Jargon alert: it is impossible to tell the story of smart technology in steel buildings without using technical terms that are not yet in everyday public use. By its very nature, the smart technology of the future sounds futuristic. For the reader with a sound grasp of all things IT, this will be a brisk ride through an uncharted landscape. For anyone routinely baffled by this kind of thing but determined to keep up, hang onto your hat, and we hope to leave you better informed and equipped to take advantage of the possibilities than when you started.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the idea of people having personal communications devices, as they did in Star Trek, seemed like a sci-fi fantasy that would not come true in our lifetime. But mobile phones happened, the World Wide Web happened, instant communication via email happened, only to be dismissed as primitive by phone-wielding futurists raised on social media.
Just as the world was congratulating itself on understanding the internet, along came the Internet of Things (IoT), which means a limitless series of devices with sensors, software and processing capability which allow them to communicate with each other.
What makes the IoT so radical is that the devices are doing this without human intervention. It’s the internet that links things rather than people.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is, like all new technologies, making things possible that are barely credible, and one significant application for this is in buildings: not the businesses that operate in the buildings, but the buildings themselves, how they function, how they react to circumstances and changes. Prefabricated steel structures can now monitor themselves, noticing and reporting issues and potential issues.
The human role in these buildings at the moment is to respond to this information and attend to repairs, upgrades, and other actions that may need to be discussed at managerial or boardroom level, perhaps with priorities and budgets to consider. But at the moment must be stressed, because the speed at which this technology has already developed and will continue to develop means that the chain of command may look very different in a few years.
A key acronym that has already emerged is IWMS, which stands for integrated workplace management system – and in this case, the actual words are more helpful than the abbreviated version, because they tell us succinctly what is going on here.
How a WSN Can Run a Building
A WSN is a wireless sensor network, and they are increasingly widely used to monitor temperature, sound, pollution levels, humidity and wind, giving the user incredibly detailed information about environmental matters in the area. It doesn’t take much human brain power to see how this principle can be applied inside a building.
Why Steel Buildings in Particular?
There are many outstanding attributes to steel buildings, including versatility and adaptability. Because this is such a forward-thinking branch of construction, steel buildings are now coming with sensors, smart locks, lighting, and HVAC systems (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning). Some of these are not so much to do with a steel building’s natural suitability and more to do with its needs. Climate control is a stick often used to beat steel structures with, but with the technology keeping a virtual eye on it, that can no longer be seen as an issue.
The advantages for security and energy conservation are obvious, with no requirement for the last one out to close the windows, turn off the lights, and lock the doors. Smart cameras and motion detectors are well enough established now to be available at hardware stores and online, so perhaps automating them and allowing them to function among a group of other devices was only to be expected.
In addition, IoT can help with inventory management. Managers may not know where that particular electronic device has gone, but if it is IoT-linked, the system will know.
Anyone thinking of commissioning a prefabricated steel structure can now have it fitted with the 2020s version of all modern conveniences, making it the smartest building in town and increasing comfort and security along with efficiency, all of which means greater profitability and ultimately, success. That is the future of smart technology in prefabricated steel structures. Your business may not be running itself yet, but at least you will have far less to worry about with the building you’re operating in.
To find out how this kind of technological sophistication could be helpful to your business, be it industrial, commercial, sporting, agricultural or residential, bring up the subject with the contractor you are thinking of engaging and see what they have to say about it.
