Visionary Approach to Smart Technology and Digital Solutions in Building Management

It is common for property management offices to implement numerous individual systems in their buildings to manage different aspects. However, the absence of data sharing among systems creates hiccups for communication and requires extensive labour for manipulation, thus resulting in reduced efficiencies. Additionally, this disjointed approach may leave the group with dispersed alerts and informantion, resulting in slow handling of incidents. To understand how digital technologies can be leveraged to optimise building operations and achieve sustainability goals, Ir Prof. Thomas HO, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council (CIC), along with council representatives, visited the Hongkong Land Limited (Hongkong Land). During the visit, they met with the Hongkong Land management to gain insights into the newly established Integrated Facility Management Control Tower (IFMCT), which has the potential to significantly streamline and improve operational efficiency.

The idea of centralising the management of Hongkong Land's 12 premises in Central began in 2010. Recognising the benefits of integrating various systems such as iBMS, lift & escalator, security, fire service and electrical system, they established a Central Monitor Centre (CMC) to address the need for central management and pave way for future advancements in digitalisation, shared by Mr. Derek CHAN, Technical Manager, Property Management of Hongkong Land.

Leveraging a Diverse Array of Digital Tools to Achieve Sustainability in Buildings

Hongkong Land adopted the LoRaWAN network that provides 100% coverage in common areas, facilitating the robust IoT infrastructure. The building has implemented various sensors, including vibration sensors, weight sensors and IAQ sensors, enabling high utilisation rate for applications.

Additionally, Hongkong Land has introduced a cloud-based app - ComfyApp. Leveraging IoT technology, the app communicates with the Building Management System (BMS), enabling tenants to personalise their workplace comfort level. The system also studies tenants’ behaviours, allowing it to automatically adjust indoor room temperature in different timeslots. After the introduction of ComfyApp, a 68% reduction in service calls is received and energy consumption is greatly reduced.

By utilising advanced data management and analytics, energy consumption and carbon footprints are reduced through enhanced energy efficiency. Hongkong Land integrates the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology and artificial intelligence (AI) through Jardine Engineering Digital Insights (JEDI) to take building energy management to another level. The above platform was initially deployed in Prince's Building, where the chiller plant relied mainly on manual control. JEDI brought a noteworthy 9% efficiency improvement upon implementation. Encouraged by this success, Hongkong Land extended the adoption of JEDI to Jardine House, which recently underwent a chiller plant revamp. The revamp brought a remarkable 30% improvement in efficiency and the integration of JEDI added an additional 7% improvement, further highlighting its significant impact. With the advent of big data and digital solutions, it has created various possibilities in enhancing energy efficiency and achieve sustainability.

Realising the Control Tower Concept through Data Integration

The Hongkong Land team has accumulated a wealth of valuable historical data over the past 10 years. The data is consolidated into various systems and formed a data lake, opening doors to great opportunities for facilitating the control tower. The IFMCT offers substantial benefits, particularly in revolutionising the handling of manual tasks. The centralised building management portal acts as a one-stop platform, thereby streamlining the entire process and improving operational efficiency. The visualisation of the digital twin offers a comprehensive dashboard to display key performance indicators such as cleaning, occupancy, and patrols, thereby enabling predictive analytics and implementing automated real-time monitoring and control. Data-driven decision-making is essential in the digital age as it promotes a collaborative approach to operation.

Hongkong Land is dedicated to contributing to sustainable development goals while optimising overall operational efficiency. The innovative concept of the IFMCT and its successful implementation helps demonstrate how technology can aid the construction and property management industry in Hong Kong to improve productivity, efficiency, safety, as well as to create sustainability values. It can benefit not only the developer and client but also every stakeholder involved. The CIC will continuously drive the industry to expedite innovation and technology in order to grasp the opportunities in the future and build a sustainable smart city.