Just as buildings evolved to become far more than just shelters, workplaces and storage rooms, modern communities have become more than simply places in which people gather to live or work. Modern communities are about harmony, they are about interoperability, they are about a wide range of functions coming together to serve the developing needs of the community.

Of course, from little acorns do mighty oaks grow, and so the modern idea of a community would not be possible without its core elements – its building blocks, if you will – Smart Buildings.

Buildings Optimized for the Challenges of the Modern Age

Modern life is fraught with challenges, and so our communities need buildings that are ready and able to meet these challenges. Modern buildings need systems in place to keep track of data across a range of metrics in order to provide facilities managers with the ability to examine how best to deliver services.

Data metrics such as HVAC and heating usage, service and repair history, security inspections and component age, afford facilities managers an insight into how well their building is operating, and how it can be more efficient in the future.

Smart Communities: The Wider Benefits

By extrapolating this out across a wider area and across numerous buildings, we begin to see the larger-scale benefits of these smart communities. By pooling and sharing data, civil authorities can make our cities safer and more secure places to be; by augmenting the standard of the service offered to building tenants and users, facilities managers can improve efficiency and asset life; and by analyzing energy consumption trends, communities can work together to reduce the carbon footprint of their community.

The Role of the CMMS

This sort of coordinated data collection and smart building management is more achievable than you might think. While before it seemed almost impossible, such a high level of data management has become easy to achieve. A good-quality CMMS system represents the link to connect the function of a smart building directly to the needs of the community.

As technology develops – and as facilities managers deploy CMMS solutions more effectively – we can look forward to safer, cleaner, healthier and more environmentally friendly ‘smart communities’ in the future.