How WTC Amsterdam uses smart technology for a more sustainable, safer and healthier building
Behind the high-quality facilities of WTC Amsterdam lies smart technology that contributes daily to a healthier, more sustainable and safer building. WTC Amsterdam is a Smart Building, thanks in part to the application of the MPL Smart Building cloud platform. Experts, Hans Staal (on behalf of the owner of WTC Amsterdam) and Marcel and Peter Lenters (MPL management, the integration specialist of WinGuard as a Service), explain what a Smart Building is. And how MPL’s solution works.
Smart Building
The bundling of smart technologies in a building for an optimal user experience. That’s what you call a Smart Building. Peter Lenters: “A Smart Building adapts the available technology to the employee or visitor. From the hospitality desk to meeting rooms. All facilities and associated activities of building users, to make their work as easy and efficient as possible. The MPL Smart Building cloud software system forms, among other things, the foundation for WTC Amsterdam as a Smart Building.”
Smart technology
MPL’s Smart Building platform connects all technologies in WTC Amsterdam in one cloud software platform. Every day, the platform generates and bundles a large stream of usage data. Marcel Lenters: “Experts use this anonymous data to make analyses about the building. Analyses about sustainability, safety, efficiency and health. The MPL platform converts all data into information that helps to improve processes. This also enables users to anticipate deviations more quickly. We can provide individual insight into tenant-related data in an online dashboard.”
A safe building
The Smart Building platform plays a major role in the security of WTC Amsterdam. Peter Lenters: “The platform takes care of the operational security in the control room of WTC Amsterdam. It monitors security cameras, fire safety and remote access and controls and reads everything. The same applies to deviations in technical installations, BMS and IOT sensors. It is even possible to transfer all or part of the activities to the MPL Alarm Centre.” The platform also contributes to the efficiency of security services. It saves money.
Ventilated meeting rooms
In addition to a safe working environment, the platform also helps make WTC Amsterdam an even healthier building. The meeting rooms, for example. Hans Staal: “Every meeting room, has a meter that continuously measures the CO2 content in the room. If the amount of carbon dioxide exceeds the legal standard, the platform sends out a signal. The cooling system then circulates more fresh air in the meeting room. This prevents poor air quality and an unhealthy workplace for employees and visitors.”
Conscious water consumption
In addition to a healthy working environment, the MPL platform also helps with sustainability. Hans Staal: “WTC Amsterdam wants to lead the way when it comes to sustainable initiatives and innovations that contribute to the ESG objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. Data is indispensable for this”.
Conscious use of water is one of the important sustainability goals for the near future. “This goes beyond, for example, the water-saving taps that you can already find everywhere in WTC Amsterdam. In order to achieve the Dutch climate objectives, you have to focus more on the reuse of water. This requires a circular system in buildings. A significant investment, whereby we use data from the platform for preliminary research and the eventual implementation and monitoring of such a circular water system.”
Pleasant indoor climate thanks to artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is also playing an increasingly important role in making WTC Amsterdam more sustainable. Marcel Lenters: “The cooling systems of WTC Amsterdam are connected via artificial intelligence to a weather forecast module in the platform. This allows you to predict the weather a few hours in advance. Cooling systems then cool at exactly the right time in sunny weather and switch off again when it’s cloudy. An enormously sustainable and cost-efficient saving.”
Increasing importance of data
The MPL Smart Building cloud platform brings systems together and is becoming more widely used. In this way, it can facilitate users and various stakeholders. The importance of data and its analysis is increasing. Its use is also becoming more widespread. Think, for example, of smartphone access, workplace registration, smart camera applications with AI and the monitoring of various systems, in order to deal smartly and quickly with malfunctions and maintenance. Everything is possible if the basis of the platform is solid.