Considering that they were first mentioned in the 1980s, it sometimes feels like smart buildings have been around for a while. With every device connected it may appear that the technology is now established, that all that is left is for costs to come down so adoption can pick up and that we are on the verge of that smart urban future we’ve heard so much about. The reality, however, is that we are still very early in our smart building development. “There is a lack of definition on what a smart building is,” says Reinhold Wieland, business development manager at smart building consultancy firm Connecting Buildings. “I would say “smart” is a combination of smart infrastructure and building automation, real time data, seamless integration, and the real “smart” comes with workflow engines when the building integrates with people in an intelligent way.” “Based on the Rogers Innovation Uptake Bell Curve, I feel the industry’s […]