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Smart Building Design & Building Automation

A smart building utilises technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the building while ensuring a positive experience for people using it. By collecting and connecting data from smart buildings, different stakeholders can be empowered and can benefit from improved decision making.

What laws and regulations do you need to comply with? How do you get the necessary data for this from your building to save energy or create reports? How do we guarantee a certain comfort class? And how quickly will you recoup the investment in building automation and smart building design?

Our experts deal with these issues on a daily basis. Building automation and smart building design both depend on a solid ICT infrastructure, but each has a unique approach.

Building automation provides the technical backbone for the automation of building installations. Think temperature control in a meeting room based on attendance or weather conditions. But energy management is also part of building automation. An energy management system (EMS) provides in-depth insight into energy flows, monitors consumption in detail and enables managers to implement targeted energy-saving measures. Thus, building automation not only ensures a comfortable and healthy environment, but also more efficient energy consumption and lower operational costs.

You cannot create a Smart Building without proper building automation. Smart Building design uses advanced technologies such as IoT (Internet of Things), AI (artificial intelligence) and big data to enable dynamic responses to user needs and external factors. For example, in a smart office building a reserved meeting room can be automatically released again if no one shows up. This enhances user experience and operational efficiency.

‘Smart building technology offers endless possibilities,’ says Naomi Duivesteijn, Smart Building Advisor. ‘At Deerns, we therefore focus on creating added value for owners and users. We do this by writing up the Programme of Requirements (PoR) together with the client, in workshop form. During this interactive session, we map out the various stakeholders and create user journeys to understand their needs and challenges.’

Services we help organisations with:

  • Mapping the smart building level of existing properties;
  • Preparing an integral functional requirements package for building automation;
  • Developing a building automation and/or smart building strategy;
  • The substantive implementation of this strategy;
  • The PvE, design and realisation of the systems required for building automation and smart building (e.g. hydraulic and control system, building management system and energy and power management system);
  • Acting as process supervisor during the design and implementation process (commissioning);
  • Cost management of investment and operating costs (total cost of ownership);
  • Advice on data privacy, strategy, and management and cybersecurity
  • Match with regulations (such as ESG, GACS, EPBD) and certifications (Smartscore AP)

Life-saving technology

The impact of smart building technology is perhaps most visible in hospitals. For the Radboudumc in Nijmegen, the smart building team used the existing automation infrastructure. By strategically placing sensors, data became available for a smart nursing system, smart intercoms, and presence and fall detection for patients. This ensures better response time and fewer unnecessary movements, allowing care staff to fully focus on providing the best possible care.

Making the business case

A well-controlled building pays for itself quickly. Some examples:

  • Insight into space usage leads to higher revenues from existing premises.
  • Peaks in electricity consumption signal problems with installations.
  • Predictive maintenance prevents defects through (vibration) measurements.

Although a well-thought-out design for building automation and Smart Building initially involves a higher CAPEX investment, the costs are often recovered within 3 to 5 years through operational savings. Naomi: ‘To make this transparent for the client, we always start by making a business case.’

Want to know what building automation or smart building design can bring you? Then contact Henk Winters (building automation) or Naomi Duivesteijn (smart building design).

Let’s talk

Naomi Duivesteijn

Smart Building Advisor

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