 208 votes (65%)
No : 113 votes (35%)        

Poll Insights;

• Most of the people who voted YES are either working in the BMS field or EPC (energy performance contracts). In short, their business or career depends on BMS, or they are so consumed in the field and may not be able to see the development happening outside of it!
• Most of the people who voted NO are solution providers, innovators, or technology enthusiasts (like me). In short, they are either wishing the change will happen, or leading the change and betting on it!

So, whose right?

I would say both, but I’m with the No vote!

Obviously from the valuable comments we’ve seen, the BMS is at least not utilized in most current buildings, and in many others does not exist at all!

Again, this is for you to answer…

1. Why do you think votes came this way?
2. Why do you think BMS is not fully utilized in existing buildings and does not exist in many others?

Put down a comment with the top 3 reasons in your opinion, after reading my views on the Future of BMS below;

The rate of change in technology is unprecedented,

And Built Environment technology innovation is driven by startups or mid-size companies, and the industry leaders are not making much progress!

We’ve seen very promising technologies that integrate AI and IoT.. however, there is still no comprehensive solution to manage the whole building system...

?But wait.. we might not need a comprehensive solution… because the BMS itself may look like this in the near future;

• The BMS platform will have an operating system similar to smartphones, and third parties will provide the applications…

Remember, the technology now is about data!

so tech companies will develop apps to solve particular problems in the building.. we’ve seen some successful innovations in this field, like? Arloid Automation

• The base operating system will have to integrate not only with BAS communication protocols but with non-standard data...

i.e. the BMS will integrate with all building systems, IoT devices, and even the organization systems like ERP!

• Again, integration, open system, and then data mining!

1. The future BMS will allow third-party applications to integrate with all manufacturers,
2. allow third-party software applications to optimize building performance,
3. and Should be able to do data mining for user preferences, analyze user routines and usage and optimize accordingly

Simply, the Future BMS is;

1. Smart,
2. Autonomous
3. User friendly
4. And interconnected

Conclusion;

To conclude, the current BMS is losing ground to new and emerging solutions and therefore has to evolve otherwise you won’t see it in new buildings after five years from now…

Without smart systems, we can’t have smart buildings, smart communities, or smart cities...

We won’t be able to achieve the sustainable development goals set by the UN, at least not the ones related to the built environment, and we won’t be able to achieve a better quality of life for building occupants, which is the core of our profession as facility managers…

So, even if the No answer was a wish… I’m still not going to change it!

And that’s why I always encourage innovators, startups, and emerging technologies.

When I’m not able to place an order, at least I work with solution providers to pilot a project or test their solutions in the buildings I manage, which helps them develop the solutions through actual testing, interaction with end users, and active feedback from building management.

You can be the change.

You can do the same also!

Be the change... change doesn’t happen by wishing but by doing!

That will be my next post topic...

One way to do well by doing good... Adopting technology

I use?#linkedin?to share knowledge with the community of?#builtenvironment?professionals.

? Follow me for more... share your thoughts with us and share the post to help exchange knowledge among the community.

I also help facility managers grow their careers. You can view my Certified Facility Manager course at the?Built Environment Institute?(BEI). The Built Environment Institute is the best training institute in UAE, Providing facility courses for facility management through an interactive state-of-the-art platform. Two of the best certification in facility management provided by the BEI are FMP certification training course and the CFM certification exam preparation workshop.

The BEI is reinventing built environment learning through interactive learning, providing quality, affordable education to help built environment professionals change their lives and the world around them!