Green Buildings: The Build-Up to Sustainability

By: Devrim Tekeli, general manager - GCC service

Companies all around the world are striving to be at the forefront of the sustainability movement, and for good reason. Government policies require organizations to reduce carbon emissions, which in a way is encouraging business owners and investors to focus on sustainable practices and renewable energy such as wind, solar, thermal among others. The building and property industry is one of the largest users of global resources and contributors of pollution. It, therefore, has a huge responsibility to aid sustainability.

Undertaking a successful sustainable transformation drives competitive advantage and benefits for all stakeholders, particularly the building and property sector. A study by Forrester Research Inc. reports that organizations in the building and property sector have availed several benefits with the use of sustainable solutions. Some of the key benefits include decreased costs (e.g., cost of energy production and/or energy consumption) (82%), improved regulatory compliance (82%), improved employee recruitment and/or retention (82%), and improved customer acquisition and/or loyalty (75%).

In line with the benefits achieved, several building and property players have rapidly embraced the concept of net-zero buildings and accelerated their transition to eco-friendly construction with the use of innovative technologies, particularly OpenBlue Technology by Johnson Controls. OpenBlue is a comprehensive suite of connected solutions and services that combine Johnson Control’s 135 years of building expertise with cutting-edge technology in playing an instrumental role in achieving their sustainability goals.

OpenBlue integrates with customers' operational technology and the system collects and primes data from buildings and applies machine learning at the edge and in the cloud — comparing the data against optimized AI performance models. The result is the ability to micro-manage real-time building performance, save cost and energy as well as enhance environments. It also features a suite of tailored, AI-powered service solutions such as remote diagnostics, predictive maintenance, compliance monitoring, advanced risk assessments, and more. OpenBlue’s agile, flexible, and scalable platform allows buildings to become dynamic spaces and manage operations more systematically, creating buildings that have memory, intelligence and a unique identity. 

Using ground-breaking technologies as OpenBlue has enabled the building and property industry to disrupt current models and run their operations smoothly. Property management teams can not only make data-driven operations choices for both now and the future, but also continuously scan facility operations to uncover opportunities to save energy, improve indoor air quality and maintain occupant comfort. 

With change in time, advances in building design and construction will be essential to a sustainable global economy. Ultimately, the buildings that shelter and protect humanity will need to do more than offer a roof over the heads. However, with the use of right technology and innovation a greener and cleaner future is not far away!

-ENDS-