5. September 2023
Entering a building and feeling that it knows exactly what you need for a comfortable stay – as if it could anticipate your needs. Does that sound like pure science fiction?
The Seamless Building Experience consortium study proves that this vision can become a reality today. In collaboration with seven consortium partners, the Center Smart Commercial Building has developed a technical architecture that revolutionizes the building experience for users.
But how did the consortium manage to achieve the set goal, namely to meet the increasing demands on the user experience and to create real added value?
The vision and the challenges
To do this, the team first had to fathom the different needs of users in commercial real estate. Whether they are regular users, occasional users or first-time users, their interactions and behaviors inside and in front of the building were closely scrutinized.
The greatest challenge was to translate these diverse requirements into a functioning, cross-trade, technical architecture. The consortium was faced with the task of developing use cases that optimize the user experience. Emotional as well as functional added values for the user were distinguished.
Three priority use cases were selected and prototyped:
- A web-based guest invitation for a seamless user experience,
- An intuitive booking of resources and
- An information dashboard in the building’s lobby.
The foundation of this prototype development is the Center Smart Commercial Building’s infrastructure. In the Center, hardware and software solutions from various manufacturers have been integrated into a platform over the past few years in order to develop cross-vendor prototypes for the very use cases described. The platform provides a real test environment for smart buildings in which prototypes can be experienced, tested and continuously developed.
Here, the consortium partners have the opportunity to present the results of the consortium study to their customers and to incorporate the use cases into other projects. The “Guest Invitation” prototype in particular can also be implemented, tested and used by the consortium partners in live operation at other locations due to its modular structure.
Prototype “Guest Invitation”
User interface of the “Guest Invitation” prototype
The “Guest Invitation” prototype was developed as part of the “Seamless Building Experience” consortium study to revolutionize the user experience in commercial properties, starting with the journey to the location and ending with the departure.
Through the web-based guest invitation, first-time visitors receive all relevant information for their planned appointment via e-mail in advance – a route plan, the contact details of the contact person, the login data for the WLAN on site, the option to unlock the charging station, and temporary authorization to call the passenger elevator on site. Thanks to intelligent navigation, users can effortlessly reach their destination and the reserved parking space.
If necessary, an e-charging point can be unlocked to charge the car. Now the user is navigated to the main entrance. There, authentication is performed by the Essentry Kiosk using the ID card (if requested by the host) and an RFID card and personalized name badge are provided. At the same time, the host is informed about the arrival of the visitor. The RFID card allows access to authorized areas.
If the user is successfully authenticated, the elevator is automatically called and the destination floor is reached. There, the visitor is welcomed by the host. After successful participation in the meeting or event, the first-time visitor leaves the RFID card at the kiosk in the entrance area and is navigated to the parking lot. From there, he/she leaves the premises and departs.
This Seamless Building Experience ensures that the stay is smooth, comfortable and efficient. From arrival to departure, the visitor is intuitively guided.
Added value for all stakeholders
The solutions developed in the “Seamless Building Experience” consortium study not only benefit users, but also offer added value for building operators and investors. Users benefit from an enhanced quality of stay, time savings and increased comfort. For building operators, opportunities open up for more efficient use of space and for promoting tenant loyalty. Investors benefit from the associated increase in property value.
A future with seamless building experiences
The consortium study “Seamless Building Experience” shows that the merging of technologies and the integration of systems across trades and manufacturers creates enormous benefits for users. The prototypes developed will be continuously refined and tested to meet current requirements in the real estate industry.
The future promises a building experience that is both seamless and immersive. Thanks to innovative solutions based on the needs of users, customer satisfaction can be increased and the success of companies can be driven forward.
Dr. Pau-y Chow, Lead Smart Buildings & Smart Cities at consortium partner Schindler Germany, adds:
“With our participation in CSCB and in the consortium study “Seamless Building Experience”, we demonstrate our claim to not only offer our customers the best technical solutions, but also to shape the issues that move us as a society. Sustainability through smarter buildings. As a technology leader, we will have to think more in ecosystems in the future and work with strong partners to achieve this. The Seamless Building Experience consortium study is a great example of a jointly developed solution that creates great added value for our customers.”
Close collaboration and the integration of cutting-edge technologies are key to unleashing the full potential of a seamless building experience in the digital era.
Prototype “Guest Invitation” Seamless Building Experience
Our consortium partners
American Tower | Drees & Sommer | IEE Sensing | PHOENIX CONTACT | Pinestack | Schindler Deutschland | Zumtobel Lighting