Event Description

USGBC NCR: Best Practices in Remote Building Management: Operating Buildings from Your Bedroom

With many commercial buildings emptied of tenants and running on skeleton crews, managing buildings remotely has become a new necessity for many building owners and operators. Join USGBC NCR on April 29th to hear from experienced building operations professionals from Intellimation and Cushman & Wakefield how they see the COVID crisis affecting the practices of building engineering and management staff, as well as the service providers and consultants that support them. Hear examples about how real properties from around the country are protecting assets and people using remote access capabilities to reduce operational cost and minimize exposure of on-site staff. Gain insight into how buildings management personnel are changing their in-person workflows to adjust for health concerns and social distancing. Learn about the underlying technological systems and potential costs necessary to implement the most effective remote management capabilities.

The traditional BAS (building automation system) or BMS (building management system) has been around for over 35 years. But, recent technological advances in cloud computing, data analytics, open communication protocols, meta-data tagging standards, wireless sensing, and ubiquitous connectivity, have enabled us to extend the traditional BAS/BMS to enable a much smarter, autonomous, and remotely controlled building. These technologies are part of the broader “Digital Transformation” that is happening across all industries. These technologies will help improve indoor comfort and wellness, while reducing maintenance and energy use/cost.

These technologies multiply the capacity of a building operator and allow him to get ahead of the fires - become proactive vs reactive. Fault detection and diagnostics software can not only uncover issues, but diagnose them as well. Operators will need training on these new tools in order to maximize their capabilities. A developing online, on-demand operator learning platforms can help solve this need.

Last, but not least, with the introduction of advanced BAS, fault detection and remote management systems, cybersecurity concerns are becoming a hot topic in the world of the building IOT, and with staff working from home around the country. Ransomware attacks on BAS systems are becoming more common as remote systems are implemented. Panelists will take time to discuss what major concerns come along with advanced IOT systems and what measures can be taken to ensure system integrity.