Optimal operation of smart buildings through collaboration: Legal, economic, and organizational tools

With new digital technology, more integrated technical systems can be developed and implemented in buildings to optimize operation and maintenance.

Smart buildings can be monitored over time, which provides better use of resources, better indoor comfort and valuable information for further analysis and the development of new services. Thus, there are strong ecological, social and economic arguments for smart buildings. However, it has been shown that new digital technology that has been tested and verified in new test beds, e.g.

KTH Live-In Lab, does not reach its full potential once it is installed and ready.

Today, it is theoretically possible to use digital technology, for example digital twins, to create, share, use, store and further develop valuable information that is needed in design, production, operation and maintenance.

In practice, however, different problems quickly arise because the institutional frameworks and structures are not adopted to integrated systems and collaboration, which results in vague incentives for individual actors to fully contribute to a well-functioning whole.This application will investigate the connection between new technology and optimal operation of buildings.

More specifically, the fragmentation of the construction process, the shortcomings of the frameworks, the difficulties of coordinating different disciplines and the problems of trusting each other needs to be examined.

The purpose is to enable the potential that lies in more interconnected, integrated technical systems for optimal operation of buildings. The method is a combination of literature studies, interviews and case-studies.

In addition, testing and verification of integrated technical systems will be carried out and the results will be disseminated to companies and industry organizations, as well as to the scientific community.