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What’s Coming for Commercial Buildings: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Twins and More

What’s Coming for Commercial Buildings: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Twins and More

As building automation systems increasingly are integrated with access control, video surveillance, security, fire, and visitor management systems and the like, we thought systems integrators might be interested in what we learned on a recent webinar titled “Eight Predictions for the 2021 Homes & Buildings Industry” from global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. The Frost & Sullivan experts covered quite a lot of cutting-edge developments, primarily involving commercial buildings.

Some of these may present opportunities for systems integrators. Others are worth learning about to be able to better converse with building management decision-makers at commercial and construction industry accounts and potential accounts.

Not surprisingly, some of these buildings industry developments were driven, at least in part, by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“’Healthy buildings’ is the buzzword for this year,” said one of the Frost & Sullivan experts.

The experts noted, for example, that they expect to see large-scale deployment of UV-C based disinfection and air filtration systems this year. Indoor air quality (IAQ)-based ventilation is another important trend in this area.

The building industry is also rethinking restrooms post-COVID. Some of things we may see there: touch-free bathroom fixtures, antimicrobial paints on the walls, touch-free toilet seat cover cleaning, nanotechnology-based self-cleaning surfaces, bathroom cleaning robots and pathogen scanners.

Certifications such as LEED, WELL, RESET, and Fitwel will become increasingly important as a means of periodically assessing and maintaining the healthiness of buildings, Frost & Sullivan predict.


Beyond Healthy Buildings

Not all cutting-edge building industry developments are health related.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also becoming increasingly important to the industry. AI applications that are beginning to catch on include predictive maintenance, HVAC optimization, remote diagnostics, workplace optimization, and virtual voice assistance.

Digital twin technology also will be finding its way into the buildings industry, according to the experts. Wikipedia defines the technology as “a virtual representation that serves as the real-time digital counterpart of a physical object or process.”

The Frost & Sullivan researchers noted that Microsoft has made a digital twin of its Singapore headquarters. The building collects data from 900 lighting, air quality and temperature sensors to enhance space utilization, air quality, and energy and facility management.

Last but not least, the researchers see lighting-as-a-service as another key trend. This approach enables building owners to minimize the upfront investment involved in modernizing their lighting by paying for it as a service.

If you’re interested in more details on any of the Frost & Sullivan top building industry trends, an archive of the webinar is available at this link.

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Security Equipment Supply (SES) is a leading electronic wholesale distributor. We handle residential/ commercial security and fire protection equipment, as well access control, video surveillance and more.

Maybe we’ll even carry some of the futuristic technology described in this post as it begins to catch on and as some of our customers begin selling, installing, maintaining and monitoring it.