Can bricks-and-mortar buildings benefit from technological innovation? In the first episode of Future Now, a podcast series from Gulf News and Microsoft UAE, to be launched on Wednesday, Nada Taryam, Managing Director of Civil and Architectural Projects at Beeah and host Ihsan Anabtawi, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of Microsoft UAE, discuss how smart buildings can help us become more comfortable, productive and sustainable.
“A smart building is essentially a building that is reactive and interactive,” says Taryam in the episode, Secrets of Smart Buildings. “It is fitted with technology and systems to give it life and essence. It can interact with its occupants, perform actions for them, and provide them with a better experience.
"A smart building does not provide you just with shelter. It is not just a dwelling. It provides you with features that you didn't think you needed. So, this is fitting buildings with systems and technology to be able to speak to its inhabitants and provide them with the best and most enhanced experience.”
From homes to meeting rooms, smart buildings improve many aspects of our lives, from predicting the correct lighting levels to optimum room temperatures. But it is not just limited to improving user experiences.
“Smart buildings enhance the performance of buildings and help them operate more efficiently,” explains Taryam. “This is one of the ways that could offset the negative impact on our climate.”
Even property maintenance is taken care of through the use of digital twin technology.
“We have a digital twin, a digital representation of the building, which aids in maintenance. It can predict maintenance patterns and digitally show you if there is a problem with the building.”
To learn more about how smart buildings improve lives and sustainability, listen to Secrets of Smart Buildings, which will be available on Wednesday, August 31, on Gulfnews.com/future-now as well as all the leading podcast channels.
