UTILITIES

When applied in smart buildings , technology can achieve energy savings of up to

and achieving lower energy costs ,” he continues . “ This is why vendor collaboration is so important – the whole becomes much greater than the sum of the parts . The technology that ’ s so rapidly evolving in residential buildings is now expanding into the commercial sector , especially in mixeduse buildings which are becoming increasingly popular .”

For Claire , collaborations are also of the utmost value . She emphasises academicindustry collaborations and the part they play in accelerating the adoption of clean energy solutions in smart buildings and how research contributes to smart building infrastructure .

“ Working in collaboration with practitioners and academics will help us to find more practical solutions that are in line with theoretical examinations that can be realised ,” she says . “ Ensuring people are not siloed is also essential , with supply chains being connected between construction providers , architects , material providers and academics as standard to maximise productivity and outputs .

“ Within the academic space , research progress is being made all the time . Allowing for collaboration will help all parties , with the industry gaining access to the latest information and academics being able to view what is and isn ’ t working in current practices .

The power of research to support reallife work is essential for electrification to succeed .”

Fabio concurs , highlighting how the key to progress lies in the evolution of open technology and industry collaboration . He firmly believes that , as open systems

112 August 2024