Buildings needn’t necessarily be mere concrete structures; they hold the potential to be transformed into living ecosystems that respond intelligently to the needs of assets, occupants and of the environment. The convergence of sustainability principles and technological advancements has given rise to smart buildings that minimise their ecological footprint and present substantial economic advantages. 

The early Building Management Systems (BMS) were baby steps towards the vision of smart buildings. But the shortcomings of the old-school BMS/BAS are more than obvious. Unfortunately, since its inception, there has been minimal innovation in this space, largely confining it to site supervisory control software designed for building engineers. Usually limited in scope to equipment controls and alarm management, the Building Management Systems of yore make it much harder for these systems to be used more broadly, beyond building-control technicians. 

However, there’s a compelling argument for reevaluating the traditional approach to Building Management Systems. There’s potential in decoupling the hardware and software components, particularly by embracing cloud-technologies. These modern platforms extend beyond conventional BMS functionality, offering scalability and efficiency across entire portfolios of buildings, rather than just individual sites. 

By adopting cloud supervisory software, organisations can unlock a host of smart building use cases that were previously hindered by the limitations of traditional Building Management Systems. This shift not only addresses scalability and efficiency concerns but also fosters innovation and facilitates the implementation of advanced building management strategies. 

New age Building Management Systems and their potential impact 

Imagine for a moment having historic BMS data collected over the years and across buildings on a single cloud-based platform. What if that data could be normalised using a common data model and naming standard? Analytics could be applied over unified data sets. Visibility into 

building operations could be shared – and insights derived – for key stakeholders. Consider, as well, that this same platform also enables data sharing with other applications that need this data. The ability to address all the key challenges of BMS integration is now within reach. The data surfaced from Building Management Systems enables maintenance to be performed based on the equipment condition, besides periodic maintenance. This also means that tenant servicing systems could automatically adjust HVAC schedules or override setpoints in a building based on occupant requests. The potential that this approach creates is powerful and lucrative in meeting the evolving operational demands of large organisations. 

Turning to next-gen technologies for portfolio-wide automation 

Building Management Systems traditionally operate at a site level, facilitating real-time equipment control, data processing, alarms management and reporting. However, to scale these functionalities across portfolios from a centralised location, organisations are turning to cloud supervisory platforms. 

These platforms go beyond traditional BMS capabilities, enabling analytics across large datasets and deploying optimisation strategies at a portfolio scale. By leveraging cloud-based infrastructure, organisations can harness the power of big data analytics to uncover insights and trends that were previously inaccessible. 

A cloud supervisory platform complements existing Building Management Systems and site supervisory infrastructure, augmenting rather than replacing them. This approach unlocks the untapped potential of BMS data, allowing organisations to optimise building operations, improve energy efficiency and enhance overall performance across their entire portfolio. 

Using IoT and AI to optimise building operations 

Leveraging the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), buildings can potentially evolve into sentient entities, adeptly meeting occupants’ requirements while fine-tuning resource consumption. AI-fuelled analytics unveil intricate energy usage patterns, empowering proactive measures. 

Capitalising on data-driven insights, building managers can meticulously calibrate operations, fine-tune energy utilisation, and implement predictive maintenance protocols. These capabilities extend seamlessly across entire portfolios, effortlessly adapting to scale. 

Here are some ways in which IoT-led remote monitoring solutions, when integrated with BAS, can change the way buildings perform: 

● Real-time insights: BAS collects data from IoT sensors, offering real-time insights into building performance. 

● Predictive maintenance: IoT sensors enable proactive maintenance by detecting equipment issues before they escalate, reducing downtime. 

● Energy Optimisation: BAS analyses energy data from IoT sensors to optimise usage, reducing waste and lowering costs. 

● Dynamic controls: With IoT data, BAS adjusts systems in real-time, based on occupancy and environmental conditions, enhancing efficiency. 

● Continuous Improvement: BAS continuously monitors and refines operations using IoT data, ensuring ongoing efficiency gains. 

The road ahead 

As we look to the future, the convergence of these technologies will continue to drive innovation and transformation across industries. We can expect to see further advancements in IoT connectivity, ML/AI algorithms and predictive analytics, as they seamlessly connect with other building systems, enabling even greater automation, efficiency and sustainability. By embracing these technologies, organisations can unlock new levels of efficiency and productivity in their building operations, paving the way for smarter, more responsive and more resilient built environments.