Pushing the limits in smart buildings
The words 'smart' and 'intelligent' get thrown around a lot, particularly in reference to residential and commercial buildings, with plenty of variation in the interpretation. According to Farukh Aslam, CEO of Sinclair Holdings (USA) and opening keynote speaker at this year's BICSI South Pacific Conference, a truly smart building is one in which every single device is capable of intercommunication to become more efficient and to enhance the user experience.
Nowhere is the user experience more important than within the hospitality space, as today's hotel guests expect their stay to offer a level of luxury and convenience that surpasses remaining at home — a task made more difficult in the age of home automation technology.
Aslam's keynote, 'Implementing Digital Building Strategies and Applications within the Hospitality Space', will highlight the ways in which the building developer is seeking new ways to push the limits of efficiency and intelligence. His presentation will include an overview of the Marriott Autograph Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. The Marriott project utilises a digital electricity backbone to power distributed digital building switches. Those switches then provide PoE power and network connectivity to room and building services including lighting, motorised blinds and shades, mini bars, door locks, sensors, phones, cameras and electric mirrors.
Sinclair Holdings plans to keep pushing the envelope, with a future project earmarked for 100% DC power. Aslam says by moving TVs and VRF AC units to PoE and creating a DC microgrid, achieving a net-zero building becomes a reality. The upshot is a truly intelligent building that delivers higher levels of control and ready access to information, while also being more efficient and cost-effective to run.
If you would like to know more about utilising PoE in intelligent buildings, be sure to attend this year's conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 27 November.
To see the full BICSI South Pacific dual-stream conference program, go to www.bicsiconference.com.au.
Call for improved train lighting to save lives
The Australian Trucking Association says better lighting of trains must be made a legal...
Coastal camera network helps keep beachgoers safe
The network aids in the early detection of people in difficulty and can provide real-time updates...
nbn increases access to smart city techology
NBN Co will be rolling out its Smart Places technology across Australia, following a series of...
