Smart Buildings on Campus Grow in Popularity
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/20/21
The results of a global survey reveal that nearly two-thirds (65%) of college and school facilities managers are now more likely to invest in smart building solutions than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the preferred type of smart building investment was mixed. The top choice, among 38% of respondents, would be an app showing real-time building "health" information. That was followed by software providing better insight into fire systems (cited by 35%), and cybersecurity products and contactless building entry, both mentioned by 33% of survey participants.
The survey was undertaken on behalf of Honeywell Building Technologies and involved education facilities people in four countries: the United States, China, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
Four in 10 respondents (42%) said their facilities had experienced a physical site intrusion or cybersecurity breach during the previous year. Almost half (47%) ranked video surveillance and campus access control or fire and life safety systems as a top priority over the next 12 to 18 months. That's a boost up from three other sectors also surveyed, including healthcare (where 34% prioritized these safety technologies), data centers (38%) and commercial real estate (29%).
Nearly three-quarters (72%) said they found it difficult to keep up with changes in technology. Yet a third (35%) also noted that their facilities' technology is outdated. Among the technology currently in place in their buildings were these:
- Indoor air quality solutions, referenced by 35%;
- Aspirating smoke detection, 34%;
- Remote building management, 34%;
- Software to assess fire systems 32%; and
- Real-time building health information, 28%.
When it comes to the technology in their facilities, just two-thirds of respondents (66%) reported that their employees were trained and equipped to manage it.
The full survey results are available on the Honeywell site with registration.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.