Smart buildings
Smart buildings provide a framework to allow real estate, hospitality and construction companies to capitalize on digital innovation.
The team
What the EY organization can do for you
Smart buildings are emerging as an innovative response to a question many business leaders asked themselves amid the COVID-19 pandemic: How can I futureproof my workplace?
Having experienced a worst-case scenario — widespread constraints on resources and facilities during a large-scale emergency — organizations are now building flexibility and resilience into their workplace models.
As the need to adapt fuels a new normal in which employees expect a safer, more flexible working experience, companies seek to create workplaces that automatically adapt to enterprises’ changing needs. Such flexibility requires effective planning and a technology-driven approach.
Keeping this in mind, EY professionals developed the Smart Buildings solution to help organizations leverage the latest technology, empowering them to create more resilient workplaces.
For example, breakthroughs in internet of things (IoT) technology have resulted in IoT sensors that are higher-quality, more cost-effective and longer-lasting. Manufacturers in the digital real estate space are taking advantage of this by releasing infrastructure products that are easier to use and IoT-ready.
In addition, digital twins — virtual models of physical things — can now incorporate physics-based modeling and allow for full calibration of the physical and digital realms. EY teams use digital twin modeling with well-planned smart building infrastructures to help businesses:
- Drive contact tracing, safety and wellness programs alongside occupancy planning, space reservations and affinity-driven workplace experiences
- Enhance space utilization, maintenance and operations through HVAC, energy demand and management, and aggregated information reporting
- Boost health and safety in the workplace through environmental management, CFD measurement and scenario planning
In addition, EY professionals can help organizations identify opportunities to lower costs through:
- Real-time maintenance operations with just-in-time repairs and service delivery
- EUI, energy transmission and generation, storage, water management, maintenance and carbon — with a 24x7 active response via calibrated AI-driven digital twins
- Environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability programs that can drive savings and meet requirements for greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, support for cap and trade, and WELL and LEED certifications
- Potential innovation R&D tax incentives, especially for larger projects such as initial digital twin deployments, and other jurisdictional opportunities
- Clear business cases for the self-funding of project work through utility and performance optimizations, and maintenance efficiencies
