In a recent report, ‘Digital Transformation in Smart Buildings’, technology analyst firm Transforma Insights identified and highlighted nine key areas where disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and Hyperconnectivity are contributing to digital transformation in the smart buildings sector. One of the nine areas is smart in-building transportation. This article offers an overview of smart in-building transportation, highlighting its advantages for building managers, owners and occupants. We also reference several contexts in which these innovative solutions have successfully implemented.
Defining smart in-building transportation
Smart in-building transportation involves deploying advanced people-moving systems, including smart elevators, escalators and travelators. These systems can enhance safety and security, improve energy efficiency, and enable effective crowd management.
In many buildings, service breakdowns and high waiting times are issues that can negatively impact users. Uptime, an elevator technology specialist, estimates that elevators experience service breakdowns at least four times in a year with an average repair time of four hours. Needless to say, this can lead to disruptions in elevator services and cause inconvenience for users. Additionally, such issues can affect the building monetarily as well, since frequent breakdowns imply frequent technician visits and associated costs, leading to higher maintenance costs. Moreover, at times, people may also get trapped inside faulty elevators which may further impact a building’s reputation.
The benefits of smart in-building transportation
Smart in-building transportation integrates advanced technologies typically including the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) into the operation elevators, escalators and travelators. This can enhance efficiency, safety, and user experience in buildings as discussed below.
- Better traffic management enhances the visitor experience: AI-equipped in-building transportation can play a crucial role in effective traffic management, as machine learning algorithms can analyse and predict traffic patterns based on the flow of people within a building, including across different floors. This allows elevators to prioritise crowded floors and to adopt optimised routing, reducing waiting times for passengers. For instance, New York Marriott Marquis retrofitted the hotels’ elevators with intelligent destination-based systems provided by Schindler Group. The system is equipped with motion sensors and can adjust the intensity of lighting based on occupancy in elevators. The system helped the hotel to reduce energy consumption by 3.3% and reduce visitors’ waiting time by more than 50%.
- Reduced maintenance costs: Ongoing disruptions in elevators can result in higher frequency of technician visits, which can lead to higher maintenance costs. But AI can be used in the context of in-building transportation to support predictive maintenance, including providing warnings about impending breakdowns and maintenance requirements, which can significantly reduce the need for maintenance visits. One such example is the partnership between Helsinki University Hospital in Finland and Kone, where the hospital implemented Kone’s connected elevator services. By adopting an AI-based predictive maintenance digital solution for its 70 elevators across 20 hospitals, Helsinki University Hospital reduced instances of elevator failures by 25%, decreasing the maintenance cost for the hospital.
- Increased security: Smart in-building transportation can also enhance security in buildings like hotels through elevator access systems, which improves safety and security for building occupants. These systems can limit access to the floors in a building to specific users and customise floor selection options based on credentials and ensuring that unauthorised individuals cannot access certain floors. Some elevators are also equipped with video monitoring systems to connect users with remote technicians during emergencies.
- Reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions: Implementing smart in-building transportation systems enables owners and operators of commercial buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by allowing the more effective integration of renewable energy sources into building operations and increasing the overall efficiency of systems.
Smart in-building transportation is an important aspect of smart buildings
Smart in-building transportation solutions bring a host of advantages that greatly enhance efficiency, safety, and user satisfaction in a wide range of buildings. Through the integration of cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence and IoT into elevators, escalators, and travelators these systems improve traffic flow, decrease maintenance costs, and elevate the overall visitor experience. Additionally, they bolster security with features like access control and video monitoring. Furthermore, these solutions play a role in sustainability efforts by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Article by Paras Sharma, Lead Analyst at Transforma Insights
Article by Joydeep Bhattacharyya, Content Editor at Transforma Insights
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- Source: https://www.iot-now.com/2024/12/02/148371-navigating-high-rises-streamlining-in-building-transportation/
