Smart Building Automation System

Services Rendered: App Innovation ● Automation Solutions ● Data Analytics

The client is one of the largest real estate managers in the world, providing development and management services for all major real estate asset classes. With operations in nine countries and over 800 properties totaling more than 330 million square feet, the company is at the forefront of integrating Building Automation Systems (BAS) to enhance operational efficiency and tenant satisfaction.

With a significant number of IoT devices already integrated into their properties, the client recognized the opportunity to elevate their brand by utilizing IoT-derived environmental data. Their vision was to distinguish their offices through advanced Building Automation Systems that deliver real-time data and insights, providing an unparalleled experience for tenants and visitors alike.

Here’s how we joined forces to design, build, and operate the central data processing and presentation platform that would breathe life into this exciting vision.

The Problem

Real-Time Insights and Customizable Tools for Enhanced Facility Oversight

• The interface didn’t match the high-quality standard of the interior environment.
• Data was hard to read, and the interface was hard to scan at a glance.
• The graphics, overall UI, and layout needed improvement.
• They wanted to scale the solution to all the buildings in their portfolio.

The Solution & Requirements

Intuitive Web App for Real-Time Building Management and Sustainability

Our solution was a complete Building Automation System that used the power of IoT in smart buildings. We developed a web application utilizing Smart APIs to pre-process the various sensor measurements before storing the cleansed data in the Cloud. Then, the Tecknoworks Power Portal™ reads that data to generate live dashboards, alerts, and reports on the buildings’ air quality, a tenant’s power consumption, and other valuable parameters.

The interface allows admins to edit and set up alerts, update benchmark parameters, and add, remove, or group-specific sensors as required to meet business needs and enhance sustainable energy consumption, tenants’ comfort, and management control.

Tech Stack: Microsoft .NET framework, SQL Server, Power BI, Azure

Now, let’s see in detail how we tackled every client requirement.

Requirement #1 – Reinforce the company’s standing as a top-tier brand

Already recognized as a top-tier Brand, the client intended to secure its leading market position by offering its tenants new and exciting possibilities.

For this requirement, our building automation solution includes these features:

• Branded outputs – All outputs come with the client’s corporate look and feel, using imagery and other resources stored in Tecknoworks Power Platform.
• Live usage monitoring – Tenants can monitor their energy usage patterns and take action to save costs. In some buildings, they can even see everyone’s usage… thus encouraging some friendly “green competition”.
• Quick deployment of new projects – When onboarding new real estate projects, the client can quickly roll out its solution: the architecture consists of easily scalable components (such as flexible storage solutions from Microsoft Azure).

Requirement #2 – Maintain excellent Security posture

False data injections or data loss would quickly harm the client’s public image. Hence, the solution includes:

• Power Portal – A Microsoft-approved Azure Marketplace solution designed with Azure best practices, fully audited by Microsoft engineers, and independently tested with two penetration assessments.
• Central Security checks – In accordance with the client’s security policy, all data is funneled through a central Bastion for in-depth inspection.
• Logging and Monitoring – The platform actively monitors the actions of applications, users, and services, and such logs are saved immediately for later inspection.
• Resilience – The platform contains various rapid recovery mechanisms (e.g., to restore the ‘last trusted configuration’ of any device or shut it down).

Requirement #3 – Cost-effective solution

As with any commercial organization, the client was looking for a cost-efficient solution. We achieved that goal as follows:

• Tecknoworks Power Portal pricing – Although the solution uses Microsoft Power BI, the client doesn’t pay any additional licenses. Instead, a reduced fee applies, and all users can share reports freely.
• Cost-efficient design – To save costs, the solution stores a vast number of data points on Azure PaaS (Platform as a Service). Its benefits include, among others, pay-as-you-go, automatic rescaling to meet the actual demand and in-built geo-redundancy, but without any surcharges.
• Data pre-processing – To prevent the added CPU and memory costs of processing data in storage, the APIs pre-process all readings already upon arrival.

The Results

A cornerstone for the client’s continued innovation

Our collaboration with the client led to the development of a robust, secure, and scalable Building Automation System that aligns with their vision of leveraging IoT in smart buildings. The solution not only addresses the immediate challenges of data visualization and user interface design but also ensures long-term benefits through cost-effective architecture and stringent security measures.

This platform now serves as a cornerstone for the client’s continued innovation, enabling them to maintain their leadership position in the global real estate market.