Next Gen Healthy Buildings Must Rely on IoT and Cloud Integration

Healthy buildings — the first thing that comes to mind is a building that is comfortable and conducive for productivity with reliable HVAC and occupant amenities. In the world of IT and climate sustainability, however, healthy buildings expand on that definition. A building’s ability to generate, distribute and monitor its energy usage combines its ability to leverage smart technology for real-time adjustments in the building, keeping it sustainably productive for the short and long term.

As organizations look to pledge greater decarbonization goals and align themselves with both new industry standards and recent government legislation (the Inflation Reduction Act, for example), the answer to achieving these goals rests in the IT of the architecture in question. The next era of healthy buildings underscores the importance of IoT devices to collect all kinds of information in the building, as well as the software in the cloud that helps drive a quality Building Management System (BMS) for the best analytics and adjustments in the infrastructure.

IT in buildings — More than just technological support

IT in healthy buildings functions as one of the main driving forces in the building’s functionality, compatibility with other systems, and data utilized for real-time architectural analysis of energy efficiency and expenditures.

In order to support the infrastructure of the building, IoT devices using sensitive data collecting instruments like room sensors, occupancy monitors, air quality sensors and thermostats are essential to the management and monitoring of building health. IoT technology has made it possible to capture and create machine-understandable, real-world environmental data for use and interpretation.

These intelligent and connected devices feed information into cloud-based, SaaS applications connected to the BMS and can either be used to update conditions in the building by a facility manager, or reconfigured in real-time by advanced AI. Automatic updates are most useful when predictable energy-saving changes can be made without manual intervention, such as when lighting and HVAC energy usage can be scaled down in a vacated conference room.

Various building certifications are also very useful for maximizing the scope, scalability and performance of your IT system in your building. The WELL Building Standard, for example, “is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.” This certification can help facility managers understand from a third-party perspective how effective the features of their equipment that monitors building health and can provide insight into whether an upgrade or change is necessary.

How Healthy Buildings are Managed

IT teams need to work with software development teams, building engineers and the facility manager to ensure communication is sound and that the installed devices are working well with the organization’s SaaS applications and physical hardware. Without an alignment in productivity and communication, projects can be delayed, or data can be inaccurately collected, defeating the purpose of the technology to make the building healthier.

What helps IT teams the most is a guided approach to project next steps, informed by in-depth data collected from a past IT project or analytics on the functions of the building. If updates need to be made to the systems that manage energy usage for water in the building, for example, data on which instruments are falling behind in productivity can help prioritize the instruments that need attention first. Additionally, the data could paint a different picture that may signal an issue with the software in place instead of the device, saving the IT team time and resources replacing a functional IoT device.

Disparate systems and diffused building sites can also make it difficult to move data from various buildings into one location for analysis. Integrated building systems and communication across teams in different locations, in tandem with the data collected and localized by IoT devices, creates a stronger internal operation that meets compliance and connects data points seamlessly.

The Next Generation of Healthy Buildings

IT provides the technological backbone that enables healthy buildings to function in their most optimal state. IoT and sensor devices, as well as the maintenance of the systems that keep them online, are key to ensuring a streamlined flow of quality information on the building that, with a comprehensive BMS, allows the organization to make effective energy management and quality-of-life decisions in the building.

The next generation of healthy buildings will be ones that adopt both extensive IT systems to power building efficacy and the IT teams to provide the necessary support and additional necessary installations for the architecture. These resources give buildings the foundation they need to adjust renewable energy generation, energy usage, property maintenance and issue identification in real-time.

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