Moving with the Times: A New Normal for Buildings

John Liu | 13 Jan 2023

A STEP FORWARD FOR OUR CITY?

In an international financial center such as Hong Kong, most of our daily activities are carried out in high-rise buildings. Buildings account for 90% of the electricity consumption and are responsible for 60% of the total carbon emissions in Hong Kong. With the energy crisis receiving global attention and many governments actively promoting a low-carbon transition, building designs are becoming more sustainable and people-centric to create healthy, comfortable, and safe living spaces.??

SMART BUILDINGS ARE THE PERFECT SOLUTION FOR ALL?

In traditional buildings, Building Management Systems (BMS) lack a unified system. They often operate independently, which require users to spend extra time to control, operate and integrate with other systems. On top of that, monitoring electricity consumption across different facilities proves challenging for most BMS. In recent years, the market has widely adopted an open protocol model to integrate

?infrastructure management facilities to digitize and electrify their buildings, reducing manpower, as well as enabling easy monitoring of electricity consumption and increasing energy efficiency. This could help achieve the goal of a sustainable and smart building. A secure and connected power system will also help maintenance teams respond quickly to emergencies, ensuring smooth power and building operations.

When it comes to energy conservation, the most obvious way would be reducing the use of air conditioning and turning off unnecessary lights. Although these methods can reduce energy consumption, given Hong Kong's high population density, humidity and hot weather, few people will sacrifice their sense of comfort to reduce energy use. Moreover, these measures are less feasible when applied to commercial buildings. A better approach is to introduce a people-centric, sustainable, yet hyper- efficient,?resilient, and smart building design concept which can both improve building health and occupant comfort.?

INTENCITY SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVES ZERO CARBON?

IntenCity, a smart office park in Grenoble, southeast France, is an exemplary zero carbon building. In addition to solar panels, wind turbines and energy storage facilities, IntenCity uses several building management solutions to not only make the building energy autonomous, but also to supply electricity to neighboring buildings through a smart grid.

Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, IntenCity monitors a wide range of data points such as temperature, luminosity, CO2 levels, space usage, etc. in real-time. With up to 60,000 data points are monitored and analyzed every 10 minutes, IntenCity provides greater transparency for building and facility managers. Planon Workplace Insights analyzes the real-time utilization of office space and manages seats and rooms on different floors and locations, enabling employees to hold meetings or conduct team activities flexibly in the building. This caters to new ways of working under the pandemic.?

IT IS EASIER THAN WE THOUGHT?

There is a common misconception that the design and construction of smart buildings is a costly investment, but in the case of IntenCity, the construction cost is only 3-4% higher than the average local building and is expected to be offset within six years, while bringing long-term economic benefits.

The use of renewable energy to generate electricity is difficult in Hong Kong's high-rise buildings, but we can still start with digital technology. Through digitization and electrification, we can enhance building energy efficiency and save energy while improving operational efficiency and comfort, aligning with Hong Kong's long-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. ■

THE AUTHOR?

John Liu serves as Head of Digital Service at 施耐德电气 focusing on the digital transformation of energy management and automation, strategy planning, business development, partnership alliance, commercialization, go-to-market, brand awareness and talent development in the space of sustainability, decarbonization and net-zero. He processes 20+ years of experience in telecommunications, IoT, property, health to emerging technologies and robotic solutions.

?John is a veteran in IoT and the digital industry, constantly working on creating a sustainable society and industry technology. He is currently studying MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at HEC Paris with an ambition to harness the power of disruption and accelerate transformation, making meaningful differences to the community.?

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Proptech Institute, including its directors, employees and affiliates.

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