Automation designed for building performance

Siloed building systems often mean siloed data. That can make it difficult to analyze data insights and achieve optimal performance. A connected building allows companies to integrate systems, leverage scalable processing capabilities at the edge and in the cloud and gain essential insights across operations. It enables smarter workflows by connecting systems within one ecosystem, allowing contextualized data to flow seamlessly for more informed decision making.

Buildings consume significant amounts of energy. Depending on the geographic location, heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and other building systems can account for about three-fourths of a typical facility’s total environmental footprint, compared to around 25% attributed to construction-related activities.1 Leveraging building management systems (BMS) and advanced software controls can help building operators optimize HVAC systems, boilers, chillers, sensor networks and lighting systems to help meet energy use goals. Advanced software solutions can help control, manage and optimize energy use to help manage costs and improve resilience.

McKinsey & Company, “Accelerating green growth in built environment | McKinsey”, November 2022. [Accessed May 30, 2024]

A building management system (BMS), or building controllers, are used to manage building assets like heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), boilers, chillers, lighting, security, fire and more. These systems automate processes and regulate equipment performance to help deliver precise, consistent and efficient operations. A BMS is often thought of the “brains” of a building – these separate, external systems interpret data from sensors, send commands to equipment, enable functions like motor speed, automate the sequencing of complex tasks and make real-time adjustments to maintain desired conditions. Like the human brain, these small but mighty systems enable complex tasks in a building.

For smoke detection systems to work properly, smoke must travel from the source to a sensor at a detectable density. The traditional approach to smoke detection is to place sensors near, or on, the ceiling, because smoke rises. Advanced smoke detection solutions, or aspirating smoke detectors, continuously sample the air and are designed to provide early warning of fire hazards and help detect threats at early stages. These devices often have a wide sensitivity range to identify even the smallest amount of smoke in the air, helping prevent even a small fire from causing irreparable damage. Advanced detection technologies can be placed in strategically targeted locations – often in combination with traditional detectors – to continuously monitor for trace amounts of smoke. This way, potential fires can be intercepted at the source.