Creating Buildings of Tomorrow with Digitalisation

Buildings are at the heart of our lives. A survey showed that modern humans spend up to 90 per cent of our lives indoors, shuttling between buildings where we work, live and play. In recent times, global megatrends such as rapid urbanisation, climate change, resource scarcity, labour shortages, including a raging pandemic, which have reshaped the way we interact with buildings and the purposes they fulfil.

While it is important to ensure that buildings remain fit for purpose for years to come, it is equally critical to manage its impact on the climate and overall environment. Today, buildings are responsible for 40 per cent of global energy consumption and 33 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings of tomorrow need to be sustainable, energy efficient, and smart. Thankfully, digitalisation enables this.

Unlocking opportunities with digitalisation

Through digitalisation and the IoT, information from every system and component within a building is converted into a digital format, creating massive amount of data. When collected and analysed properly, this can translate into actionable insights that will help to create smart buildings that are safer, more secure, more efficient, and resilient. Smart buildings continuously interact, learn, and adapt to create sustainable, optimum environments for its occupants. Digitalisation enables change, improve processes, and unlock value-driven opportunities.

Leveraging the power of data

The large amount of data generated by buildings can provide transparency into a building’s performance so that operations can be managed more effectively, ensuring business continuity and resiliency. However, the amount of data generated can also be excessive, creating ‘noise’. Sifting through such data quantity requires the right tools, technology, and experts with deep domain and industry experience, that can design and deliver a tailored data-driven digital service programme.

Unlike traditional building services, data-driven digital services leverage data and analytics for greater intelligence in systems and operations, such as:

• Energy usage
• Failure-causing anomalies
• Code compliance
• Building systems interaction
• Occupant experience that impacts productivity
• Emissions and sustainability
• Issues that impact total cost of facility operations

With visibility into these metrics, operators are able to recognise anomalies, and prioritise system alarms and alerts, based on a better understanding of conditions. In addition, building owners are empowered to establish outcomes for their facilities and their businesses.

Enhancing building performance with data-driven services

A properly executed, data-driven service programme can:

• Reduce time spent reacting to emergencies by 80 per cent
• Increase system availability up to 95 per cent
• Reduce equipment breakdown by 70-75 per cent

The ability to identify issues earlier, reduce risk and downtime, and increase the life span of building systems enable even greater efficiencies and cost savings.

Covering building automation, fire safety, mechanical, electrical, energy, security and e-Mobility, Siemens’s set of data-driven building performance and sustainability services includes:

• Energy & Sustainability Services: to help clients reduce energy costs and drive sustainability
• Asset Maintenance Services: to enhance performance of clients’ assets
• Monitoring, Reporting & Event Resolution: to create data transparency and address events effectively
• Scalable Managed Services: to supplement clients’ workforce while leveraging Siemens’ resources and expertise

Choosing the right technology partner

As the complexity of building operations and maintenance grow, it is important to choose the right partner with the right approach that can help clients meet their unique challenges and goals.

Siemens’s suite of holistic data-driven services is delivered by a global network of knowledgeable, experienced experts operating from its Digital Service Centers and local branches. Underpinned by profound expertise in building operations, streamlined workflows and proven processes, the team also leverages the most advanced digital technologies such as Smart Building IoT platforms, digital tools and applications, including Digital Twins and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to consistently achieve world-class delivery of its building services.

As a focused technology company, Siemens is shaping an ecosystem that helps to maximise efficiency, minimise operating costs, and reduce environmental impact. The company believes that, together with its customers, they can create smart buildings for a better tomorrow.

Email [email protected] or visit siemens.com.sg/digitalservices to know more.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the advertiser and does not necessarily reflect those of the Publisher.