Network Communications News (NCN) August 2017 | Page 30

INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS
Jason Burns, chief information
officer at Hunter Roberts
Construction Group, explained: ‘We
didn’t want the IT team to be called
every time something had to be put
up to fidget with video formatting.
It was a constant problem on
the older system where IT had to
troubleshoot settings for things to
display properly.’
While these systems are
complex, sometimes comprising
thousands of devices into a single
interface, they need to be intuitive
for those who’ll use it. This was a
big need, it had to be user friendly.
Mr Burns says: ‘It was wasting a
lot of time setting up meetings and
it was always a problem because
machines change over time.’
Creating complex systems
that are easy to use is a specialty
of Hunter Roberts Construction
Group’s integrator Mode:Green,
which designed and installed
its custom system. Simple ease
of use is crucial in an office
environment, where technology
can go un-used if the staff isn’t
comfortable using it.
Previous problems should be
addressed in a new system, but
new capabilities can be added
as well. Adding automation
behind these systems will
enable even greater benefits.
Automation allows for easier,
one-touch activation of multiple
elements in the system including
audio, shades and lighting.
The automation scenes can be
activated by a single touch on a
tablet, remote, or keypad on the
30 | August 2017
wall. For example, a Presentation
button could lower the shades
and the lighting in the front of the
room and turn on the projector; a
Meeting automation scene could
bring the shades up, turn on
the air conditioning in the room,
brighten the lights and show the
room as occupied across other
parts of the system. With these
components tied together, it
makes the office environment
function as a single entity, the
parts of which don’t have to be
reset manually in between each
use of the space.
Users of the system directly
benefit from this convenience, but
building management can benefit
as well from energy savings that
are associated with automation,
when it’s set to deactivate
automatically when not in use.
Coordinating lights and other
systems to illuminate only when
necessary can contribute to larger
energy efficiency over time, without
work from those in the space.
Other than the smart office
space, other large commercial
venues can also benefit from
these technology advances in
certain rooms and spaces. Hotels
are adopting these technologies
for their meeting spaces and
guestrooms, with the goal to
provide an additional comfort,
and even energy management.
Mode:Green specialises in
hospitality installations, which
require focus on ease of use
and return on investment. In a
guestroom, if a system takes
‘Previous
problems
should be
addressed in
a new system,
but new
capabilities
can be added
as well.’
more than 15 seconds to figure
out, it will go unused. This is a key
usability concern that is also true
for smart office spaces, where
employees would rather use a
regular phone than fiddle with a
frustrating conferencing system.
Integrated systems aren’t
mainstream in buildings yet, but
they are becoming part of the
thought process for businesses
and hotels as more start to see
the value in them. The unique
conference room technology
integration and master control
system at Hunter Roberts allows
its team to work collaboratively
with their clients and host events
with a seamless experience that
works well every time. They work
differently than a typical office
with the smart system; they pull
up Google Earth to look at a jobsite
and annotate documents right on
top of it on the interactive boards.
Hunter Roberts Construction
Group experiences smoother
operations and better client
relations from its system, and
hotels can benefit both from
happier guests and even energy
and cost savings. In a hotel
featuring similar automation,
with lighting and HVAC control
combined into a master system,
energy consumption can be
monitored and reduced over
time with scheduling and in
coordination with room occupancy.
Custom systems, when
designed and implemented
properly, can smooth pain
points for a business and help it
operate with greater efficiency.
Intelligent buildings are continuing
to advance, and will contribute
to better productivity, building
management, and new experiences.
For further information contact:
https://modegreen.com