You can’t truly develop an industry without being able to define it. That has been the struggle of the smart buildings industry over the last decade or more, which is still unable to offer a truly standardised definition of what “smart” is. Without a proper definition, almost any building upgrade can be called smart for sales and marketing purposes. And, when those upgrades fail to deliver the expansive and futuristic benefits that the wider smart buildings industry promises, the customers lose faith in the technology, which undermines the entire industry. “The debate has raged on as to what constitutes a smart building and it will show no sign of stopping if we continue down the path we’re currently on,” says Karl Walker market development manager at Beckhoff Automation. “Various clients will have an idea of what smart means to them, but will not be sure, others will say their building is smart as long as […]