July 30, 2019

Smart building IoT solutions have been touted as the Holy Grail for commercial real estate (CRE) owners and managers with many seeking the benefits of data-driven, real-time applications that will modernize a business or learning space. What building owner or manager doesn’t want to delight a tenant, streamline facility operations, optimize the square footage charged monthly, or create a more productive, healthier, “green” space that warrants a premium?

As CRE owners and managers navigate the path toward realizing an IoT solution, questions abound — particularly with respect to the infrastructure required and its interoperability with smart building applications. Is the complexity (because this has to be complex, right?) worth the effort? Is anyone doing this today and can I see it? Is all the excitement over smart building IoT applications justified?

Unless your organization is always an early adopter of new technologies and systems, or is comfortable with introducing systemic change that addresses the age-old problems of efficiency, productivity and sustainability, it may be hard to get excited about the promised business benefits of IoT. You likely want specifics about what is involved from a technical implementation perspective, and you want proof points that show the benefits are real.

Let’s cut through all the hype and talk about where we are today.

Real-world example of smart building IoT app

Osram Digital Systems and its growing ecosystem of partners are delivering smart building IoT solutions today. They test the functionality and connectivity of third-party smart building SaaS solutions in several of their own offices in the U.S. and Canada. These offices are equipped with the Encelium Extend light management system [www.osram.us/ds/products/light-management-systems/encelium/index.jsp] and fixture-integrated sensors [www.osram.us/sensilum] and controls by Osram — the technology infrastructure that is enabling smart building IoT solutions. Once this initial stage is completed, we pilot the solution with current Encelium Extend light management system (LMS) end customers so the solution is field-tested in additional environments.

Pilot program: space optimization at Mount Royal University

Osram and Rifiniti, an Osram Digital Systems Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) partner focused on workplace analytics, recently completed a pilot program with Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta that focused on space optimization. As a growing higher education institution, the university wanted a better understanding of how space was actually being used and how that space could be optimized to benefit students, faculty and the University’s sustainability goals.

The university is a long-term Osram Digital Systems customer and the Encelium Extend light management system (LMS) is installed throughout their campus. New luminaires with fixture-integrated sensors and controls by Osram were added to the Student Health Services Clinic, the space identified as the pilot site. The combination of these Osram technologies form the data network infrastructure that enables smart building IoT solutions.

During the pilot period, raw data from the lighting system network was acquired, aggregated and stored in the Osram cloud, where it was accessed by Rifiniti. Rifiniti Optimo workplace analytics software processed the raw data using sophisticated data science and machine-learning algorithms, and provided actionable workspace insights to Mount Royal University in an easy-to-understand graphical user interface (GUI).

This article was first published online by Osram as a blog: https://info.osram.us/blog/osram-pilots-smart-building-iot-solution-at-mount-royal-university. Photo source: Osram.