< PreviousUsing sensors to control buildings and to collect data for maximising efficiencies and improving security e IoT for digitalised buildings The eyes and ears of a building – these are electronic sensors that already enable classic building automation systems (BMS) to control lighting, shading and room climate for instance. The deep networking ability of cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) platforms and self-powered, maintenance-free sensors that can flexibly be placed everywhere within a facility, even on furniture, to provide real-time insights into a building‘s condition and technical health. This facilitates more efficient or even entirely new services through networking with other disciplines, such as multimedia, alarm systems, elevators and the parking area belonging to the building, to mention only a few. Each of these disciplines is getting smarter all the time and thus provides an entirely new dimension in digitalised services and business models. Smart light management In addition to HVAC and shading, lighting is an important part of classic building automation. Lighting solutions are getting smarter, and the light adjusts, for example, to the conditions within the home, office, shopping centre or on the street – coordinated with daylight or occupancy. Dynamic lighting control and the adaptation of light to By Andreas Schneider, CEO and Co-Founder, EnOcean www.enocean.com SMART BUILDINGS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 20human biorhythms are also becoming increasingly more important. Active light regulation ensures that employees are active and motivated throughout the workday. The introduction of LED technology has brought about an enormous transformation in the area of lighting. By 2027, the widespread use of LEDs could save about 348 TWh of electricity in the United States alone. This is the equivalent annual electrical output of 44 large electric power plants, producing 1,000 megawatts each, and total savings of more than $30 billion at today‘s electricity prices. Fundamental changes in electronics had to be developed to be able to efficiently control and regulate the new lamps. Occupancy sensors, for example, make it possible to automatically turn off lamps that aren‘t needed. This is particularly sensible in large office environments in which not all areas are occupied all the time. Light sensors can adapt the brightness of indoor lighting to the amount of available ambient light (daylight connection). This is especially beneficial for buildings with large glass fronts where a great deal of ambient light is available. Defining maximum brightness settings for dimmable lights (task tuning) avoids areas being too brightly lit, and optimises the light level for individual areas. Other sensors can also provide real-time insight into the building‘s condition and technical health. Current sensors measure energy consumption and energy savings per luminaire, per floor and for the entire building. Motion sensors collect occupancy data and thus provide information on the use of office rooms, which helps to optimise economical use. With an IoT infrastructure, the data collected by sensors can provide insight into the operating hours and usage history of lighting systems, for example, in order to improve the maintenance process. Maintenance history shows events within the system, such as current peaks, voltage drops, devices that are offline and other sporadic problems. This is not only possible for newly built facilities but for retrofits in existing buildings in particular. The Columbia Ivy League University in New York, consisting of 360 buildings and hundreds of thousands of lighting fixtures, is a good example of how an existing building can change its system to IoT-enabled lighting control. Connected disciplines The IoT‘s enormous potential lies in its interdisciplinary use of sensors. For example, a motion sensor can control SMART BUILDINGS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 21the lights, control the room climate according to demand in order to save energy and ensure security within the building. The same is true of window contacts. The optimum approach is to combine the motion sensor with window contacts, which protect against intruders and also prevent false alarms due to open windows. If windows are opened, or if the room is unoccupied, the heat is turned down and the overall system is optimised in combination with algorithms that learn and suitably map user behaviour. In connection with weather data on the Internet, a warning of imminent rain can be given in good time when windows are open. Additional intelligence can also be added—such as light quality, temperature, moisture or air quality. All this data can be collected centrally in the system, processed in combination with other environmental data available on the Internet and distributed to other networked devices and disciplines within the building. Data for new services Digitalisation with the aid of distributed sensors and a cloud- based infrastructure enables facility managers to develop and automate new services. This includes, for example, room use management. Presence sensors can always detect how many people use a conference room and how often or when the cafeteria is especially crowded. Room occupancy and thus the use of cost-intensive resources such as heating, air- conditioning and lights, as well as staff and inventory, can be optimised based on usage data. Detailed usage patterns of the building, staff and inventory can be prepared with the aid of sensor data collected by additional sensors such as door contacts, activity meters in electronic devices etc. These patterns supply real-time information about the actual demand and allow appropriate measures to be taken. An IoT gateway interconnects the sensors and actuators over the Internet with cloud-based platforms such as IBM Watson, Amazon Echo, Microsoft Azure, Apple HomeKit, Google Home and Crestron to make services more efficient. Another example is the usage-dependent maintenance and cleaning of sanitary facilities in office buildings. Sensors supply the necessary data, such as how often the toilets are used or whether the toilet paper, towel and soap dispensers are running low on stock. Facility managers can use this data to organise their staff according to current requirements and always restock needed materials on time. This not only lowers costs but also increases user satisfaction. A comfortable environment Greater user satisfaction also makes companies more attractive as landlords of office space. A comfortable atmosphere at the office has been proven to improve work SMART BUILDINGS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 22productivity and to promote employee loyalty. Integrated sensors in office furniture make it possible to design the furnishings colourfully and individually according to requirements and simultaneously equip the offices, for example, with state-of-the-art multimedia and smart light and heating control. Because of hidden sensors, employees are unaware of the IoT technology and notice primarily the comfort factor. The list of optimised processes in a digitalised building is practically endless. For example, it can include sensors that sound the alarm if a water mains ruptures or in the event of a fire or a break-in, and thus prevent millions of pounds in insurance losses. The self-powered IoT Collecting reliable sensor data and combining the data properly links the physical world with the digital one, and the networked system can respond in a far more optimised way to changing demands or even create entirely new building services. However, more than 90% of buildings are existing real estate. Wireless solutions must, therefore, be considered for adding a comprehensive digital infrastructure. This is the only way to establish the right cost/benefit ratio. In the IoT, with its thousands of data points, these sensors need to be self-powered. Using their surrounding environment as an energy source the devices work without batteries. Pressing a switch button, for example, provides enough kinetic energy to power a wireless signal. Solar- powered sensors harvest energy from typical indoor illumination thanks to highly efficient electronics and store the harvested energy to remain active for several days even in complete darkness. Self-powered switches and sensors use international open standards for wireless communication. Self-powered switches and sensor modules also talk native Bluetooth and Zigbee to connect to existing infrastructure provided by lighting companies. Due to their specific characteristics of being wireless and batteryless, self-powered devices can be placed freely and flexibly and added to at any time – above all, without requiring any maintenance. Batteries have, therefore, served out their purpose in the IoT as a source of energy for sensors. Once the first battery has failed within the service life, the building operator will have to replace all batteries as a precaution. This requires an incalculable amount of labour and correspondingly high costs that aren‘t incurred with self-powered wireless components. The self-powered IoT forms the basis of innovative buildings that sustainably meet individual needs , both now and in the future, through digitalised new services for the users and managers of the rooms that we occupy every day. n SMART BUILDINGS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 23Get set for the most important one-day data centre conference at London's Business Design Centre Data Centre Summit 2020 Data Centre Summit is back for 2020 and is set to be bigger and better than ever before. The show will take place on 27 March 2020 at the Business Design Centre in Central London and registration for attendance is open. With leading industry companies exhibiting in the exhibition, and a programme of thought-provoking seminars delivered by a line-up of industry thought leaders, the show will provide opportunities to expand your knowledge, network with fellow industry professionals and much more. Speakers at the conference in the past have included industry experts Angelo Apa from Lenovo who discussed ‘The Future Defined Data Centre’, Simon Young from Munters outlined ‘Cooling for Modular to Hyper Scale Data Centres’, and Dave Wolfenden from Heatload explored the subject of ‘21st Century Load Testing’ among many others. This year we expect to build on these fantastic presentations with speakers covering issues and concepts affecting the industry, both now and in the future. Apply to be a speaker at DCS 2020 If you would like to express your interest in speaking at Data Centre Summit 2020, please contact Lloyd Vella at lloyd.vella@abacus-comms.co.uk. When contacting us, please provide a one paragraph synopsis outlining the key points you would like to cover in a seminar to allow us to respond quickly to your application. We are happy to receive synopses from both individuals/ companies providing data centre products and services, as well as those on the buying side who may wish to talk about how a specific solution has helped them to overcome a network-related problem. Register for the show For more information about Data Centre Summit 2020, to view seminars from previous years and to register to attend, please visit www.datacentresummit.co.uk By James Abbott, Editor, Networks Europe www.networkseuropemagazine. com PREVIEW www.networkseuropemagazine.com 24The Business Design Centre, London | 27 March 2020 | www.datacentresummit.co.uk Data Centre Summit London is a one-day conference for professionals working in the data centre industry. With thought- provoking seminars by industry experts, an exhibition of leading data centre industry vendors and networking opportunities, this is an essential date for your calendar. To book a stand or discuss marketing opportunities contact Ian Titchener on ian.titchener@abacus-comms.co.uk HEADLINE SPONSOR Explore ways of saving money, develop your business and share experience with others Create new business opportunities and form new partnerships with leading vendors Network with peers and vendors from other organisations with the potential to collaborate Discover what’s new in the industry and keep up to date with innovations and technologiesDesigning the next generation of smart buildings with fast fibre infrastructure e future is fibre Fibre optic technology has become a crucial aspect of future-proofing all commercial and residential developments. Fibre infrastructure is the essential building block or ‘digital plumbing’ required to enable smart buildings within future smart cities. In turn, this empowers entire societies with greater broadband speed and network capacity over longer distances, and in doing so enables developers and tenants alike to upgrade fibre-endpoints as required for many generations to come. In most cases, commercial or residential developments are constructed within an asset life cycle or horizon of 30-50 years. Within that time frame, the building asset needs to remain both marketable and saleable to an ever- increasing generation of technically demanding users. It’s therefore essential to now adopt a ‘fibre first’ strategy when designing the underlying infrastructure that will power the buildings digital performance in domains such as power efficiency, environmental monitoring, smart automation, occupant analytics and predictive behaviour. Outside buildings, it has long been the case that fibre is replacing copper cabling infrastructure, but the next natural step in this movement is to extend the fibre footprint into the buildings to provide true full-fibre connectivity. By Tom White, Director & Richard Jeffares, CTO, Glide Group www.glidegroup.co.uk SMART BUILDINGS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 26Evolving buildings Fibre infrastructure and cabling technology represent an opportunity for residential buildings to become smart. When a building possesses high-capacity for fibre, this enables the building to become truly intelligent while enhancing occupant well-being alongside health and safety. Landlords have historically lacked the insights to fully understand how their assets are being used and what’s truly happening within a building. Meaning historically developers are constructing £50+ million buildings based on legacy design principles, which were typically designed by people who were two generations removed from the present market requirements of digital demanding residents. However, installing fibre into the building from the planning phases will encompass the future capacity for the growth of Internet- connected devices; everything from sensors monitoring the performance of white goods to location technology providing granular detail on how people use the number of devices that will connect to networks is exponentially growing. This can provide interesting data into how the building is used, providing developers with useful information to carry forward into the next building design phase. A full-fibre infrastructure delivers a flexible, adaptable and most importantly, expandable platform that will help developers respond to the technology demands of tenants of tomorrow. From a facilities management point of view, there’s a movement for buildings to become as green and innovative as possible, by monitoring and controlling energy usage. This is being driven by the desires of, often generation Z and Y, users as well as the cost-saving possible on energy usage, from the point of view of the operator. Technology supported by full-fibre to the premise (FTTP) cabling can provide an enhanced way of achieving this by powering and complementing high-capacity WiFi technology. Supporting new technologies One common example of a technology that can be supported by fibre infrastructure is the use of geofencing, so as to ascertain when a resident is in and around the building, and then leveraging this information to change energy usage in a smart way. In some cases, this can cause a fairly large reduction in energy usage, potentially saving operators millions of pounds over a large estate. This also has a tangible user experience benefit. Consider the use of location-based technology within student accommodation. An international student arriving from China can use an app that knows their flight number and time of arrival, which can then direct them precisely within the building to the student halls or even all the way to their room, using in-building location services. They can then open their door using their building mobile app and find the lighting set to jet lag mode, while the smart TV is already logged into their Netflix and Amazon accounts, with their smart speakers already playing the song they had set to play upon arrival. But most importantly, there are huge advances that fibre cabling can help bring about when it comes to health and safety. For example, in the case of an emergency when tenants or users need to evacuate, if they’re in the building, they’ll receive an alert on their personal devices, which is translated into their native language. This connectivity is ultimately ensuring all students are kept safe and updated of any emergencies or announcements that are made. Further to this, by implementing fibre cabling infrastructure, developers and building managers can ensure that buildings are adaptable to future technological innovations. At the moment, many manufacturers are creating smart devices that can interact with other devices and networks on their ecosystem, but nothing else. It’s critical to have a platform in place from the time of a building’s construction that can interact with any protocol that arrives in a future standard. In order to future-proof buildings and allow them to remain smart for years to come, it’s vital that the high-capacity fibre cabling is installed. n SMART BUILDINGS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 28Global enquires +44 1480 410223 • E-mail: datacenters@munters.com Energy Efficient Cooling Solutions designed for data centers How Cool Are You... www.munters.com/datacenters New! 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