The move to smart buildings represents a fundamental shift in the construction and engineering industry. The core challenge is understanding how to deliver intelligent assets that genuinely serve their occupants and owners over the long term, moving past the idea that a smart building is merely a collection of advanced products.

Success hinges on early, collaborative design, setting clear goals, and ensuring every disparate system can communicate effectively. This is the difference between a building that is 'smart' on paper and one that is intelligent in operation, with its true performance measured long after the ribbon is cut.

The conversation explores the practical side of smart building delivery, highlighting why the definition of a "smart building" must be a process focused on user needs and data-driven outcomes. It details the necessity of developing common language standards, known as ontologies, and how the role of the MEP consultant must evolve to embrace this cohesive, data-centric view. Host Stephen Weir from Hereworks is joined by David Hegarty, Associate Director and Smart Buildings Lead at Arup, who shares his decade of experience delivering intelligent projects across Europe and his vision for the future of the built environment.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

Smart building is process, not product
Define use cases before technology
Early engagement is vital for value
Common data language (ontologies) is key
Building success measured post-completion

GUEST DETAILS

David Hegarty is an Associate Director and the Smart Buildings Lead at Arup. He specialises in integrated building systems, data science, and technology deployment in the built environment. David's experience spans delivering intelligent projects across Europe, focusing on the essential trifecta of value: building systems, technology, and people.

PUBLIC CONTACT DETAILS:

Social Media:
linkedin.com/in/david-hegarty-arup

MORE INFORMATION:

CIBSE (the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) is the professional body that exists to advance and promote the art, science and practice of building services engineering. Their mission is to invest in education and research, and to support their community of built environment professionals in their pursuit of excellence. 

Find out more: CIBSE Website

Bringing Buildings Alive was produced by dustpod.io for CIBSE Ireland

QUOTES

A smart building is a process and not a product. It's a process to ultimately result in a building or an asset that's enabled to make data driven decision making ultimately yields the client's best interest. - David Hegarty
The idea of a digital building, or smart or intelligent building is those things are thought about so early on in design that it becomes seamless. - David Hegarty
Ultimately, you need to ensure that we're not just creating and storing data for data's sake. So keep coming back to the why. It keeps coming back to the use case. - David Hegarty 

KEYWORDS

#SmartBuildings #MEPConsultant #BuildingServices #DataOntology #DigitalBuilding