Transcriber: Anna Sobota Reviewer: David DeRuwe
Buildings, why are they so important?
Can you believe that 90% of your lives are spent in them?
They’re where you’re born, educated, nurtured, and thrive throughout your life,
providing shelter and security, and the space to relax and unwind.
Take this building.
Look around and consider
what’s concealed in the walls, in the ceiling, and in the floors.
If you peeled back the floor,
you’d probably just see tangled cables and an array of different pipes,
and it might seem an unruly mess,
but right now we’re enclosed in a highly complex
and tangled web of systems without even realizing it.
Surprisingly, 80% of the buildings that will be standing in the year 2050
have already been built,
and these buildings are responsible for 40% of annual global CO2 emissions.
Some of the older buildings, such as New York’s iconic skyline,
which include the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center,
were all built around 100 years ago,
and those buildings in New York
are responsible for 80% of the city’s carbon emissions.
Real estate is the largest single asset class globally,
with a combined value of $281 trillion.
It's an industry that's currently undergoing radical technological change.
Its buildings are getting smarter.
Most new buildings today and indeed all the new skyscrapers
springing up in our city are designed with technology embedded throughout.
There are now maintenance schedules and control systems
like air quality, access control, vertical transport and fire and security,
all providing analytics and data about the smallest components
like the status of a radiator valve, open or closed,
or the movement of a fan blade.
We can then work alongside this technology and this information
to build a digital twin.
In the future, we wilIl have digital twins,
which we can take from any building.
We can turn this one, for example,
into a virtual CAD drawing by taking BIM documents, CAD drawings, floor plans,
and anything else that describes the physical assets of the building.
In the absence of any information and data,
we can use artificial intelligence to map the buildings,
turning information into a functional 3D model that can be designed
and manipulated and viewed on a computer and even a phone.
We can then work alongside the digital twin,
layering different types of data: historical, live, and forward-looking,
allowing us to repair or fix any inefficiencies
and improve indoor environments.
The digital twin then becomes the building’s operating system,
and by its very true definition it’s truly a smart building.
We can then use digital twins because they’re more efficient to operate,
maintain, run, manage, reduce carbon emissions, and reduce energy consumption.
But as we all know, technology doesn’t always work,
and systems sometimes fail.
When I was about six years old,
I was visiting my grandparents who live in an older apartment building.
I always raced to the elevators;
I wanted to be the one to push the buttons.
After travelling up a few floors, the elevator abruptly stopped.
The lights went out, and I was plunged into total darkness.
Although in reality I probably only spent a few seconds in the dark,
it seemed like forever as I was terrified.
Luckily, the backup generator kicked in, and the elevator started to move again.
I was saved by technology.
But did the elevator stop
because of a power surge from the storm raging outside or other issues?
I do not know,
but I am grateful to this day that a simple circuit in an old system worked
and switched on the generator,
although I still stop before entering any elevator, especially when I’m alone,
as I vividly remember my panic and trepidation
of being imprisoned in that suspended metal box.
However, I’m far from being concerned
that the buildings of the future are becoming more automated,
interconnected, and controlled by artificial intelligence.
I’m reassured.
It’s comforting to know
that elevators in new buildings are being monitored constantly.
Their individual components are relaying a stream of data.
Computers and ultimately the engineers
know if things are working or if maintenance is needed
before anything even happens.
With true artificial intelligence opportunities,
these buildings will automate, recommend, self-diagnose, and self-heal.
We have an incredible opportunity
to make buildings more efficient, more comfortable, and safer.
In summary,
the buildings of the future will be controlled
by artificially intelligent, integrated operating systems.
And although integrating this technology takes a little time and a little effort,
if history is anything to go by, this effort will be worth it,
as these buildings will be around for a very long time.
When I look at this skyline,
I see data that can be used and harnessed to improve the world.
Thank you.
(Applause)