What is Smart Building?

A smart building aims to optimise processes, the environment and ultimately reduce energy use. Let’s take a moment to understand smart buildings, what the key elements are and what are the key benefits.

Let's start with the first question: What is a smart building?

A smart building utilises technology to control operations within the building. These operations can include lighting, security, air conditioning, heating, ventilation and more. Smart buildings work with the use of actuators and chips, which collects data and uses said data to control the building’s processes. You may be thinking that making your building smart would involve having to update all of the building’s tech, but this is not the case. The newer systems of smart buildings can adapt to preexisting technology, however, this is dependent on the systems already in place.

On this page, we will also answer the other questions about smart building:

1. What are the benefits of a smart building?

2. What elements are used in a smart building?

3. What do you need to create a smart building?

So keep reading or talk to our team via the below button!

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How to create a smart building?

What else do you need to set up a smart building?

1. Assess

When getting started with your plans to make your building smart, you first should assess what you are hoping to achieve by creating a smart building. Is the aim to save money, make the building more accessible, or simply to automate as much as possible?

Part of the assessment also needs to include taking a look at your current building and noting which systems can be optimised. How are power, air conditioning and heating currently being handled? Can your building’s security and digital signage be improved and optimised? How can you make the most out of a smart building’s productivity?

2. Linking Core Systems

Once you have completed your assessment and you understand the current systems your building has. You will be able to make educated decisions as to how smart technology can be implemented in the most effective way, whether that is through using one system or multiple. The latest software is available, but would it make more sense for systems to be arranged per room or for the building as a whole?

You connect these systems with sensors and control systems.

3. Potentially add new/more technologies

Connecting the smart technology to your building may take a fair amount of time and effort. However, once it is all set up, data should have already been collected which will lead to system optimisation opportunities being identified.

You can add more technologies from there on out, such as elevators, access systems, meeting room management systems, check-in kiosks for employees, informational displays with digital signage players in the lobby or occupancy screens at the entrance measured by sensors.

Which elements are used in a smart building?

Meeting Room Management

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What are the benefits of a smart building?

At the top of this page, we mentioned how smart buildings are designed to optimise processes, the environment and reduce energy use. Now, we’ll go into more detail and really discuss the key benefits of smart buildings. Smart buildings are tailor-made for each customer, which is why it is important to have regular contact with our team about the specifications that would benefit your building the most.


Increased energy efficiency	Predictive maintenance	Increase productivity	Data insight and analytics
Motion-sensitive lighting, better HVAC management (ventilation, heating, airconditioning) and a Super RTC which schedules your devices on/off time to save energy. A couple of examples of how a smart building reduces energy costs, which benefit both the business and the environment.	By connecting IoT sensors that monitor occupancy with your building management system, you can automatically detect errors, instead of sending an engineer to the location every time. This can be done via sensors and in hardware systems via remote management, where you can spot a loose HDMI cable, check for updates or check on analytics of the device statistics.	Due to the controlled lighting and temperature in the room, the building will be much more tailored to the needs of the occupants. Implementing roombooking systems increases productivity by reducing wasted time to physically check if a space is empty. Smart buildings continually monitor building use and can adjust systems to ensure occupants have the facilities they need.	A smart building collects a lot of data that can be analysed and help make decisions. See how much energy is used and what the costs are, check what the impact is on new systems and decide on new investments.

Success Stories

Read our success story at the Acer Headquarters in Switzerland about controlling your building via the Chromebase Mini.

Building Control

Building automation at the Acer headquarters. Control lighting, the intensity of lighting, ventilation (speed and temperature) and curtains via the Chromebase Mini touch panel pc.

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Create a Solution

AOPEN manufacturers computing hardware, but that doesn't create a solution.

Hardware & Software Partners	System Integrators & Resellers
For a complete setup, you need hard- and software, such as displays and software, depending on the solution you want to create. If you don't know what you need for your solution, contact us for the advice!	Buying separate components doesn't create a solution. System Integrators & Resellers are partners that bring together subsystems and ensure that all components function well together.
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Get in touch!

We appreciate that this is a lot of information to take in, so if you would like to get in contact with a member of our team we would be more than happy to help and consult. You can get in touch with us by giving us a call or by sending us an email.