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A building that adjusts to its occupants in real-time, based on factors like occupancy levels, temperature preferences, and lighting needs in order to enhance comfort and efficiency. Smart technology makes this possible, yet, it is not a luxury reserved for new builds as existing structures can be transformed too. Like cultivating a garden, it’s necessary to prepare the ground, plant the right seeds, and nurture growth over time to create a space that thrives.

1. Choosing the right tools

To embark on their green-fingered adventure, gardeners must first consider the tools they will need to help their plants will thrive, just as facilities managers ensure the right software is in place to encourage future smart building growth.

Computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) software establishes a framework for managing operations and maintenance effectively. This provides an important foundation for current and future data, unlocking business benefits from both an FM and operational perspective.

2. Preparing the soil

Before planting any seeds, our gardener prepares the soil to ensure it is nutrient-rich and ready for growth. The key to the growth of a smart building is creating a precise digital replica of it through laser scanning, which stores key data and information about various aspects of it. As with the soil, preparation here is key as poorly performed digitisation will limit what can be achieved in the next season.

3. Planting the seeds

Planting the seeds is representative of the beginning of growth.

The building information modelling (BIM) handover stage provides an in-depth digital model of a building, including all assets, materials, dimensions and features. This ensures that all building component data is easily accessible to the FM, enhancing decision-making for future growth.

A crucial step in our smart building journey, the BIM handover forms a framework for digital systems to work together in harmony, like seeds set to grow into a thriving ecosystem.

4. Nurturing growth

Integrating the CAFM and BIM systems is like nurturing the seeds that have been planted in the garden. Where the gardener waters and fertilisers their plants to help them grow, the integration of CAFM and BIM ensures that a building’s operational and physical aspects are continuously optimised. Detailed digital models connect with real-time facility operations and help the building adapt and thrive, much like how nurturing plants leads to healthy, flourishing growth.

5. Monitoring progress

Monitoring real-time data in a smart building mirrors how a gardener regularly checks on their plants to observe growth and spot any problems early on. Just as a gardener would address areas where their plants might struggle, FMs use real-time data to keep an eye on the building’s performance and be automatically alerted to any issues, which could be detecting an unexpected spike in energy usage, faulty HVAC systems, or any overcrowded areas.

6. Creating a balanced ecosystem

The success of a garden is dependent on the harmony between its plants, insects and soil to create a thriving ecosystem. Indeed, a smart building has now been achieved and works best when all its various technologies, such as IoT devices, AI or energy management systems are working in unison across a range of key metrics, including user experience, sustainability, and efficiency in terms of finances and other resources.

7. Planning for future growth

With the garden now thriving and soon to bear fruit, our gardener understands that continued success requires preparation, like installing irrigation systems or committing to long-term planning to ensure the garden remains nourished.

In the same way, the next step for a smart building is to become a digital twin, to simulate future changes and optimise long-term performance based on all the assets, systems, technologies and sensors within it. By experimenting with different operational scenarios and layouts within the digital model, FMs can ensure their buildings continue to operate efficiently and are able to adapt to future needs without any disruption.

As you nurture your smart buildings to full bloom, the correct tools will help them thrive. For a deeper dig into the details, without all the horticultural metaphors, check out our whitepaper by following this link: https://www.swg.com/white-paper/the-art-of-the-possible-wp/