DUBAI, UAE, 12 July 2021: Honeywell announced today the Middle East’s first proof-of-concept project for its integrated Healthy Buildings solutions portfolio at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) in Dubai.

George Bou Mitri

Making the announcement through a Press release, Honeywell said these advanced technologies will support HBMSU’s strategic goal of creating a healthier and safer environment for building occupants through the deployment of integrated air quality, safety and security solutions along with advanced analytics that monitor both the building environment and building occupants’ behaviours.

Honeywell said its solutions help support business continuity and minimise the risk of disease transmission and the spread of other pathogens. The solution installed at HBMSU enhances indoor air quality, and also integrates security systems that analyse facility usage with thermal screening, social distancing and mask detection analytics, the company added.

Dr Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, said: “As the first accredited smart university in the UAE, we are committed to providing our learners, faculty and administrative staff with an environment that conforms to the highest standards of health, security and safety on our campus and support business continuity. The launch of the first Honeywell project in the region demonstrates the effectiveness of integrated solutions for healthy buildings and is compelling evidence of the high international confidence in our University. It highlights HBMSU’s commitment to adopting best practices that support sustainability within the education sector as well as harnessing the most advanced technology to provide better learning environments for innovators and creators of the future.”

Dr Mansoor Al Awar

George Bou Mitri, President, Honeywell Building Technologies (Middle East, Turkey and Africa), said: “In the current environment, there is a greater need for building operators and managers to reassure occupants. Our Healthy Buildings Solutions at HBMSU will enable multi-level assurances for students and staff as they return. We’re proud to partner with HBMSU as the first pilot project in the region and support its continued drive for sustainability and establishing regional best practice.”

The deployment, Honeywell said, contributed to the International WELL Being Institute (IWBI) accrediting HBMSU with its WELL Health Safety Rating. It is the first university in the UAE and Middle East to achieve this milestone. HBMSU met all requirements for criteria, including cleaning and sanitisation procedures, emergency preparedness programmes, health service resources, air and water quality management and innovation.  

According to Honeywell, its Healthy Buildings solutions focus on two main elements: Facilitating safety and security and improving indoor air quality.

The key technologies deployed at HBMSU, the company said, include:

• Thermal cameras to detect elevated body temperature in building entrances, and deep learning video analytics with real-time alarms for non-compliance with masks and social distancing policies. The latter can be used by building owners and operators to adjust interior infrastructure and minimize close-contact hotspots.

• Indoor Air Quality sensors measuring temperature, relative humidity and contaminant concentration, with real time reporting to the Building Management System for adjustment of filtration, ventilation and other air quality parameters.

• Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC) with UV-C disinfection technologies, applied directly on existing building HVAC systems, which helps to improve air quality in two ways. EACs trap particles while UV lighting helps inactivate attached pathogens.

Central to these building systems, the Healthy Buildings Dashboard analytics provide real-time alerts to building owners and operators for dynamic decision-making of non-compliance issues or dealing with infection-related incidents, the company said. The dashboard can be provided to occupants in a simplified view to provide visibility into what is being done to improve the building environment’s health and safety, it added.

Honeywell Healthy Building Dashboard at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University

According to Honeywell, the technologies were applied to HBMSU’s existing building management system, which uses a third-party system, demonstrating the platform’s open architecture and hardware agnostic capabilities.

Honeywell said the proof-of-concept project is an extension of its collaboration with HBMSU to be its preferred technology provider. In early 2020 at HBMSU, the company launched Honeywell Forge Energy Optimization, a cloud-based, closed-loop, machine learning solution that autonomously and continuously studies a building’s energy consumption patterns and automatically adjusts to optimal setpoints for the building without compromising occupant comfort levels.