Page 30 - College Planning & Management, October 2018

INTELLIGENT FACILITIES
Along with intelligent lighting options, there exist intelligent windows that can control how much light is let into a building via sensors, lessening the need for excessive indoor lighting by maximizing the power of natural light.
Don Guckert, a fellow with APPA as well as associate vice president for Facilities Management at the University of Iowa, notes some of the growing use of the IoT for facilities managers. He sums it up this way: “With the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), smart building technology tools are emerging and being applied with increasing frequency in higher-ed facilities management. Fault Detection & Diagnostic (FDD) tools allow for building managers
to maintain building performance within established operating parameters and to facilitate continuous commissioning.”
Along with intelligent lighting options, there exist intelligent windows that can control how much light is let into a building via sensors, lessening the need for excessive indoor lighting by maximizing the power of natural light. Many intelligent buildings are also able to sense temperatures in various spaces, and make adjustments accordingly. “Higher education facilities managers are now starting to mine and analyze the histor- ic data from both building systems and work management systems to better understand and manage building systems performance and asset maintenance and renewal cycles,” notes Guckert.
Additionally, these systems are able
to store data over time, allowing FMs and other facilities decision makers to analyze the data and make changes that promote long-term sustainability and savings.
Whereas a facility manger would walk a building and check for burnt-out lights or defective fire alarms, the IoT has that cov- ered. Managers can perform these checks from anywhere, and in less time. There is also the ability to analyze whether or not certain building elements are necessary or working in certain locations. Rather than just discussing and arguing the merits, a facility management department can sit down and look at relevant data to see what is working and what is not.
Using Data
That is one of the advantages of the IoT—it allows facility managers and
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30 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / OCTOBER 2018
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