Campuses Benefiting from Smart Buildings

College campuses across the country, and even across the world, are implementing smart building technology to improve the function, security, and efficiency of their buildings. Universities are complex systems that educate, house, and employ thousands of people at a time. As we’ve seen in so many tragic cases of campus shootings and attacks, it is a difficult, if not almost impossible, task to ensure complete security of a campus at all times. Looking beyond campus security, universities require a large amount of energy to function. From campus housing to a university’s lecture halls and offices, the cost to sustain a university is enormous. The technology for smart buildings has boomed in recent years, giving universities the opportunity to improve both their safety and energy-efficiency to keep their campuses running smoothly and securely for the years to come.

A Smarter, Greener Campus

One example of a campus going smart is the partnership between IBM and McMaster University. The company implemented automated heating and cooling technologies, which analyzed both the weather forecast and the usage of 60 campus buildings in order to heat and cool the buildings in the most energy-efficient way possible, reducing the university’s energy consumption. Cornell is another university that has utilized smart building technologies. Their use of building management systems allows them to adjust temperature, lighting, and other campus building settings according to time of day, weather, and occupancy.

There are many different options for universities that want to utilize smart buildings and automated technology to improve their campuses. Building management systems for a campus, including the dorms, can be programmed to run seamlessly and efficiently, and managed through a central location, with HVAC units, lights, and automatic shades. Federal and state legislation continue to put into question the future of funding for higher education, making energy efficiency and reduced usage more important than ever as universities struggle with lowering budgets.

Campus security and safety is always a concern. Automated technologies, including video surveillance, access control and, mass notification systems can improve safety by controlling who can enter which buildings and by providing a fast response and notification if security is breached.

ACS is committed to improving the security and efficiency of college campuses.

ACS smart buildings and automated technologies can help lead universities towards a safer and smarter future. Call ACS today at (913) 248-8828 for more information, or visit our College and University Building Management System page to learn more about how smart buildings can improve college campuses.