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SMART CITIES 095that are sustainable for both today and tomorrow? If we are to build a greener, more sustainable future, we need to be smarter in the way we go about it and leverage new technologies as well as traditional approaches.“Smart” is something of a buzz word in the building and construction industries, but what does it actually mean? Smart buildings are those which are controlled by a network of electronic sensors and controls which monitor and operate certain building functions, such as heating and lighting systems1. Rapid advances in technology mean buildings are now capable of learning and anticipating the needs and behaviours of building users, such as their preferences for light, temperature and air quality2. And the vast data that results is allowing us to create buildings which perform better – using less energy and emitting fewer carbon emissions, whilst ensuring maximum comfort for occupants. As JLL’s Senior Vice President recently remarked: “Smart buildings take green to a whole new level.”The Edge building in Amsterdam, which opened in 2014, is often citied as the poster boy of smart buildings. It features around 28,000 sensors, monitoring everything from coffee machines and towel rails, to the bespoke energy efficient LED lighting system by Philips, a founding member of WorldGBC’s Corporate Advisory Board. The Edge is not only one of the world’s smartest buildings, but also one of the greenest. With a range of sustainable technologies such as solar panels and smart lighting to adjust energy use, it is an energy positive building (producing more than it consumes) and achieved one of the highest ratings of any office under the BREEAM certification scheme. And there are many more buildings that fit both the sustainable and smart labels, such as the BullittCenter, a groundbreaking office building in Seattle, which generates 60 per cent more energy that is uses. And it is not just commercial buildings. Smart technology is gaining momentum in homes, with smart phone-enabled home energy and lighting controls, residential indoor air quality monitoring, and other sensor-enabled technologies. Big players such as Google are now involved in the market through the Nest home “learning” thermostat, which adjusts itself automatically based on past occupant behaviours. Much of this tech taps into the ‘Internet of Things’ – the network of interconnected objects and devices such as phones or fitness trackers– which is set to have a profound effect on buildings and their sustainability. Using real time data from building devices can have many benefits, from major reductions in energy use to advance detection of serious faults.It is these types of smart buildings which are contributing to the fabric of so called “smart cities”. Ultimately much harder to define, smart cities are characterised as those which use technology and data to create urban areas that are more liveable, resilient, and adaptable to the needs of their inhabitants3. Sustainability is therefore a key element within smart cities, ensuring these places are less damaging to the environment in which they exist, heathier for the people who reside there, and adaptable in the face of a changing climate. They are also big business, with a 2013 report by engineering firm Arup estimating that the smart cities industry could be worth more than US$400 billion globally by 2020.New technologies are also helping to shape another major trend within the building industry – the drive to create greener buildings that improve the health, wellbeing and productivity of their occupants. As WorldGBC noted in its recent Better Places for People campaign report on green retail premises, portable and wearable technology, and sensors capturing data on multiple metrics such as indoor air quality or daylight, are beginning to have a “significant impact” on how people and businesses measure health, wellbeing and productivity, and link it to the design of their buildings. The Paris Agreement has given the greatest signal yet that a low-carbon economy is inevitable and that the building industry has a key role to play within it. Together, we can make 2016 a record breaking year – not for rising global temperatures, but for real, on the ground action in delivering carbon reductions from buildings. Our work has already begun, but we need to double our efforts to combat climate change and show the world that green building is the solution. ■ ABOUT THE AUTHORTerri Wills is the CEO of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), a network of global Green Building Councils greening building through market transformation. She joined WorldGBC from the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, where she was Director of Global Initiatives. There, she spearheaded the development and implementation of C40’s networks which have now had a direct impact on policy in 75 per cent of C40 cities. Prior to C40, Ms Wills worked with the Clinton Climate Initiative, the London Mayor’s Office on building energy efficiency and electric vehicles, the Government of Ontario on clean technology and creative industry development, and with the British Broadcasting Corporation as a Head of Strategy. She is Canadian, based in London, UK. References1https://www.ucem.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/SustainableBuildings_OP_FINAL_web.pdf2 www.raeng.org.uk/publications/reports/raeng-smart-buildings-people-and-performance3 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246019/bis-13-1209-smart-cities-background-paper-digital.pdfMain, left and above: The Edge 2 Philips connecting lightingBelow: Terri WillsPhoto Credit: Ronald Tilleman