CREJ

30 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2018 ELEMENTS Internet of Things I n his seminal 1998 work “The Information Para- dox,” author John Thorpe pinpointed the diffi- culty in justifying the real business benefits of information technology spending. Business owners know they have to utilize emerging technology, even if identifying and measuring its value can’t always be fully realized. Hence, the paradox. A year later, Kevin Ashton, a British brand manager for Proctor & Gamble, coined the phrase “The Internet of Things,” later citing that data could be gathered from everything in the real world. Simply put, the Internet of Things is the network of physical devices with embedded sensors or software that connect to the internet, collecting and sharing data. Nest Labs’ security systems, Amazon Echo, Ring HD and hun- dreds of other devices are just scratching the surface of the IoT home market. The principle is identical for commercial buildings but with vastly more sophisticated equipment and technology. Both Thorpe and Ashton were tech visionaries, although there was no apparent connection between their theories at the time. That would begin to change rapidly, and in dramatic fashion. Indeed, the building-related IoT sector is projected to reach $76 billion by 2020, according to the Continental Automated Buildings Association, with 70 bil- lion IoT-enabled devices by 2025. Those numbers are be- yond the comprehension of the individual user, but clearly, IoT is the next tech disrupter, and new office buildings will reap a fair share of the benefits. “IoT is vital to a tech-forward city like Denver,” says Mi- chael Hensley, associate at Pickard Chilton, the design ar- chitects for downtown Denver’s 1144 Fifteenth, the city’s newest skyscraper. Based in New Haven, Connecticut, Pick- ard Chilton knows the Denver market well, having de- signed DTC’s 4600 South Syracuse, completed in 2000. Hensley, project lead for the building design, noted that sun and climate must be considered in Denver new-build- ing construction. “Abundant daylight and temperature changes have to be closely monitored, especially floor-to-ceiling glass in the building,” Hensley explained. “The scope of the data col- lected at 1144 and how it can be systematically analyzed is growing every day. The newest IoT technology optimizes BMS (building management systems) but scales down to the individual user and the environments they inhabit.” IoT is like an accelerator for gathering data in these buildings. Think IBM’s ubiquitous Watson platform, a su- percomputer that uses IoT “cognitive computing” to har- ness building data, which allows property managers and engineers to optimize systems while reigning in the bot- tom line. While the array of IoT technology products con- tinues to ramp up, costs are going down, which is vital for Katie Winter Design Director, Kieding Internet of Things: It’s Worth the Investment The Internet of Things in the office is a network of devices – like lights, door locks, and heating and cooling elements – embedded with sensors that enables these objects to collect and exchange data via the Internet.