Smart building ‘data as the new gold’

The age of digital transformation is upon us, but what does it mean for the average business? How can employers keep up with the ever-accelerated needs of their workforces? How can workers achieve their ultimate potential within a healthy environment? When correctly harnessed the power of data can turn these challenges into real benefits and differentiators.

Gold has been an asset ever since it was known to man, though in the case of gold ‘more is typically better’ the same cannot be said for data. More data is not always better, it only has value when it is of high quality and made accessible for people who can clearly read it, visualize it, understand it and translate it into actions.

What is needed, is a technical solution that not only gathers data of high quality but transforms it into a functional structure, which can be understood and applied to real life business needs. Take for instance you’re building as an asset; utilization data in an easy & functional structure allows you to filer on relevant room types and available facilities, differentiate on health and comfort performance, as well as people count. How can you use data to get the most value out of your real estate? By having data that allows you to easily answer changing questions throughout the lifetime of the building; not just in terms of efficiently running facilities, decarbonization and lowering costs, but also in terms of increasing tenant retention, and more essentially in winning the war on staff retention.

bGrid is a solution that consists of a grid of sensors connected to the Internet of Things, it serves as a single digital backbone to buildings. Not only gathering data of high quality, accuracy and granularity but turning it into understandable insights which are delivered directly to owners, facility managers and end users via smart applications. Smart technology enables a building to become intuitive, so that it reflects the activities of its occupants, as well as adapting to their needs over time. Visitors have control over their comfort levels and the building provides a healthy environment. These factors of comfort and wellness together lead to happy users and in turn to higher tenant retention.

But what are these data powered insights? bGrid sensors collect data which is then displayed in a dashboard to allow building managers to gain actionable insights into capacity, comfort issues, air quality or traffic within a building. With valuable data such as occupancy, people count, temperature, light intensity, humidity, sound levels, VOC and CO2 levels being actively gathered, bGrid can help to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of operational activities, both on a daily basis, as well as overtime as the building evolves.

Via the building’s app, users can directly control the climate and lighting according to their preferences, as well as book meeting rooms, or find available rooms in real-time. The building supports all of its visitors, creating an optimal working environment. Users of the building can, for example, easily find free workplaces, or find the best meeting space suited to their needs via the Teams integration through bSeated. Or they can also choose to inject the data in any desired third-party app.

When futureproofing a building as an ever-evolving asset for both owner and tenant, going smart is the answer, not the question. But how futureproof is the solution actually? Doesn’t technology date quickly? No, not bGrid. Over-the-air bGrid software updates allow the building to evolve over time without a constant need to carry out physical upgrades. To date, the bGrid software updates have unlocked sound, infrared temperature and people count data to existing bGrid sites. The platform also allows to implement internal layout changes or technological upgrades through simple configuration changes remotely. The use of open and standardized protocols makes sure that a connection to yet undiscovered future technologies will also be straightforward, so you don’t miss out on anything.

Another crucial differentiation is that gold cannot be duplicated without more raw materials, but raw data can be duplicated, and if done correctly remain to act as a single source of truth. Data collected by bGrid provides you with real time and historical data insights into what is happening in your building. This creates a simple operation and provides direct insights from the building to each and every stakeholder. Don’t get left behind in the war on tenant and workforce retention (& attraction), but benefit from a comfortable workplace, so occupants can perform at their best.

Our approach to smart building transformation is to forget silos and think within an ecosystem. We believe that the world deserves better buildings, buildings that evolve and continuously adapt to all stakeholders. So get the most out of your building, by going smart and harnessing the power of data. After all it’s the new gold.

Has this article sparked your curiosity? Contact the bGrid team to discover more about our industry leading smart building solution. Follow our channels to stay up to date on our latest insights and offers: LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter