– Climate targets across the world are accelerating the implementation of smart, decarbonized, energy-efficient buildings. – In order to meet climate change commitments however, building stock requires significantly higher investment – around 3 times the current rate. – Smart financing can enable greater rates of investment in a financially sustainable
Construction firms are being targeted by cyber criminals with fake invoices and bank details as part of a sophisticated fraud netting more than £100m a year in the UK. Mandate Fraud, also known as Payment Diversion Fraud (PDF) and Business Email Compromise (BEC), tends to affect businesses and customers where
A new partnership between Abtec Building Technologies and Acutrace will help organisations across the UK benefit from enhanced energy measurement as the drive to deliver smarter, more efficient buildings intensifies. Acutrace is a cloud-based energy measurement and sustainability platform designed to provide businesses with reliable and accurate energy consumption data.
Contractors can create estimates up to 10x faster with Houzz Pro Takeoffs Houzz Inc., the leading platform for home renovation and design, today announced the acquisition of ConX, a SaaS takeoff and estimation tool. The ConX software, which enables contractors to do on-screen takeoffs from construction plans and turn them
Combining reality capture and AI to close the gap between BIM and on-site fieldwork Imerso’s smart construction monitoring platform enables true-to-life digital twins In line with Nemetschek strategy of investing in AEC/O innovators The Nemetschek Group, one of the leading software providers for the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AEC/O)
Why improved communication is key for the built environment UK construction accounts for around seven per cent of GDP and employs over 3 million people. But despite its significance, many firms are far behind modernisation and digital innovations seen in other parts of the economy — this includes its tools
Gira, global leader and supplier of intelligent system solutions for the connected home and building, unveils the latest automated systems and technological trends to enhance your home in 2022. “The last two years have seen us all spend more time at home and so it’s no surprise that we want
— Survey shows the urgency with a 72 percent of respondents identifying sustainability as an increasing priority over the past two years — Overwhelming majority of 2,348 global senior sustainability leaders surveyed in 25 countries across the globe are investing in cleaner and more energy efficient buildings — Top three
Construction companies are quick to embrace new technologies, although the paper work order stuck around in the industry a lot longer than many anticipated. Thankfully with the rise of work order software, firms of all sizes are embracing the digital revolution and enjoying improved efficiency, productivity and cost-effectiveness as a
– Johnson Controls OpenBlue digital platform technologies to be rolled out across approximately 55% of Derwent London’s portfolio – OpenBlue Enterprise Manager will help Derwent London and its occupiers understand energy consumption and move to a smart maintenance regime across their portfolio – Open Blue Central Utility Plant will use Artificial Intelligence & Machine
– Climate targets across the world are accelerating the implementation of smart, decarbonized, energy-efficient buildings. – In order to meet climate change commitments however, building stock requires significantly higher investment – around 3 times the current rate. – Smart financing can enable greater rates of investment in a financially sustainable way. – New research from Siemens Financial Services (SFS) estimates the ‘investment gap’ between current investment levels in energy efficient renovation of buildings stock, and those needed to achieve decarbonization targets in 4 regions across 3 sectors. Siemens Financial Services (SFS) has released a new insight study entitled “Financing Decarbonization: Smart Buildings” which estimates the ‘investment gap’ between current levels of investment in renovating the office, hospital, and education estate and the actual level needed to meet accelerated decarbonization targets by 2050. Part of a series on financing decarbonization, the research focuses on buildings – which account for 36% of final energy use – as a prime target for energy efficiency initiatives, and a major potential contributor to climate target attainment. The ‘gap’ represents a substantial shortcoming in each of the 4 countries studied, specifically: USA ($5.3bn for offices, $1bn for hospitals, $3.8bn for education) China ($12.7bn, $2.7bn, and $10.8bn respectively) India ($0.9bn, $0.6bn, and $6.2bn respectively), and Europe ($7.8bn, $2.2bn, and $5.5bn respectively). The research finds that smart buildings – which incorporate hot-desking, health and safety, information access controls, security, infection mitigation, and much more – are best suited to ensure more efficient use of commercial and public buildings, significantly reduced energy usage and emissions, and the transformation of buildings into far more sustainable assets for society. In order to bridge the gap between current investment levels and the required volumes, smart financing methods are being offered by private sector finance. These solutions seek to make the conversion to decarbonized, energy-efficient, smart buildings affordable for owners. Financing tools can ease cash flow and align costs to the rate of benefits gained. Smart financing also has the potential to make the transition to decarbonization budget neutral, by harnessing future savings to pay for current investment. “Our use of buildings has been disrupted and altered by the pandemic,” says Jo Harris, Sales Director, Commercial Finance UK, Siemens Financial Services. “Not only can smarter building stock better cope with this change, it will contribute significantly to a cleaner and greener future. Smart financing solutions can accelerate the rate of transformation, helping buildings owners to achieve net-zero carbon building stock by 2050. Methodology Proprietary data from Siemens Financial Services on cost of energy efficiency renovation per m2 (existing buildings) was applied to total m2 of the hospital, office and education estate for each country/region studied. The total cost of energy efficiency renovation was calculated based on the Global Alliance for Building and Construction’s estimate of the % of building stock that would have to be converted by 2040 to meet current climate targets (rising to 2% by 2030 and 3% by 2040). Then, the cumulative % of actual current renovation rates (approx. 1% of existing building stock) was projected to 2040 and the cost of renovation calculated at those current rates. The Investment Gap is the difference between current energy efficiency renovation rates and the projected rate of renovation needed to meet climate targets. For further information, please see: www.siemens.com/financing-decarbonization-smart-buildings For further information on SFS, please see www.siemens.com/finance
Construction firms are being targeted by cyber criminals with fake invoices and bank details as part of a sophisticated fraud netting more than £100m a year in the UK. Mandate Fraud, also known as Payment Diversion Fraud (PDF) and Business Email Compromise (BEC), tends to affect businesses and customers where electronic financial transactions are common place, such as the construction industry. Criminals will contact businesses or customers via email, usually claiming to be from a company that the business or customer has been dealing with. They will request a payment to be made via fake but very plausible invoices, or payment details to be changed. It is estimated that mandate fraud costs the UK more than £100m annually, with the average loss per business around £27,700. In 2019 alone, 3,577 reports were reported to the police. One historical mandate fraud cost a single construction company £1.1m. The scams are becoming ever more sophisticated with the criminals often creating fake e-mail addresses which are very similar or identical to genuine business, down to the e- signatures and disclaimers. These directs payments from businesses and customers go straight into the criminal’s bank account where it is quickly moved on. The scammers do their homework and will often go to extraordinary lengths to mimic their victim’s online presence and email branding. The NEBRC – North East Business Resilience Centre – which advises businesses on how to prevent such fraud are currently advising across the construction sector including prevention, recovery from an attack and putting in robust IT protection. Supt Rebecca Chapman (pictured) , head of the not-for-profit NEBRC, said: “Mandate fraud aimed at construction businesses is becoming more commonplace as the nature of the sector with complex supply chains, multiple third-party contractors and a fast-moving work environment often meaning there’s little time to double check authentic looking requests that come in on email. “But the construction industry needs to be aware of this threat and ensure they have robust systems and checks in place. The NEBRC can advise businesses who don’t know where to start with audits to check current security measures, IT enhancements and, most importantly, staff training. It only takes a split second for a member of staff to unwittingly allow a mandate fraud to take place, and the criminals will take no time at all to move any monies on from genuine customers and bank accounts.” CASE STUDY: Tom is the managing director of a successful medium-sized construction-based firm with a £3m turnover based in Yorkshire: “I operate a small construction-based business and we have a reasonable customer base; we’ve been trading a long time and had all the relevant standard industry protection you would expect for a company our size. We thought we were safe. “We had a customer who owed us a substantial amount of money and when we were chasing them for our monthly payment they announced they had already paid us – which they hadn’t. “It turned out, they showed us an email purporting to be our offices that was instructing them to change our payment banking details and they paid our monthly payment into someone else’s bank account on what seemed to be our instruction. We realised this was a very serious situation that can affect anybody. We never thought we were vulnerable to this sort of thing, and obviously it causes an awful lot of stress, undue heartache, and financial. “We have been consulting with NEBCR who have been extremely helpful and informative on these issue and we have put systems in place to hopefully make sure this sort of thing can’t happen again. All I would say to anybody out there is make sure this is front of mind , it can happen to you, it can happen to anyone, and it happens every day.” Tom’s full interview can be seen here: General advice to follow an possible attack includes: STOP: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe. CHALLENGE: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests for your financial or personal details. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you. PROTECT: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam. TO PROTECT EMAIL IDENTITY AND AUTHENTICATION: Use a strong and separate password for your email. Create strong passwords using 3 random words. Save your passwords in your browser. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA). Update your devices. Back up your data. For further information go to the NEBRC website www.nebrcentre.co.uk
A new partnership between Abtec Building Technologies and Acutrace will help organisations across the UK benefit from enhanced energy measurement as the drive to deliver smarter, more efficient buildings intensifies. Acutrace is a cloud-based energy measurement and sustainability platform designed to provide businesses with reliable and accurate energy consumption data. It uses a Measure, Visualise, Analyse and Control (MVAC) process to help organisations save energy, and reduce costs and carbon emissions. The platform can interface with any building management system and existing energy meters, with data accessible 24/7 from any web-enabled device. The data gathered can be used within sustainability reporting to achieve international certification and standards such as ISO5000, LEED and the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB). With Abtec acting as Acutrace’s System Integration Partner in the UK, it opens a new market for the Dublin-based software company whilst enhancing Abtec’s existing energy monitoring portfolio with customers able to integrate the platform into their building management projects to create smarter and more efficient buildings. Dave Watkins, Director of Abtec Building Technologies commented: “Making simple changes to how we manage buildings can have a significant impact on energy consumption and carbon emissions. In the face of rising energy costs, we are finding that more than ever, carbon-conscious businesses are seeking out solutions that help them create more efficient buildings. Acutrace’s measurement platform complements our existing building energy management services, and this new partnership allows us to offer customers across the UK a complete approach to monitoring and measuring their energy use so they can save energy and reduce carbon emissions.” Aidan McDonnell, CEO at Acutrace, added: “Abtec has a proven track record in delivering successful energy management projects from start to finish. Their turnkey building management offering combined with the Acutrace energy measurement and sustainability software platform will provide businesses and building owners with complete peace of mind when tackling energy measurement projects. We have already collaborated with Abtec on several projects, including the iconic Leadenhall Building in London. The strength of the relationship we have built ensured that when we sought to appoint a System Integration Partner in the UK, Abtec were the logical choice. By working in partnership with them we can ensure our customers across the UK have access to full project support as they reduce energy consumption and decarbonise their buildings.”
Contractors can create estimates up to 10x faster with Houzz Pro Takeoffs Houzz Inc., the leading platform for home renovation and design, today announced the acquisition of ConX, a SaaS takeoff and estimation tool. The ConX software, which enables contractors to do on-screen takeoffs from construction plans and turn them into professional estimates up to 10 times faster, is now fully integrated and available in Houzz Pro, the all-in-one marketing and business management software. Contractors can streamline the estimation process and turn bids around faster with Houzz Pro Takeoffs, helping them save time and win more jobs. In addition, takeoffs created in Houzz Pro can be directly converted into estimates, as part of the Houzz Pro project management workflow. “We’re excited to bring the power of ConX’s takeoff tool to contractors using Houzz Pro, and to welcome ConX’s customers around the world to the Houzz community,” said Alon Cohen, Houzz co-founder and president. “Creating estimates can be incredibly time intensive for contractors. By providing fully integrated, easy-to-use Houzz Pro Takeoffs, we’re helping pros to efficiently manage and grow their businesses, and spend less time on back-office work.” “We are thrilled to join forces with Houzz in their mission to create the best software for construction and design,” said Annie Slattery, ConX co-founder and CEO. “It is incredibly exciting to see ConX’s tools built into the end-to-end Houzz Pro offering, helping contractors around the world run efficient, profitable businesses.” Houzz Pro Takeoffs is applicable to builders, renovators and speciality contractors across the construction industry from carpenters to roofers, electricians, plumbers and concrete contractors. Pros can upload plans and start measuring instantly. Houzz Pro Takeoffs can auto-calculate total material costs, based on prices added by the pro. The tool is available to Houzz Pro Essential and Ultimate subscribers. Houzz Pro helps residential construction and design professionals to run an efficient, profitable business and makes it easy for them to reach new customers, all while delivering a standout client experience. The software is available in more than 10 countries across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Subscription packages, priced to fit any budget or team, also include estimates, invoicing, lead management and business management tools. Pros can learn more and get started at houzz.co.uk/pro. The Houzz Pro app is available on iOS and Android devices. The Houzz community includes more than 65 million homeowner and home design enthusiasts and over 2.7 million home renovation and design professionals around the world in more than 100 categories, including architects, interior designers, contractors and landscape professionals.
Combining reality capture and AI to close the gap between BIM and on-site fieldwork Imerso’s smart construction monitoring platform enables true-to-life digital twins In line with Nemetschek strategy of investing in AEC/O innovators The Nemetschek Group, one of the leading software providers for the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AEC/O) industry, has led a financing round for Imerso AS. The Norway based deep-tech company is offering a next-generation platform to automate construction quality monitoring through a combination of advanced artificial intelligence (AI), reality capture, and BIM technologies. The solution enables easy, everyday use of industry grade 3D scanners on site. The scanners capture the as-built status throughout the construction phase with point clouds – a collection of 3D data points that accurately digitize real-life physical spaces, such as a building, a floor, or a room. Imerso’s cloud-based platform automatically analyses the captured 3D scan data against the plan in BIM. Combining AI and advanced computer vision, it highlights and lists in real-time any relevant work deviations or issues, so these can be resolved efficiently through re-planning or fixes on site. By connecting the BIM model directly to the as-built snapshot on site, Imerso delivers an efficient roadmap for accurate, as-built digital twins – with great benefits across the entire building life-cycle. “Imerso is a perfect fit to our goal of helping our customers worldwide shape the world,” says Dr. Axel Kaufmann, spokesman and CFOO of the Nemetschek Group. Tanja Kufner, Head of Start-ups and Venture Investments at the Nemetschek Group, explains further. “We see great synergies, particularly with our brand Solibri. Both companies are on a mission to improve the quality of construction and to create better buildings. Customers can accurately monitor the project’s progress and efficiently improve the results,” she says. Combining the technologies of Solibri and Imerso will generate significant opportunities for owners, engineers, and contractors. They can monitor the progress and quality of work on site at a detailed level and produce reliable final client deliverables for the management of the facility. “This is a tremendous step in our journey, as we continue scaling our solution with some of the leading players in our industry. Partnering with the Nemetschek Group is rocket fuel for us to leverage their deep roots in the construction sector and in-depth knowledge, and to accelerate the go-to-market strategy of our technology,” says Frederico Valente, founder and CEO of Imerso. The Norwegian start-up has been developing its solution in collaboration with leading research institutes and some of the largest industry players in the Nordics. Seven million square meters of floor have already been captured in the platform across several customer projects. Imerso is currently being used on some of the largest and most ambitious projects in Scandinavia and central Europe. The investment in Imerso is a strong continuation of the Nemetschek Group strategy of supporting young companies to shape the future AEC/O market and drive innovation. See also our recent announcements regarding the start-ups Sablono and Reconstruct.
Why improved communication is key for the built environment UK construction accounts for around seven per cent of GDP and employs over 3 million people. But despite its significance, many firms are far behind modernisation and digital innovations seen in other parts of the economy — this includes its tools for communication. Here, Kristian Torode, Director and Co-Founder of business phone systems provider Crystaline, explores why construction needs to up its communication game. Besides its slow uptake of digital technologies, pressures from COVID-19 and Brexit have also created productivity challenges across the construction sector. For instance, research from the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS) found that 80 per cent of the 900 construction business owners it surveyed have had to postpone or cancel projects because of the pandemic. As a result, industry is falling behind in productivity, operating on very tight profit margins and therefore the smallest inefficiencies are having a considerable impact. Challenging comms According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), poor communication is the main reason why construction projects fail one-third of the time. In fact, more than half of project budget risk is due to ineffective and improper time management of project communications. Even if the project doesn’t fail, the effect of poor communication can still be detrimental. The PMI found that, in projects with minimal communication, only 37 per cent were completed on time and just 52 per cent met their original goals. In contrast, projects where effective communication was implemented resulted in 71 per cent completing on time and 80 per cent meeting their goals. Considering the industry is already under pressure from external, uncontrollable challenges, it must make improvements to reduce communication problems that can worsen these issues. Playing catch up Construction may be one of the largest industries in the UK, but it’s also one of the least digitised. 2020 research by IDC and Autodesk found that while almost three quarters of construction firms say digitalisation is a priority to improve their processes, business models and ecosystems, only 13 per cent are well on their way to achieving this. The emergence of IP-based telephony, along with cloud (hosted) technologies and Unified Communications, presents greater opportunities to upgrade legacy systems and develop effective communication tools for construction businesses. IP-based telephony such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls will become a necessity from 2025 when British Telecoms (BT) switches off the public switched telephone network (PSTN), moving to an entirely IP-based model of voice communication. This comes with numerous opportunities for construction. Firstly, VoIP works independently from local power and systems availability, so as long as the user has a stable internet connection, they can enjoy high-quality voice calls with 99.9 per cent connection uptime. Uptime can be boosted even further by ensuring access to a backup power source in case of power outages. So, in the event of an unpredicted outage, workers can still access the people and information they need from any internet connection or mobile device. Furthermore, there is no additional maintenance costs with VoIP as the hardware is located offsite in a data centre. Improving communication In remote and rural areas where connectivity isn’t reliable, it can be difficult for colleagues on-site to communicate with those located elsewhere. So, how do dispersed teams keep in touch? If time-sensitive information isn’t available in real-time, such as last minute changes or updates that could impact work safety, workers must wait to retrieve it, delaying work. Construction companies should implement a Unified Communication system such as Vodafone One Net Business, provided by Crystaline. This solution integrates landlines, mobiles, desktop and tablet connectivity on one system, allowing on-site workers, project managers and those back at headquarters to remain connected on any device. This ability to remain connected enables workforces to have a live, shareable view of project information at their fingertips, helping to bridge the gap between on site and the office. Construction is renowned for costly overruns, expensive equipment and increasingly narrow project schedules. But, by streamlining communication into one system that does not rely on cellular connectivity, projects will run faster and more efficiently, helping the industry to combat its productivity challenges. To find out how Crystaline can support your construction project, visit crystaline.uk.
Gira, global leader and supplier of intelligent system solutions for the connected home and building, unveils the latest automated systems and technological trends to enhance your home in 2022. “The last two years have seen us all spend more time at home and so it’s no surprise that we want to make our personal interior spaces as comfortable and versatile as possible. This is where the “connected home” has come to the fore, equipping the modern home with smart functions and devices that are specifically designed to improve daily life and contribute to a more efficient household” says Jacob de Muijnck, Managing Director at Gira UK Ltd. In fact, UK consumers are now very familiar with smart TVs, fitness trackers, voice-activated assistants and 24/7 access to all kinds of media, and this has become part of everyday life as the features and benefits appeal to multiple generations. The global health crisis and inevitable after effects have only highlighted that we need reliable systems in order to stay in touch with the outside world anytime, anywhere. With this in mind Gira present four key smart home trends that are set to redefine the idea of a ‘connected home’ next year and beyond: 1: The home office that thinks for itself Fewer people leave their house to go work in 2020 and the concept of working from home has become increasingly mainstream, but digital tools and services alone are not enough to maintain a high level of productivity. A home office requires a healthy, well considered environment that keeps you focused and motivated and so premium manufacturers are creating innovative solutions for the connected home office. Innovations include clever chairs and desks reminding you to stand up, multifunctional charging stations for mobile devices and smart lighting and blind systems that adjust room brightness according to the time of day or work discipline under way. 2: Smart appliances for easy living From stoves that won’t let anything burn to bathrooms that know how you like to shower in the morning – intelligent technologies make life safer, easier and more energy-efficient. Automated vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and dryers are only the first steps towards a connected home in 2022, with indoor greenhouses becoming increasingly popular as we bring the outdoors in. More and more, smart devices are compatible with IFTTT (“If this then that”) technology, which makes it easy to configure individual systems where products from different manufacturers need to work in sync. For example, you can switch off multiple electric appliances with just one command before stepping outside – to save energy and prevent accidental short circuits. 3: Connected Smart Home concepts are in demand Single, standalone applications are giving way to sustainable all-inclusive solutions as architects and builders consider the digital infrastructure and connectivity of living spaces early on in the planning phase. Lights, blinds, heating, entertainment systems, security systems, home gyms and electronics, along with smart tools and appliances, can be controlled via one central unit in connected homes adding luxury and touch of design exclusivity. Connected living is easy to facilitate whether you want to build a new house, renovate your existing, or just rent an apartment. Wireless systems such as Gira eNet SMART HOME communicate via radio transmitter – which means they can be retrofitted in both old and new buildings. Thanks to a synchronised interplay of all components, your Smart Home will do exactly what you need at any given time. Smart sensors, for example, react automatically to external factors such as ambient brightness, temperature, or humidity levels. Jacob adds “Many digital services and applications are already indispensable to modern lives like Alexa light control via voice command to blinds that go up automatically at sunrise. Smart technology will become even more universal in the years to come so be future-ready with a connected house (or apartment). Once you’ve installed your system, you can add all sorts of functions and devices whenever you want so your home can evolve with your lifestyle.” Since March 2015, the Gira interactive online magazine G-Pulse has been providing regular, up-to-the-minute information on interesting developments in multiple areas: smart home technology, interior design, lifestyle, trends and architecture. The online magazine is your source for interior design and lifestyle inspiration and your platform for exchanging views on your favourite topics with other design enthusiasts. 15 authors keep you informed, up-to-date and are especially keen on visiting key industry events, so you will always be informed about the latest interior and smart home trends.
— Survey shows the urgency with a 72 percent of respondents identifying sustainability as an increasing priority over the past two years — Overwhelming majority of 2,348 global senior sustainability leaders surveyed in 25 countries across the globe are investing in cleaner and more energy efficient buildings — Top three hurdles for customers today relate to the challenge what to measure and how to track their carbon footprints effectively Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, today released the results of a global study to evaluate progress sustainability-focused companies have made in pursuing their goals, showing that sustainability is now the top global business investment priority and that the overwhelming majority of companies see clear competitive advantage from their sustainability focus and the goal of achieving net zero carbon. The survey clearly shows that business leaders see sustainability as the number one business priority. Results from a series of interviews and an online survey conducted by Forrester Consulting, commissioned by and developed in collaboration with Johnson Controls, found that to accelerate decarbonisation efforts, companies must align with stakeholder demands, collaborate with partners on transparent sustainability roadmaps and effectively measure the progress of sustainability initiatives. “The survey clearly shows that business leaders see sustainability as the number one business priority and that increasing investment in sustainability initiatives to improve business efficiency, reduce harmful environmental impacts and address urgent climate challenges, is top of mind,” said Katie McGinty, vice president and chief sustainability and external relations officer at Johnson Controls. “We also see a clear trend of customer demand for unique service and partnership models that allow them to focus on their core business while we drive customised, scalable steps for planning, execution, financing and reporting for their sustainability journeys.” In October 2021, 2,348 senior sustainability strategy leaders across 25 countries and 19 industries were surveyed about their top business priorities and sustainability strategies over the next 12 months. Key takeaways from the study include: Sustainability maturity delivers competitive advantage More organisations are realising that the future of business is inextricably bound to sustainability, with its importance continuing to increase. 72 percent of respondents indicated that implementing or maturing their sustainability programs is not only a top priority, but has also increased in importance over the past two years. Respondents found that embracing sustainability opportunities gave their organisations a competitive edge. More than 8 in 10 companies that recognise sustainability as an important business priority report benefits in the form of improved brand reputation (89%), decreased costs (89%), improved customer acquisition and/or loyalty (86%), and revenue growth (83%). In fact, 86 percent have a long-term goal for reducing carbon emissions by 2025 or earlier. By investing in decarbonisation efforts, companies hope to attract customers who share similar environmental values while also addressing the needs of investors. Incremental progress delivers exponential results Companies at every maturity level report they have realised or expect to realise a variety of benefits, with 9 in 10 or more of sustainably engaged companies seeing benefits in the form of improved efficiencies (96%), improved compliance (95%), improved employee recruitment and/or retention (90%), and reduced waste (90%). Companies are investing in people, process, and technology improvements because they understand that it takes a multi-faceted approach to achieve sustainability progress and success. Achieving decarbonisation requires a strategic plan and strong leadership Although organisations recognise the benefits of implementing sustainability practices, many companies don’t know where to start in preparing for critical business transformations. The survey findings indicated more than half of respondents hope to reduce energy consumption in their buildings by 2024 or earlier, but lack alignment around what metrics need to be tracked and how. Only 26% of respondents had ESG reporting software to help measure their progress and nearly 40% of respondents believe their organisations have a shortage of internal expertise, preventing them from tracking their carbon footprints effectively. While the survey shows that the business advantages of environmental improvements may look different across companies, there is consistent importance placed on strong leadership and strong partners to guide smart decisions. The Johnson Controls OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings as a Service Offering is a reliable path for companies looking to achieve net zero carbon and renewable energy goals. The offering recognises customers’ needs for making decarbonisation and renewable energy goals easier to plan, execute, track and achieve while optimising building performance. “To lead in the race to decarbonisation, companies must align priorities to the demands of many stakeholders, work with partners to develop transparent sustainability roadmaps, and identify metrics and adopt tools to measure progress,” said Mark Reinbold, vice president of global sustainability services & solutions at Johnson Controls. “More customers are looking for ways to make this process easy, and are transferring their sustainability commitments and the risk to reach these targets to Johnson Controls. It helps them optimising their building performance with technology that is capable of delivering significant energy savings and a corresponding drop in CO2 emissions, while also ensuring that outcomes will help the planet.” Johnson Controls has developed a holistic eight-step process to decarbonisation. The journey starts with decarbonisation advisory services and moves through assessment of digitally enabled environments, infrastructure efficiency, renewables and clean energy procurement, through to certification and impact measurement. For operations and continuous improvement, the game-changing new OpenBlue Net Zero Advisor will deliver real-time, AI-driven tracking and reporting of sustainability metrics, helping facility managers ensure and prove the net zero carbon reduction and renewable energy impact of their buildings. “2021 has been a critical year for climate change,” said Johnson Controls Chief Sustainability Officer McGinty. “It’s crucial for governments and the private sector to come together to drive meaningful emissions reductions by the end of this decade to avoid the disastrous effects of climate change and seize the upside economic opportunities for all. The recent COP26 Climate Summit brought together world leaders, academics, business executives and others. During the Summit Johnson Controls clearly demonstrated that with innovative technology already existing today, we can put ourselves and others solidly on the pathway to net zero before 2050.”
Construction companies are quick to embrace new technologies, although the paper work order stuck around in the industry a lot longer than many anticipated. Thankfully with the rise of work order software, firms of all sizes are embracing the digital revolution and enjoying improved efficiency, productivity and cost-effectiveness as a result. If you are not familiar with work order software, this guide will bring you in on the ground floor and demonstrate why it has been so transformative in construction in particular. What is work order software? As the name suggests, platforms like Fiix work order software are designed to replace physical work order systems, providing the same basic functionality but making use of digital documents instead. While work orders are more genetically intended to allow duties to be assigned in a range of commercial contexts, for construction companies this means that customers can clearly define the jobs they want done, and details of things like costs, materials required and timelines for completion can all be included. Digitizing this process means that work orders can be issued with greater ease, stored and accessed in the cloud, reviewed in an instant from any location and tracked to keep up to date with project progress. Similarly if work orders are issued for maintenance tasks, this allows managers to ensure that routines are adhered to and best practices for safety followed, all within the bounds of a predetermined schedule. So downtime due to equipment issues or construction machinery failures can be minimized with the help of work order software. The advantages of automation Aside from the aforementioned conveniences that software-based work order management brings to the table, the other key perk is afforded by automation. Rather than having to manually issue work orders for a given project, or in line with the desired schedule for a specific day’s work, software can automatically send out work orders to the right people, apprising them of their responsibilities and synchronizing large teams so that they are pulling in the same direction. For construction companies and their customers, this is a boon whether it applies internally within a single organization, or also includes third party contractors. The unifying power of the software, coupled with its automation potential, irons out all sorts of kinks that used to be an accepted part of the industry. The implications of integration Like all good software solutions, digital work order platforms do not operate in a vacuum, but can be integrated with other services to expand upon their basic functions. For example, they might be needed to operate as part of a broader enterprise asset management package, or combine with project management software to allow top-level decision-makers to oversee vast, complex construction projects without being bogged down by paperwork. At a time when material costs are high and set to remain so, these small but tangible efficiencies can have major implications for construction firms and their customers. The wonders of the workflow Another point to make about the revolutionary quality of work order software in construction is that it forms part of a wider workflow, and more importantly means that completed strands can be neatly concluded, rather than the results being open-ended and uncertainties plaguing a project. Work orders that are issued digitally can also be closed digitally, so you can say with confidence that a task has been done on-site, and use this to dictate subsequent orders and planning. In short, modern work order software is responsible for the ongoing digitization and streamlining of the construction industry, and this technology is available to small and large operators alike.
– Johnson Controls OpenBlue digital platform technologies to be rolled out across approximately 55% of Derwent London’s portfolio – OpenBlue Enterprise Manager will help Derwent London and its occupiers understand energy consumption and move to a smart maintenance regime across their portfolio – Open Blue Central Utility Plant will use Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning to automatically reduce utility cost and increase uptime in the Central Plant Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, today announced that its OpenBlue digital platform technologies will be rolled out across Derwent London’s portfolio. This rollout will drive the digital transformation of Derwent London’s estate, enabling new possibilities for operational efficiency, occupant experiences and sustainability in one dynamic solution. After a successful pilot at its White Collar Factory building, Derwent London is adopting a suite of Johnson Controls OpenBlue technologies – including OpenBlue Enterprise Manager and OpenBlue Central Utility Plant optimisation – across 22 of its buildings in London. This represents approximately 55% of its total estate by area and includes Derwent London’s net zero carbon development The Featherstone Building. OpenBlue Enterprise Manager is a comprehensive suite of applications from Johnson Controls designed to monitor and improve energy efficiency, tenant satisfaction, asset performance, maintenance operations, space performance and ultimately the comfort of all occupants. Enterprise Manager delivers the next generation of intelligent building capabilities. The system uses cloud-based AI and advanced analytics to deliver a complete holistic view of energy consumption, energy efficiency improvements, equipment faults and resource breakdowns by building, floor and tenant. Overall, Johnson Controls OpenBlue solutions will enable Derwent London to deliver high value ROI-driven business cases. OpenBlue Central Utility Plant is responsible for the efficient and effective management of the biggest consumer of a building’s energy – the Central Plant. Using AI and Machine Learning, the software constantly adjusts and optimises thousands of variables every 15 minutes, significantly reducing baseline energy load, while keeping occupants comfortable. Johnson Controls OpenBlue digital platform and services for optimising buildings are capable of driving significant improvements in energy efficiency and corresponding carbon emissions. “We’re pleased to partner with Derwent London by implementing our OpenBlue solutions to deliver smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, all underpinned through cutting edge technology,” said Mike Ellis, chief customer & digital officer at Johnson Controls. “The challenges of COVID-19 and the drive to get ahead of climate change have made us all rethink both the spaces we occupy and the wider environment around us. Across our built environment digital solutions are rising to the fore as a tangible means of making our infrastructure more sustainable and future-fit while helping us get more from the spaces we interact with every day. Our OpenBlue solution represents an exciting technology ecosystem with huge potential to help map out new capabilities for both spaces and places as we look to build the world of tomorrow today. Now more than ever, as we lean into technology to take smart from a concept to reality, we have an incredible opportunity to set a new standard in buildings that puts power in the hands of those who occupy them.” “After a very successful pilot, it made sense to expand the use of Johnson Controls’ innovative technologies across more of our buildings,” said Nigel George, Executive Director at Derwent London. “The ability to analyse and understand energy and building performance data across our portfolio brings many benefits. Johnson Controls’ technologies will enable our property managers and occupiers to monitor and report on the steps we’re all making to operate buildings more sustainably. We look forward to this relationship strengthening further as we move to becoming a net zero carbon business by 2030.”
