Smart Building: it's about the connections between systems
Individual smart systems don't make a building smart on their own. The difference lies in whether they know about each other.
What a Smart Building is
A Smart Building is a building where the installations aren't just operated, but measure, report back and respond to one another. The climate control knows a room is occupied. The lighting knows it's the weekend. Access control knows who is expected.
That requires more than smart devices. It requires a network they all sit on, and a way for them to talk to each other. That's exactly where the distinction lies between a building with smart components and an integrated building.
What the IT-Label includes under this
Climate installations
Smart control based on occupancy and use, instead of a fixed schedule.
Access control
Who may enter where, and how is that managed when someone leaves the organisation?
Camera security
Present, functioning, and with clear agreements about who sees the footage.
Visitor registration
From sign-in to access pass, preferably without a paper step in between.
Booking systems
Meeting rooms and workspaces, linked to what's actually in use.
Building management systems
The system that keeps the overview, and that the other systems connect to.
Integration is the distinguishing factor
Six systems running independently of each other means six management parties, six passwords and six places where something can go wrong. That's why the IT-Label looks not only at whether facilities are present, but also at whether they work together. That's exactly where IT1+ PREMIUM distinguishes itself from IT1 HIGH PERFORMANCE.
The next generation of facilities
Alongside the classic building systems, a layer is emerging that didn't exist until recently: smart parking management, charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, community and building apps, and the integration between them.
For residential complexes and office buildings, that's shifting from a nice extra to an expectation, which is why the IT-Label factors it into the assessment.
Smart also means: attackable
Every system connected to the network expands the surface through which a building can be attacked. A smart building without proper security is a risk rather than a facility. See cybersecurity in real estate.
How smart is your building really?
The audit assesses not only the presence of systems, but also their integration.
How the audit worksRelated information
Knowledge base
Background on the components the IT-Label assesses: from fibre optic and WiFi coverage to Smart Building, cybersecurity and the impact of AI on real estate.
AI and real estate
The rapid growth of AI and data processing is increasing the load on networks. What that means for the digital infrastructure of commercial real estate.
WiFi coverage
Coverage and capacity are two different things, and both determine whether WiFi is actually usable. How the IT-Label assesses WiFi.
5G and in-building wireless in real estate
Faster mobile networks don't guarantee coverage inside a building. What 5G and in-building wireless mean for coverage and value in commercial real estate.