Technological advancements, promises of cost reductions and productivity improvements, along with the increasing awareness to make better use of natural resources, are bringing the realisation of Smart(er) Buildings within grasp. Technological change also represents major prospective profits and opportunities linked to the development of Smart Cities. The path to Smart Cities is through Smart Buildings and Frost & Sullivan estimates a global Smart City market potential of €1.3 trillion in 2020.

Much has been discussed and presented on the topic. Yet the connection between the electronic fire safety and security industry with its associated services and Smart Buildings is not really so clear. The objective of the Euralarm Symposium earlier this month was to give attendees a better understanding of the changes awaiting the industry and allow them to formulate and find answers to their own questions through an open debate.

For manufacturers, suppliers and service providers of electronic fire safety and/or security systems, changes are imminent. The event discussed the three highly impacting topics of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Internet of Things (IoT) as well as Cyber Security.

Dedicated sessions covered the topics with an overview of the existing technologies including the presentation of practical examples, a review of the market situation and a discussion of the challenges and opportunities of the technologies’ impact on all aspects of the value chain.

Industry estimations are that the BIM solution market will be fully deployed in Europe by 2025. Offering an approach that is more than just viewing buildings in 3D, BIM changes how buildings  are planned, designed, installed, commissioned and maintained. Speakers on the topic included Alan Baikie, Managing Director of BIMobject UK and António Frade Pina, founder of ConcepsysBIM.  Alan Baikie has been involved in Building Information Management for 15 years. He is a member of BIM for Manufacturing and Manufacturers, an organisation established by the UK Government to encourage and support construction product manufacturers and installers to transition to BIM. António Frade Pina is an architect and founder of Concepsys Lda, one of the first international franchisees of the BIMobject project, Europe’s largest digital content management system for BIM objects. He launched concepysBIM in 2013, as a broader consulting project aiming to help the industry to adopt BIM.