This week’s Smart City roundup features the massive growth of wireless control systems for buildings, a report that makes sense of the Internet of Things in the city, an automatic shade that makes buildings much more interesting, and an event dedicated to new innovations for smart cities and buildings.

Wireless control systems annual shipments on the rise

Automation in buildings are nothing new. We’ve seen automatic doors and lights long before the dawn of the Internet of Things’ arrival.  What’s changing now is that most of these building solutions are now transitioning to wireless control systems, with even more buildings expected to apply new technology in the coming months and years.

Navigant Research, the research arm of Navigant Consulting Inc., released a report regarding the ways in which wireless control systems are enabling more granular control over building systems.  The report stated that the key driving point for the said transition is intelligent lighting systems for buildings.  The promise of being able to wirelessly manage and control the building’s lighting system can lead to reductions in energy bills, plus wireless control systems are now being offered at the same price as wired solutions, making the decision to go wireless more enticing for building owners and managers.

Navigant projects that by 2023, shipments of wireless control nodes for commercial buildings will grow from 12.9 million in 2014 to 57.4 million by 2023.

Smart cities are so 2013

The Internet of Things is indeed changing the world. Many countries are now creating their own smart cities and others are expected to follow suit.  With all these smart solutions, sensors, the cloud and Big Data transforming ordinary cities into smart ones, consulting firm Frost & Sullivan Inc. believes that the focus should be on creating sensible cities.  In a report entitled “Sense and the City,” F&S discussed how IoT is paving the way for a more sensible city.  But what is a sensible city?

The firm described a sensible city as one that is “more human: smarter, more sensitive, more sustainable and safer. It will have a form that is both fun and functional – where the city offers the romance and theatre of urban living seamlessly while offering unique and memorable experiences.”

Read the full report here.

Sunbreak automated shade for buildings

Architecture, design and planning firm NBBJ Design LLP is responsible for several of the buildings housing tech industry leaders, and it’s often these tech-driven companies that are among the first to apply new tech to their own environments. Looking to improve the concept of automated building shades, NBBJ crafted a solution that not only addresses the control concerns of building inhabitants, but could also provide a way to make the building more attractive.

Dubbed the Sunbreak, NBBJ’s automated shade is a three-hinged shade that has the capability to deflect sunlight so more natural light is used during work hours. It can also block sunlight, and detects solar radiation, incorporating these data points to fine-tune the temperature inside the building.

The shades are automatic and react to clouds and weather behavior, measuring how close occupants are to the windows, but can also be controlled using a mobile device. What makes Sunbreak even more interesting is that its shades can be customized with LEDs to change the look of the building’s facade for special occasions like holidays.

Currently Sunbreak is still a prototype, and some of its features may change before the automated shades hit the market.  NBBJ is currently looking to work with a client to test out its new shades on a full-sized building.

Verge Salon NY 2014

If you’re interested in knowing more about smart city and smart building developments and you’ll be in New York on September 16, 2014, you might want to consider dropping by at the Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute for the Verge Salon NY to learn more about the people and organizations using technology to fuel innovation in smart buildings and smart cities. Ticket is priced at $595 if you purchase it before the event, or pay $645 if you purchase a pass on-site.

photo credit: Stuck in Customs via photopin cc