Smart buildings have intelligent systems that are designed to communicate with each other and work seamlessly together every minute of every day: 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Smart buildings have systems and devices designed to allow them to communicate with other systems, monitor themselves and associated systems, and make adjustments as conditions dictate. Building systems can range from fire detection, suppression, and reporting devices to complex climate and lighting controls or perimeter intrusion devices that can monitor all activity from points of egress and ingress, such as windows, doors, fences, and loading docks. Buildings, like people, have different needs and need different degrees of intelligence. Whatever your needs, we can engineer, install, and service everything you need to make your building as smart as it needs to be.

Take The Right Step Towards Safety

When systems work together, there are added benefits that provide more utility than each system could provide on its own. Most companies require replacement of all systems in order to accomplish integration. IntraWorks can make new and/or existing building systems “talk” to each other by using standard, or even custom, protocols. By reutilizing existing systems, IntraWorks can make a building, or campus of buildings, “smarter” for a fraction of the cost of replacing these systems. Once the existing systems are integrated, IntraWorks can build a redundant and scalable facility management platform, which will provide unparalleled awareness and performance for your operators while automatically adhering to policies set by administrators.
Smart buildings save money. A recent nationwide study conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory concluded that smart building technology saved over 28% in energy costs over a broad range of building types. This savings came from simply controlling the existing HVAC and lighting systems in a more intelligent way. Interestingly, 18% of the savings came from low- or no-cost fixes identified by the new smart building system, which provided analytics and performance analysis. Further savings can be realized by integrating the access control system to the HVAC system so the HVAC system can respond based on the occupancy of the building.

Smart buildings reduce risk. By integrating surveillance systems to alarm, fire, and HVAC systems, people can be evacuated out of a burning building faster, slip and fall accidents can be investigated more timely and thoroughly and workplace violence incidents can be responded to more quickly or avoided altogether.

Smart buildings add function. By integrating access control, asset tracking, intercom and surveillance systems, employees can communicate better, have a better understanding of who is in the building, find critical assets more effectively and manage visitor or customer flow more effectively.

IntraWorks can provide proprietary systems that can perform better than more basic off-the-shelf systems. However, there can be disadvantages in competition when it comes to moves, adds, changes, and ongoing service. When appropriate, IntraWorks can offer building systems that are off-the-shelf or LESS PROPRIETARY. Off-the-shelf systems cost less and typically have reduced capabilities; but by integrating them, IntraWorks can meet, or even exceed, the functionality and performance of more expensive proprietary systems. Still, some critical situations require proprietary systems to obtain superior functionality. With IntraWorks, you have a choice.

Lastly, smart buildings work beyond the building equipment within the structure. They are connected and responsive to the smart power grid, and they interact with building operators and occupants in other locations to empower them with new levels of visibility and actionable information. (Please see smart campus for more information about building to building interoperability)