Smart Building Management System Development using IoT & AI

Resido, a leading property management company based in the United States, that oversees numerous residential and commercial buildings throughout urban and suburban areas. Their primary mission is to provide safe, comfortable, and energy-efficient spaces for tenants and operate in an economical way for building owners.

As interest in smart buildings grows, Resido has worked on a complete solution that brings together several building systems into a smart platform that can be accessed from one place.

We met with Resido Team to understand their needs. Our team created and delivered a complete all-in-one smart solution, offering services from planning and development to deployment with care and skill.

Resido had many issues that would make it difficult to effectively manage their buildings:

• Fragmented Systems

  Separate buildings with different systems for HVAC, lighting, access control and energy use monitoring made it challenging for facility managers to track building operations in real-time.

• Energy Use Inefficiency

  Facility managers had high utility bills due to manual control of HVAC and lighting systems leading to excessive use of energy.

• Safety & Compliance Risks

  Without a real-time monitoring system in place for gas leaks, water leaks, and unauthorized access means safety hazards and operational risks were heightened.

• Parking and Electric Vehicle Management

  Tenants were frustrated with the inefficiencies of operation related to parking and lack of availability of EV chargers.

• Maintenance Issues

  Reactive maintenance created multiple occurrences of downtime, delayed responses to issues, and increased costs of repairs for the Building Manager.

To address these issues and improve tenant satisfaction while decreasing operational costs Resido would need a true building management platform that is scalable, intelligent, and fully integrated.

AdequateInfosoft designed and implemented a custom IoT and AI-powered Smart Building Management System (BMS) tailored to Resido’s needs. The custom BMS combines IoT devices, AI algorithms, and cloud computing and mobile/web applications into one centralized platform for both tenants and building/facility managers.

Some of the Features We Implemented

1. IoT Smart Access & Security

We replaced traditional locks with AES-256 encrypted Smart Locks.

• Smart locks to provide secure access points
• Multi-user authorization with role-based access
• Real-time alerts if attempting to access a location without authorization

2. Intelligent Lighting Automation

• Automated lighting using motion and occupancy sensors
• Predictive lighting using AI to minimize power consumption
• Ability to control lights from your mobile device (tony or tenant) or facility manager's mobile device.

3) Energy Management and Optimization

• Real time tracking of energy usage on device and floor levels.
• AI based load balancing to optimise energy usage and reduce peak hour charges.
• Integrating renewable sources of energy, including battery storage.

4) HVAC and Ventilation Control

• Monitoring temperature, humidity and air quality in buildings.
• AI driven climate adjustment based upon occupancy patterns.
• Facility managers can remotely control HVAC from their web or mobile applications.

5) Gas Leak Detection and Water Leak Detection

• Smart sensors to detect and provide real time detection of hazardous gas leaks and water leaks.
• Automatic alerting to building managers and/or emergency services.
• Automated shut off mechanisms to help minimize damage.

6) Smart Parking and Charging for Electric Vehicles

• Monitor parking availability in real-time through the IoT.
• Monitor electric vehicle rush charging stations in addition to automatic charge/payment billings.
• A parking guidance system to help tenants and visitors successfully find the correct parking space.

7) Centralized Dashboard and Reporting

• Unified interface for IoT Device & Equipment - building operations
• Identify devices/equipment predictive maintenance system alerts using predictive analytics
• Customized reports for buildings and facilities using energy, safety and security, maintenance metrics.

• A variety of devices and sensors in the IoT include smart locks, lighting sensors, gas and water leak detectors, energy meters and HVAC controllers.
• Cloud Platform or AWS is the primary source for storing centralized data for devices and using AI analytics.
• The machine learning models that are predictive maintenance, energy optimization, and occupancy based automation.
• Mobile applications work on iOS and Android platforms are available for tenants and facility managers.
• Web and desktop applications can be accessed to monitor instantly, view analytical dashboards, and administratively control devices.
• Communication protocols such as MQTT, Zigbee, Wi-Fi and BLE enable seamless integration of devices.

1. Requirement Identification & Examination

The management team at Resido collaborated closely with our team to discover where they can find automation, how to combine the different devices and systems into a cohesive plan, and what their priorities might be. To accomplish this, we conducted site assessments and interviews with the facility managers as well as their tenants currently using the facilities, to ensure we were addressing true-to-life circumstances within those facilities.

2. System Design & Configuration

Our team developed a modular architecture that could support the integration of many different types of IoT devices and systems into a single application platform. The system architecture consisted of four layers:

• An Internet of Things layer to provide communication to the devices
• An Artificial Intelligence analytic layer for predictive analytics
• A Cloud layer for data configuration, processing and storage.
• A User interface layer to provide web and mobile access

3. IoT Device Deployment and Integration

Our team installed and integrated a variety of smart devices into all of Resido's properties. These included smart locks for doors, smart meters that report electricity usage, smart meters that measure gas or water consumption, and smart controls for lighting.

The raw signal strength of each device was validated through extensive calibration, and the data provided from each device was consolidated into a common secure network using ENCRYPTED communication protocols.

4. Automation Running on Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence models have been developed using both historical data as well as real-time metrics to do a few different things. These include:

• Predicting when equipment will fail in advance of having downtime.
• Controlling the HVAC systems and lighting in buildings as needed in order to conserve energy.
• Identifying anomalies (i.e., excessive levels of gas; unauthorized access to the building.

5. Mobile and Web Applications

Mobile and web-based applications were developed to enable both building managers and tenants to have remote access over their buildings and be able to control and monitor their building. Some of the key features of these applications include:

• Real-time notifications/alerts.
• Capacity to schedule/program building controls.
• Analytics dashboards for monitoring energy and water consumption, as well as HVAC systems.

6. Testing and Roll-Out

Each of these devices underwent thorough testing to confirm there were no failures or other problems with the devices or the overall system and user interface. Another key part of the process involved gradually launching the system over a few months. We regularly evaluated how to improve the system's performance each month after the launch.

Resido report these measurable benefits for its property portfolio after using AI and IoT technology to implement an integrated Building Management System (BMS).

1. Energy Cost Reduction

Resido has achieved a portfolio-wide 20% to 30% reduction in electricity consumption through AI-powered optimization of lighting and HVAC control.

2. Improved Safety and Security

• Gas and water leak detection has allowed for the minimization of risk for accidental occurrences.
• Smart access control has enabled a 95% reduction in unauthorized access at their buildings.

3. Enhanced Operational Efficiency

• Predictive maintenance has helped reduce the total downtime from equipment failures by 40%.
• With a centralized dashboard, Facility Management is now able to view and control multiple properties in real-time.

4. Tenant Satisfaction

• Automated climate and lighting control have positively impacted occupant comfort.
• Smart parking and EV charging stations have improved tenant convenience.

5. Scalability and Flexibility

Resido can now quickly scale its integration of new buildings and add more IoT devices because of the modular design of the system.

"AdequateInfosoft transformed our buildings into intelligent, safe, and energy-efficient environments. Their end-to-end IoT and AI solution streamlined operations, improved tenant satisfaction, and significantly reduced our energy costs. We now manage multiple buildings seamlessly from a single platform."

—CTO, Resido, USA

The partnership between AdequateInfosoft and Resido showcases the potential for IoT and AI-BMS solutions to transform the way we manage buildings. With the integration of numerous individual systems into a unified, smart platform, we were able to provide our clients with improved energy efficiency, safety, operational efficiency, and tenant satisfaction.

As we work together towards the continued development of innovative smart building technologies at AdequateInfosoft, our priority will remain on creating opportunities for property owners and custodians to improve their operations, reduce their expenses, and provide tenants with outstanding service throughout the lifespan of their buildings.