Whitepapers

INTRODUCTION According to recent reports, the smart building market is expected to grow from $43.6 billion in 2018 to $160 billion by 2026. 1 Fueled by an increased focus on carbon emissions, market demand, po- tential savings, and evolving laws and regulations, the commercial construction industry is now embracing the concept of sustainable smart buildings. What constitutes a sustainable smart building has also evolved significantly over the past two decades to now consider not only a building's environmental impact, but also its safety, security, and overall social performance and cost reduction over its lifecycle. As the commercial real estate market becomes increasingly competi- tive, building owners need to answer the call to make their buildings smarter and more sustainable in a way that considers impact on the planet, the people, and the profit of the business itself or run the risk of lower occupancy rates and property values. To make informed decisions that ensure sustainable smart buildings, stakeholders need insights and benchmarks that can only come from measurable assessment criteria and based on actual data. To effec- tively collect that data, building owners and operators need to consi- der emerging technologies and infrastructures that enable cost-effec- tively connecting a wide range of smart devices and systems within a building and across campus environments, smart communities, and smart cities. In 2020, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and UL teamed to launch SPIRE, the industry's first comprehensive smart building assessment and rating program that holistically measures building technology and performance, taking into account the en- tirety of a smart building. Built in conjunction with UL, the leading global safety science company, and with a criteria developed by the TIA industry working group of more than 60 leading commercial real estate, asset management, technology and telecommunications in- dustry leaders, SPIRE is built around six distinctive categories - connec- tivity, health and wellbeing, life and property safety, power and energy, cybersecurity, and sustainability. A key part of these criteria is the as- sessment of advanced, interoperable technology that enables the col- lection and analysis of data to improve building performance, occupant experiences, and operational efficiency that support sustainability. The LoRa Alliance ® is a fast growing technology alliance committed to the worldwide deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions through the development and promotion of the LoRaWAN® open standard designed to wirelessly connect devices that collect actio- nable data to improve a variety of processes. Building optimization and sustainability is one of them. Members of the LoRa Alliance form an ecosystem of companies offering products and solutions that can be applied across all of SPIRE's smart building assessment criteria and have the potential to reduce environmental impact, improve health and wellbeing, and lower operational costs. Thanks to the synergy of the SPIRE assessment criteria and LoRaWAN technology in enabling sustainability, TIA and the LoRa Alliance are collaborating to drive innovation and technology deployments that will ultimately enable vital data collection and analysis needed to as- sess, monitor, and maintain sustainability in a smart building. To that end, these two non-profit organizations work with their members to gain insight into how the industry and companies are achieving smart building sustainability goals in a complex, challenging marketplace that is undergoing increasing and evolving environmental concerns, regulations, and expectations. Based on detailed research, recent statistics, and interviews with leading TIA and LoRa Alliance member companies, this paper presents expert viewpoints on smart building sustainability, including: • The evolution of sustainability concepts • Primary industry and global driving forces to sustainability • The foundational role of data in achieving sustainability • Technologies, solutions, and strategies for achieving sustainability goals • Key challenges to sustainable smart building implementation • The need for sustainability assessment and certification programs • The future outlook for sustainable smart buildings THE EVOLUTION OF SUSTAINABILITY The concept of a sustainable building, or "green" building, has evolved significantly over the past two decades. What traditionally constituted a building's sustainability was focused primarily on energy consumption, conservation of natural resources, and material reuse and recycling. Today, industry experts believe that sustainability has become a much broader concept that relates to a building's overall ability to provide a comfortable, healthy, and productive environment over the lifecycle of the building without negatively impacting the natural environment. The "blue" building is a newer concept that expands sustainability beyond its conventional "green" metaphor, adopting the position that sustainable buildings can no longer be just about the impact on the natural environment but rather should focus on three key pillars— planet, people, and profit. When it comes to designing, constructing, and operating a building that embraces the future of the planet, the prosperity of its people and surrounding community, and the success of the business itself, there are also far more factors to consider. More than just energy consumption The impact a building has on the planet should now factor in more than just energy consumption and operational carbon (greenhouse gas emissions from operating a building). Industry experts believe that embodied carbon, which represents the emissions of greenhouse gases during building construction, should also factor into a building's impact. While operational carbon currently accounts for 28% of total greenhouse gas emissions and embodied carbon accounts for only about 11%, estimated increases in building construction have industry experts predicting that by 2050, the levels will be nearly equal. 2,3 2 Smart Building market Size, Share, Trends, Growth Opportunities and Forecast, 2019 – 2026, Acumen Research and Consulting Embodied vs. Operational Carbon, UL, August 16, 2020 3 UN Environment Global Status Report 2017 and EIA International Energy Outlook 2017 www.lora-alliance.org p.2

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